Middle−earth: Shadow of War

Monolith concludes
its sprawling fantasy epic
 In The Name
Of Balance
I
love video games, but there are also
times when they fill me with audible
fury. I’m not just talking about those
times when I die in a multiplayer match
and I go into full-on rage mode. While
those are not my finest moments, they
are at least quick flashes and my disgust
is usually with myself for playing poorly
(though I have screamed at my fair share
of bugs and cheating computer A.I.).
What makes me truly annoyed, angry,
ANDY McNAMARA at wit’s end, or all of the above lately
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF is when a game’s balance is tilted and
andy@gameinformer.com developers won’t fix it. Maybe that’s
because it’s a free-to-play game and
Read my column or they use the imbalance to cash in on a
comment on this letter at player’s desire to win, they are blind to
gameinformer.com/mag the problem, or they simply don’t care.
or follow @GI_AndyMc I have stated the developer perspec-
tive in simple terms, so I think it is impor-
tant to point out that making games is
hard, and most developers probably
have a fair amount of other burning
issues they are dealing with or new fea-
tures they are building. Stopping to tune
game balance at every corner probably
isn’t always possible.
That said, as games continue to evolve
as services and persistent worlds, the
importance of balance and reactive
development that addresses problems
quickly and fairly is integral to a game’s
success. Nothing drives me away from
a game quicker (and makes my anger
froth more) than developers who leave
obvious issues untouched for unreason-
able amounts of time.
visit gameinformer.com daily for the latest and greatest, and follow @gameinformer on Twitter

For example, Blizzard did a great job

fixing an obviously broken Bastion in
Overwatch quickly after one update.
But at the other end of the spectrum it
let classes sit at uncompetitive levels
for months on end in its MMO World of
Warcraft. Imagine putting hundreds of
hours into a class then having one patch
make you uncompetitive at every level.
It’s heartbreaking.
Like most gamers out there, I enjoy
changing metas, as it keeps games
fresh. Even so, there is nothing worse
than when your favorite weapon or class
is left out of a game’s design pass, leav-
ing you with no option other than to wait
for the developers to address the prob-
lem or simply walk away. No one wants
to quit a game over these issues, and no
developer wants to lose players based
on perceived or real problems with bal-

36 Middle-earth:
ance, so I hope more developers keep
a watchful eye, as it is one of the most
important issues facing games today. Shadow Of War
Enjoy the issue. Return to the world of The Lord of the Rings
to experience the epic finale of a vengeful ranger’s quest to
Cheers, conquer Mordor. We’ve got new details on the ringwraith
boss fights, insight into the story, and more. by Matt Miller

2
 games index

Agents of Mayhem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Alien: Isolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Amnesia: The Dark Descent . . . . . . . . . 15
Assassin’s Creed Origins. . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Batman: The Enemy Within –
08 Gamescom 2017
We made our yearly
trek to Germany to play 12 Fright Factor: Rounding Up Today’s Best Horror Games
It’s almost that time of the year when things generally
Episode One: The Enigma . . . . . . . . . . 76
Biomutant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Crew 2, The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
some of this and next become a little scarier. To honor the annual occasion, we rounded
Cuphead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
year’s biggest games. up some of the best horror games out there.
Darkest Dungeon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Dead by Daylight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Dead Rising 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Doom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
04 Feedback Dream Daddy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Dying Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
18 Impulse: Golf Story
Escapists 2, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Melds RPGs And Sports
Evil Within 2, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
On Nintendo Switch Evil Within, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
19 Afterwords: Tacoma Fantasy Strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

24 The Good, The Bad, 20 The Science Of

Stuck
We asked a collection of
26 The History Of
MachineGames
We learned the surprising
Friday the 13th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Gigantic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
And The Ugly Golf Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
people much smarter than history of the developer
Gundam Versus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
25 Top Ten Strongholds us, why do we get stuck in behind the 2014 Wolfenstein
Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
video games? reboot.
30 Gamer: George Killing Floor 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
“Hyped” Maganzini Kingsway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Last of Us: Remastered, The. . . . . . . . . 16
32 Gear: Homage LawBreakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
To Horror Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle
and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy . . . . . 90
34 Timeline Left 4 Dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Let it Die . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
54 Previews
Little Nightmares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
74 Reviews Long Dark, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

92 Classic: The Lost Tale

From Middle-earth
31 The Franchise
Cornerstone
NBA 2K’s franchise mode
54 Monster Hunter
World
We played alone and
Lord of the Rings:
The White Council, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Lost Sphear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
director told us why the with friends in Monster Madden NFL 18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
94 Game Over: mode is underserved in Hunter World. Read about Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle . . . . . 88
Gandalf In Games other sports games. our experience. Matterfall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Middle-earth: Shadow of War . . . . . . . . 36
Miitopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Minecraft: Story Mode – Season Two:
Giant Consequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Monster Hunter World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
NBA 2K18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Need For Speed Payback . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Nidhogg 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Observer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 81
Outlast 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
65 Cuphead
It feels like we’ve Perception. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

48 The Evil Within 2

Shinji Mikami is best known for his work on the original
Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4. He returned to horror in 2014
been waiting forever for
Cuphead, but our excite-
ment hasn’t lessened as
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds . . . . . . 61
Rend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Resident Evil 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
with The Evil Within, and we recently checked out the scary sequel. a result. Resident Evil HD Remaster . . . . . . . . . . 16
Slender: The Arrival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Slime Rancher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Soma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Sonic Mania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Star Wars Battlefront II . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
State of Decay 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Sundered. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Tacoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Total War: Warhammer II. . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy . . . . . . . . . 87

80 XCOM 2: War Of 87 Uncharted:

The Lost Legacy Until Dawn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Chosen
XCOM continues to impress
with an expansion that is
88 Mario + Rabbids:
Kingdom Battle
How does the unexpected
This new entry in the
Uncharted series may lose
Nathan Drake, but we don’t
Vanishing of Ethan Carter, The . . . . . . . 14
What Remains of Edith Finch. . . . . . . . . 14
Worlds Adrift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
hugely replayable. team-up stack up? miss him. XCOM 2: War of the Chosen . . . . . . . . . 80
Yakuza Kiwami . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
3 contents
feedback

Readers weighed in on their favorite and not-so-favorite E3

announcements this month, while others herald the importance of
local co-op – and also online co-op. Different strokes!

More From Microsoft? enthusiast. It didn’t stop the show – it A Just Reward
I really enjoyed your take on made me want to buy the next Forza, I’m writing with a question regarding
Microsoft’s showing at this year’s E3 because Turn 10 understands its platinum trophies and earning all of
(E3 Report Card, issue 292). I have community. Overall, I didn’t mind the a game’s achievements. Why don’t
been an Xbox supporter since the 360 games lineup you were bashing, and developers throw in extra content
arrived on the gaming scene back in look forward to playing said games for the gamers who fully complete
2005. So when Microsoft unveiled the in 4K. At this point in this generation a game? I think that players who
Xbox One, I jumped at the chance for of consoles, I think the entire gaming took the time to complete everything
a new console like many others. My community needs to reevaluate the should be rewarded with something
question now is, why? During its E3 Xbone vs. PS4 debate. Sure, Sony extra. I’m not suggesting that gamers
press conference, Microsoft’s mes- came out of the gates strong, but in should be punished for not completing
sage was basically, “Buy our new the last two years, Xbox has made a every trophy and achievement – just
Xbox One X, it has great graphics.” big comeback. give those who do a nice bonus. Don’t
Crisp graphics are great, but I also Reese Breischaft you think such an idea would boost
enjoy playing games. Where are the via email the replay value of a game?
Microsoft exclusives? With the top Garth Weaver
genres being RPG, action/shooter, More readers shared their thoughts via email
open world, and sports, it’s a shame on the Xbox One this month,
there’s not even a decent baseball and once again Microsoft’s Play In-game rewards can be a deli-
game for the Xbox. We have your con- Anywhere initiative remains a point cate balancing act. On one hand,
soles, Microsoft – now we just need of contention. To some, allow- devel opers want to reward players
some games to play. ing all of Xbox One’s first-party for their devotion and for achieving
William Tippett “exclusives” to be played on PC is a herculean tasks in their games. On
via email convenient feature that widens the the other hand, it’s hard to justify
company’s player base. To others, spending time and money to create
While Microsoft’s E3 press conference it robs Xbox of potential system content that only a tiny fraction
Contact Us wasn’t amazing, I thought it was far sellers. Microsoft’s diminished of the player base will ever see.
Send your questions, better than Sony’s. I think the Xbox first-party development is also a As such, hardcore gamers often
comments, and rants to One X is a powerful console that Sony growing concern for many, but must settle for bragging rights
feedback@gameinformer.com does not have a competitor to. When we’re still waiting to see if and how alone – but you’ll never hear us
for a chance to be featured Microsoft unveiled the Porsche GT2 the Xbox One X might affect the complain about more cool bonuses
in the magazine! RS onstage, I found it exciting as a car gaming landscape. in games.
4
 Fantasy For Two... Short Answers
We really enjoyed seeing the recent To Readers’
Feedback letters and your replies Burning
regarding couch co-op. My wife and Questions:
I often buy games based on whether
we’ll be able to play together. We “How do you think Sega
even bought two PS3s so we could felt when you left the
play together, but now we would Shining series off your
also need two accounts, which gets 100 Top RPGs list?”
to be a bit much. I’m really hoping Companies don’t
this trend of buyer demand contin- have feelings.
ues so that more games support it.
Particularly, we both wish there were “I just beat Dark
more Baldur’s Gate-type games Souls 3. Are you proud
coming out. Have you heard whisper- or disappointed?”
ings of any games like that coming
out in the future? We’re in a good mood,
Dick Sickels so we’ll go with proud.
via email
“Hey can you stop
How do I go about suggesting to pushing Overwatch
companies that older players would so much?”
like more games that we can play If by “pushing” you
with family members in the same mean covering an
room? There are a number of wonder- extremely popular
ful games being developed, but they game that has been
do not allow for two or more players continually updated
to play together on the same system. and expanded upon,
My wife and I are looking for any then no.
form of two-person games and there
are little to choose from. We are not
Credit For Captain Toad... sports fans, so we do not consider Most Cryptic
I’m a fan of your magazine and a longtime fan of Mario. That’s those; our interest lies in adventure or News Tip Of
fantasy games. The Month:
why I was super excited to read about Super Mario Odyssey
Richard P. Giorgi
in your E3 Hot 50 issue. However, while reading the article, via email “Celebration
I noticed one small mistake. It stated that Captain Toad first Cake London.”
appeared in Super Mario 3D World, but his first appearance Support for couch co-op remains
was actually six years earlier in Super Mario Galaxy, one of the one of the most common requests
first video games I ever played. I don’t want to tack years on to we hear from readers, and for good Question
reason – many older gamers grew Of The Month:
the fearless Toad Brigade leader’s age, but I do remember him
up playing alongside their family What game is
helping out with the retrieval of some power stars. and friends, and online multiplayer remembered too fondly,
Ryan Smith is a sorry substitute for in-person and why?
via email interactions. If you’re looking
for fantasy-themed co-op, you
Several readers wrote in to set the record straight on should check out Divinity: Original
Captain Toad’s service record, and they are indeed correct: Sin. The turn-based RPG isn’t an
exact match for Baldur’s Gate, but
the compact commander debuted in Mario’s first interga-
checks many of the same boxes,
lactic adventure, not 3D World. Rest assured, Ben Reeves and can be played together on the
will be court-martialed for his oversight. same screen. However, not every-
one is looking for local co-op…

(Left) The fine folks at

gi spy

Monolith invited us into

their studio this month to
give us an in-depth look
at Shadow of War and
the mo-cap process. It
was more intense than
we anticipated.
(Right) Our G.I. Spy
tour of E3 continues this
month with One PR’s Kjell
Vistad and Square Enix’s
Casey Lynch.

PHOTOS FROM THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY

feedback 5
 On Your Mind Online Odyssey?
While reading the Super Mario
Odyssey preview in issue 292, a
sudden thought struck me. What if
there could possibly be some kind of
online mode for Mario’s new open-
world game? As doubtful as that may
be, I would love to see Nintendo offer
servers to play with other people.
Exploring the open world of New
Donk City and all the other areas with
a friend would be a blast! The only
problem would be telling which Mario
you’re controlling, but I suppose you
could color code them. Like I said, I
know this is doubtful, but with the right
ideas Mario would be great online!
Gable Coe
via email

E3 Aftermath We love that your solution to poten-

In issue 293, we asked readers what their favorite game tial co-op confusion would be color-
from E3 2017 was. A few big sequels made the grade, coded Marios instead of one person
along with other surprising newcomers. Here are some of just playing as Luigi – because
the responses. really, who wants that? Super Mario
3D World is the only 3D Mario game
to offer full-fledged co-op, and that
My favorite was definitely Star Wars Battlefront II. The last was limited to local play. Super
game was good but there just wasn’t enough game, and also Mario Odyssey, on the other hand,
the season pass was bull dookie! I’m hopeful they learned is closer to Galaxy’s limited multi-
their lesson. player, with one player controlling
Calvin Hargis Mario’s now-sentient hat – and is
E3 Excitement also local only. Nintendo is clearly
willing to experiment with the
Xbox One X Interest/ The new Kingdom Hearts III trailer was exciting and the game- Switch, however, so maybe Mario
Concerns play looks awesome! Also, the new transformations of the will get an online-enabled adven-
“More Couch Keyblades are great! ture in the future – just don’t tell the
Co-op!” Craig Taylor couch co-op fans!

Continued Top
RPGs Feedback
I was very impressed by State of Decay 2 and Call of Duty:
WWII, but my favorite announcement was Anthem. I love the
Captain Toad idea of a shared-world, class-based game like Destiny that
Defenders I can play with my friends.
J.D. German

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle surprised me the most. This

looks like one of those games which had a lot of love and effort
put into it, and I appreciate that. Also, I’m a sucker for turn-
based strategy games.
Jacob Aycock

(Left) Epic Games’

Wes Phillips and Jeremy
Hoffman hang with
Fortyseven’s Laura Weir.
(Right) Andy caught up
with some old friends at
E3: Other Ocean Group’s
Tom Russo, Respawn’s
Vince Zampella and Jon
Shiring, Cinesite’s Nick
Glassman, and Nike’s
Hayden Walling.

6
 1

gallery
WINNER
1 Hannah Lee
Behold the true dangers of gene splicing: squid-tentacle hair.

2 Alyha Rebollo
Dragons? Check! Balls? Check! This picture meets all the require-
ments of Dragon Ball Z art.

3 Thomas Ingram
Looks like we’ve got a future Kingdom Hearts designer on our hands.

4 Mike Zdobnikov
If you’re striving for the whole emo-horseman-of-the-apocalypse
vibe, black and white is the way to go.

Correction: In a previous issue, we featured a Mario fan art that was later found to not be original. We apologize for this error.

» Submit your art for a chance to win our monthly prize. Please include your name and return address. Entries become the property of Game Informer and cannot be returned.
Send to: Game Informer Reader Art Contest, 724 First Street North, 3rd Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401 | Email to: ReaderArt@gameinformer.com

(Left) Meanwhile at
this year’s Evolution
Champion Series, Suriel
orchestrated a showdown
between Gundam Versus
producer Naoya Yasuda
and Dragon Ball FighterZ
producer Tomoko Hiroki.
(Right) The G.I. crew
grabbed dinner with a
special guest this month:
Mike, who donated a
thousand dollars to our
Extra Life marathon.
Thanks, Mike!

feedback 7
connect
GAMESCOM

NOTABLES
12 fright factor:
rounding up today’s
best horror games

18 impulse:
golf story melds
rpgs and sports on
nintendo switch

19 afterwords: tacoma

20 the science of stuck

26 the turbulent history

of machinegames

8
2017 RECAP The annual event sees few big announcements,
but has continued strong attendance

amescom, the world’s largest computer and video games

G
officially opening to pre-order was the
big headline, as well as a new “Project
convention, opened this year to more than 350,000 Scorpio” edition of the console for
guests in Cologne, Germany. Although its attendance rate the same price as the standard edi-
tion. This pre-order only version
continues to grow, with visitors from 106 different countries, comes with a unique design and an
Gamescom has had fewer interesting announcements in the exclusive vertical stand. Two Xbox
One S bundles were also shown off,
last couple years as publishers move toward platform-specific
one themed around Minecraft and
events like PlayStation Experience for reveals. another that comes with Middle-
earth: Shadow of War. Microsoft also
announced a publishing deal for the
Xbox One version of the popular PC
by Elise Favis game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,
which implies a limited Xbox exclusiv-
ity window for the game that currently
While major announcements were EA debuted an expansion pack for has 8 million players on PC.
nearly nonexistent, both EA and The Sims 4 called Cats and Dogs – Despite lackluster conferences, the
Microsoft nonetheless held press a long-awaited addition focusing show made headlines thanks to a visit
events before the show’s official specifically on pets. The crowd perked from Germany’s chancellor Angela
opening. EA revealed trailers for Need up for the first time during The Sims Merkel. She gave a speech to a room of
for Speed Payback and FIFA 18, reveal as other announcements 350 invited guests and more than 150
among others. DICE showed off Star paled in comparison, making for a journalists. In her talk, she acknowl-
Wars Battlefront II’s space combat for dull conference. edged the importance of Gamescom,
the first time, as well as Battlefield 1’s Microsoft’s event proved similarly digital games, and its positive impact
new 5v5 competitive mode. Finally, underwhelming. The Xbox One X on the country’s economy.
connect 9
Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel opened
Gamescom for the first time, played games,
and posed with cosplayers

“Computer and video games are

of the utmost importance as cultural
assets, as a driving force for innova-
tion, and as an economic factor, which
is why I was also very pleased to come
to Cologne to provide this developing
industry with my recommendation,”
Merkel said during the speech.
She posed for photos with a group
of cosplayers with costumes inspired
by games such as Overwatch and
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. She even
played some games herself, including
Farming Simulator and Minecraft.
Although E3 opened its doors to the
public for the very first time this year,
Gamescom has long been a consumer-
based show. Held in the massive
Koelnmesse convention center, dozens
of exhibition halls were filled with games
10
for the public to demo, with tons of massive Warner Bros. booth. Peter Smits) spoke about Project Cars 2
merchandise available for purchase. PlayStation had a smaller stand with and the series’ passionate community.
Ubisoft had many popular games only a couple games available to Gamescom is both a fan-friendly and
that fans eagerly waited for hours in demo including Uncharted: The Lost press-friendly event. With a business
line to play, including Assassin’s Creed Legacy, despite it already having been area sectioned off for press and indus-
Origins, Far Cry 5, and Mario + Rabbids: released. PlayStation’s presence was try professionals, and multiple show
Kingdom Battle. It broadcast Just limited, with no press event and no floors to accommodate large crowds,
Dance 2017 on a large screen, and its behind-the-scenes presentations for Gamescom clearly has an edge over
booming but catchy audio engulfed part trade visitors and media. E3 when it comes to its dedication to
of the show floor, making it feel like an All Gamescom attendees could fans. Furthermore, nearly everything
upbeat party. watch the keynotes, which had notable shown behind closed doors was also
Other big games were present for the developers talk. PlayerUnknown’s available for the public to try out on the
public to try out as well, such as Call of Battlegrounds creative director Brendan show floor.
Duty: WWII, Forza Motorsport 7, and Greene discussed the game’s phenom- Despite a dwindling interest from
Metal Gear Survive. Nintendo’s large enal success in early access. Richard publishers, who are reserving major
booth had long lines for anticipated Garriott (best known for the Ultima announcements for other occasions,
games like Super Mario Odyssey, Fire series) talked about how today is the Gamescom still has much to offer in
Emblem Warriors, and Metroid: Samus golden age of video games. Three terms of getting extended looks at
Returns. Middle-earth: Shadow of War developers from Slightly Mad Studios anticipated games and giving the public
also proved a popular demo at the (Andy Tudor, Nicolas Hamilton, and a chance to give them a test run.
connect 11
 Fright Factor
Rounding up today’s best
horror games

W
ith Halloween approaching, now is the perfect time
to brush up on some horror. Luckily, the past decade
delivered a surge of quality spooky games. The genre
has gone through ups and downs, but it’s also had its share of
novelties. We’ve seen a swelling of combat-free first-person horror
experiences, psychological terrors that tackle existential themes,
and multiplayer horror influenced by slasher films.
Horror manifests itself in video games in several ways, like limiting
players with scarce resources, or frightening them with jump scares.
With so many titles to choose from, it can be difficult to know which
are worth checking out, so we’ve made a list of recent scary games
you won’t regret playing. This roundup will aid you in finding the
right game for the perfect occasion, whether you’re looking for a good
scare, a thrill ride, or an ominous storyline.

by Elise Favis

12
 JUMP SCARES
Jump scares – despite their overuse – can be incredibly effective in making you leap out of your seat. It’s one of the oldest horror tropes around,
seen in several popular horror game franchises from Resident Evil to Silent Hill. Here are some recent games that use them effectively.

OUTLAST 2
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
G.I. Score: 7.75
Set in rural Arizona, Red Barrels’ Outlast 2
puts you in the shoes of a journalist look-
ing for his wife who was kidnapped by a
vicious cult. A majority of the game unfolds
in the dark, as you look through your night
vision camera to see. You roam through one
isolated town to the next, finding plenty of
supernatural forces that sneak behind you
at a moment’s notice or machete-wielding
OBSERVER cultists that pop around corners. Outlast 2
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC offers one terror after the next, making it an
G.I. Score: 9.0 intense experience.
RESIDENT EVIL 7
Taking place in a rundown apartment com-
Platform: PSVR, PS4, Xbox One, PC
plex overrun with both monsters and psy-
G.I. Score: 8.5
chological terrors, Observer tasks you with
finding your missing son and unraveling a As one of the most revered and longstand-
corporate conspiracy. Despite its strong ing horror-game franchises, Resident Evil’s
leanings toward science fiction, Observer is newest entry was met with big expectations.
nonetheless a horrific experience filled with While continuing many series traditions,
effective jump scares. You play as a special- it successfully sets itself apart with a first-
ized police officer with cybernetic augmen- person perspective, a Southern setting, and
tations who enters the minds of others to the ability to play in VR. Resident Evil 7 excels
recreate crime scenes. It’s a clever take on in its brooding atmosphere, tense boss fights,
cyberpunk, where you directly explore the and skin-crawling jump scares such as a
horrors of the mind and take on the traumas chainsaw-wielding enemy appearing without
of others in trippy hallucinations. Read our warning, or hundreds of tiny spiders falling
review on page 81. onto your arms.

SLASHER SHOWDOWN
One of the most memorable scenes from slasher films are when the enemy is on the hunt for a helpless victim. Certain games bring
this horror to life, by pitting you against other friends in multiplayer matches as you take turns being the hunter and the hunted.

DEAD BY DAYLIGHT
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC | G.I. Score: 8.25
Behaviour Interactive’s Dead By Daylight is an asymmetrical multiplayer game that has one player
as the killer and four others who attempt to stay alive. The victims search around the map for
generators to power the exits. If they manage to power them all up, they can escape – unless the
killer stops them. The disfigured murderer stalking the victims can set bear traps and even become
invisible, making them incredibly powerful. Dead By Daylight is largely a game of quick thinking to
outsmart your deadly opponent.

FRIDAY THE 13TH

Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
G.I. Score: 6.0
Despite a disastrous launch that left the game
nearly unplayable, IllFonic’s Friday the 13th
nonetheless had a lot of hype leading to its
release and has been immensely popular
since. Although it still has a host of issues,
from bugs to matchmaking, the concept is a
winning one. Set in the iconic Camp Crystal
Lake from the films, each match has one
player as the hockey mask-wearing serial
killer Jason, and seven others struggling for
survival as camp counsellors. These matches
are frighteningly tense as Jason brutally mur-
ders whoever he can, and getaway options
for counsellors are randomly generated.
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 STORY-DRIVEN SPOOKS
Horror is a polarizing genre when it comes to storytelling, and finding a well-told narrative can be tough. If you’re looking for a
choice-driven or movie-like experience, these titles are worth your time.

THE VANISHING OF
ETHAN CARTER
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
G.I. Score: 8.0
This adventure game from developer The
Astronauts has you explore the rural coun-
tryside to unravel a mystery about a young
boy, Ethan, who unleashed a supernatural
monster from another dimension. Playing as
a paranormal investigator, you spend time
searching different areas for clues and notes
that help you piece together the story of what
happened to Ethan. Although slow-paced,
UNTIL DAWN the narrative is compelling enough to keep WHAT REMAINS OF
Platform: PS4
you hooked as you uncover the truth. EDITH FINCH
G.I. Score: 9.0 Platform: PS4, PC
G.I. Score: 8.75
Taking heavy influence from the ‘80s slasher-
film genre, Until Dawn is about a group of One of the best adventure games of the year
teens who face unimaginable terrors while thus far, Giant Sparrow’s What Remains of
staying at a cabin in the woods. As the kids Edith Finch tells a morbid, tragic, and at times
get split up and killed off, you get to play as heartwarming story about a family plagued by
each teen in separate sequences, making a curse. Playing as Edith, the last remaining
the experience feel like an interactive horror Finch, you return home to discover what hap-
movie. Your story unfolds uniquely depending pened to your ancestors who faced untimely
on your choices, and certain decisions have deaths. With its intricate attention to detail,
a butterfly effect, creating unexpected con- vignette storytelling, and characters who feel
sequences down the line. Who lives and dies alive despite their passing, What Remains of
depends on you, making this a thrilling ride Edith Finch is a haunting tale that will stick
best played with a group of friends. with you long after it’s over.

HIDE & SEEK

A game of cat-and-mouse can be riveting – and deadly if you’re not careful. This concept is used in numerous horror games,
where you are nervously aware that you’re being pursued.

ALIEN: ISOLATION SLENDER: THE ARRIVAL

Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360, PC Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360, Wii U, PC
G.I. Score: 7.75 G.I. Score: N/A
This entry in the Alien series, developed Rising to fame through the web, the lanky
by Creative Assembly, takes a different boogeyman known as Slenderman quickly
approach. Rather than just shooting and kill- became an online folklore legend. Soon, his
ing enemies, a lot of your time is spent avoid- presence stretched out into pop culture, par-
ing enemies in a game of hide-and-seek. ticularly through video games. Slenderman:
Playing as Amanda Ripley, who is in search The Eight Pages, a short freeware PC game
of her mother, you explore a claustropho- from 2012, was Slenderman’s first video
bic space station while being stalked by an game appearance. Later, developer Blue Isle
intimidating predator. While the story falls Studio made a more ambitious title known as
flat, the scares and terrors found on this sta- Slender: The Arrival. Gameplay is similar to
tion make up for it, by creating an immense PERCEPTION the first entry, where your main objective is to
amount of apprehension. Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC stay alive as long as possible despite having
G.I. Score: 8.25 the eerie Slenderman on your tail.
Created by Irrational Games veterans,
Perception is a horror game told from the
perspective of a blind young woman named
Cassie, who explores a haunted home after
it invaded her dreams. In search for answers,
Cassie roams through the house while a
supernatural presence stalks her closely.
Perception uses a novel mechanic where
you “see” through echolocation as Cassie
taps her cane on the ground to view close-
by surroundings. However, each time echo-
location is used, it garners the attention of
enemies, making this game of hide-and-seek
a frightening one.
14
 PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR
Some of the best scares aren’t the flashy effects or unexpected jump scares, but instead the terrors of the mind. Psychological
horror can shock you on a deeper level with clever twists or by making you believe in something that isn’t there.

DARKEST DUNGEON
Platform: PS4, PC, Vita, iOS, Android
G.I. Score: 9.25
This unforgiving, turn-based roguelike from
Red Hook Studios has you dungeon-crawl
through claustrophobic hallways to face
unimaginable monsters. Similar to Eternal
Darkness, Darkest Dungeon has its own
take on the sanity meter, where party mem-
bers receive different afflictions when accu-
mulating stress. As they face horrors, each
character responds differently: some may
immediately panic, and others may find the
resolve to push through and be victorious.
Characters can even develop long-term trau-
mas that affect the party beyond the battle.
It’s a novel and fascinating mechanic that
brings not just a sense of realism, but also a
new layer of fear.

AMNESIA: THE DARK DESCENT

Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC | G.I. Score: 9.25
Frictional Games’ Amnesia: The Dark Descent revived the genre back when it released in 2010 and
helped popularize first-person horror experiences. Amnesia tells the story of a young man waking up
in a decrepit castle with no memory. Piecing together the past is part of what makes it so compelling,
as you roam through the ominous environment with only a lantern to light the way. Unfortunately for
you, a monstrous presence is also stalking you closely. Amnesia is relentlessly terrifying when your
sanity meter drops too low, and its captivating storyline will continue to pull you back in.

SOMA
Platform: PS4, PC | G.I. Score: 8.5
Five years after Frictional Games revived the horror genre with Amnesia, it released the thought-
provoking Soma. Set in an underwater facility hundreds of years in the future, Soma doesn’t just
make you face grisly terrors, but also has you contemplate intriguing themes such as existentialism,
machine sentience, and morality. Featuring stellar voice acting and a gripping psychological tale, this
eerie underwater adventure is a fantastic horror experience to play during Halloween.

THE EVIL WITHIN

Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360, PC
G.I. Score: 9.0
With renowned Resident Evil creator Shinji
Mikami at the reins, The Evil Within has a solid
foundation based on its director’s past works.
It reimagines the core elements of what made
Resident Evil 4 brilliant. The game retains the
satisfying third-person gunplay, leaves play-
ers with limited resources to amp up anxiety,
and hosts a fantastically haunting atmo-
sphere. Even with its heavy influence from
Resident Evil 4, The Evil Within still manages
to set itself apart with its increased difficulty.
Despite a lackluster story, The Evil Within
makes you face one fright after the next with
few breathers in-between, and messes with
your head by using psychological terrors. It’s
a harrowing but entertaining thrill ride that
you don’t want to miss, especially with The
Evil Within 2 out this month. You can read
more about the sequel in our in-depth feature
on page 48.
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 BLOOD & GORE
Whether you’re slicing enemies apart with a chainsaw or being doused in the blood of your foes, gore can bring an unsettling layer of fear and
immersion to horror games. Other times, excessive bloodbaths can lean toward humor when they seem more ludicrous than realistic.

DOOM
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
G.I. Score: 8.75
Id’s 2016 Doom reboot saw the rebirth of a
beloved shooter franchise, and if you are
looking for fantastic gore, this one offers that
in abundance. Doom has you face off against
unsettling demons who attack relentlessly. To
survive these bloody battles, players need to
be quick on their feet and tactically thinking
on the fly, as they unleash excessively brutal
attacks on their hideous enemies.

DEAD RISING 4
Platform: Xbox One, PC
LET IT DIE
G.I. Score: 8.75 Platform: PS4
G.I. Score: 7.75
Capcom’s Dead Rising series has always
excelled at balancing humor and horror. The Let It Die’s visuals may look dated, but its
latest entry, Dead Rising 4, is no exception – bizarre style and over-the-top gore make up
especially when it comes to gore. Playing for it. This free-to-play game has you ascend-
as Frank West, you reduce zombies to piles ing an ever-changing, Babel-like structure
of flesh in creative ways, such as shredding called the Tower of Barbs. Each floor is more
them apart with a motorcycle with chainsaws challenging than the next, and are randomly
attached to it, or shooting a fireworks cross- generated in a roguelike fashion. Let It Die is
bow to make them explode into a colorful most memorable for its enticing absurdities,
mess. Dead Rising 4 is outrageously gory, such as regaining health by eating giant frogs.
which makes for an entertaining experience The combat is fun and aggressive, with finish-
not for the faint of heart. ing moves being especially bloody.

CLASSIC FRIGHTS
Brushing up on the classics can help you appreciate their novelty and how they influence today’s horror games, or it can satisfy a
nostalgic itch. Here are some classic titles that are available on modern consoles.

RESIDENT EVIL HD
REMASTER
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360, PC
G.I. Score: 9.5
The first entry set the tone for one of the
most renowned survival-horror video game
franchises of all time, but playing the original
1996 version doesn’t exactly live up to today’s
standards. Luckily, this HD remaster largely
fixes those issues. With modernized controls
and a new easy mode, this version makes it
an accessible entry point to the Resident Evil
series. As a piece of survival horror history
that helped pave the way to popularizing the
genre, Resident Evil is a must for horror-game
buffs with its ominous mansion setting and
effective jump scares.

THE LAST OF US REMASTERED

Platform: PS4 | G.I. Score: 10
Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is one of last generation’s best titles, and for good reason. Set in post-
apocalypse America, you play as Joel, who guides a young girl named Ellie through the zombie-
infested country full of disease and death. What makes The Last of Us stand out is that instead of
focusing on the end of civilization, it delves into relationships and overcoming trauma in the face of
disaster. With a slew of different zombie mutations that seek you out differently, such as the aggres-
sive clickers and the oversized bloaters, you rarely feel safe during your journey.
16
 CREEPY PLATFORMERS
Horror doesn’t always come in the form of first-person adventure games and survival horror. Recent platformers show that an
ominous atmosphere and a minimalist story can make for terrifying experiences as well.

INSIDE
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
G.I. Score: 9.75
This follow-up to Playdead’s Limbo takes
place in a grim-looking, Orwellian world.
Inside is a puzzle platformer, so you must
use your wits to overcome its clever obsta-
cles through each desolate environment. It
has some of the best atmospherics we’ve
experienced in a long time, with a brooding
soundtrack and lighting that makes shadows
come to life. The story is minimalistic but
tackles interesting themes such as control
and freedom in a totalitarian society.

LITTLE NIGHTMARES
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC | G.I. Score: 9.0
Tarsier Studios’ Little Nightmares has similar tones to Inside when it comes to minimalism and
aesthetics, but its horrors are more up close and personal. You play as a young girl in a yellow rain
coat who lives in an oversized world filled with unnerving sights. This puzzle/platformer makes you
encounter grotesque horrors such as a large, demonic creature vehemently cooking up a stew, whom
you sneak past by hiding behind giant furniture.

KILLER CO-OP
Unlike slasher showdowns, these games require cooperation between teammates to defeat waves of enemies. Sometimes,
grabbing a few friends to help you kill relentless monsters is the best way to spend an evening.

KILLING FLOOR 2
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
G.I. Score: 7.75
Killing Floor 2 is all about defeating dozens
of zombies alongside your friends. While the
game can be played solo, it’s most engaging
when you have a group of about six to help
you take on the hordes of undead. If you last
through a final wave, you then go face-to-face
with a boss zombie – a giant beast that takes
effort and patience to beat. Zombie waves are
nearly relentless, with one wave after the next
offering little respite in-between.

DYING LIGHT
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
G.I. Score: 8.5
This open-world zombie game from Techland LEFT 4 DEAD SERIES
combines parkour, combat, and an immersive
Platform: Xbox One, 360, PC
story as you run across rooftops to escape
G.I. Score: 9.25 (Left 4 Dead), 9.5 (Left 4 Dead 2)
the undead. While Dying Light is a thrilling
single-player experience, it’s even more fun If there’s one co-op zombie series to play with
with friends. You can complete both cam- friends, it’s Valve’s Left 4 Dead franchise. This
paign and side missions together, all the cooperative shooter went on to inspire many
while attempting to survive the night. In Dying other zombie-filled co-op games, and it’s riv-
Light, strength is found in numbers, and some eting gameplay will make you want to revisit
difficult areas can become more approach- the apocalypse over and over again. Just
able or conquerable in a group. watch out for the witch.
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impulse

Golf Story Melds RPGs And

Sports On Nintendo Switch
of fixing up an old course to get it
by Matt Miller and Andrew Reiner tournament ready,” Newey says. “This
is what the first chapter of the game
revolves around, and includes other
tasks like researching course main-

T
he indie game scene never ceases to find novel ways to
approach a subject, and Sidebar Games’ Golf Story is tenance, dealing with vermin which
might be possessed, and attracting
yet another potent example of the creative approaches interest by convincing a celebrity golfer
developers are taking to long-established genres. Coming to compete.”
exclusively to Switch, the unusual game melds the familiar trappings Golf Story clearly isn’t going for a
realistic setting. One sequence is all
of arcade golf with the drama, characters, and upgrade systems of the about specters haunting the greens.
role-playing world. “You strike up a deal with the ghost
that sees you trying to complete his
“We call it a golf drama,” says Golf each other and secrets being hidden golf course,” Newey says. “It plays as
Story designer Andrew Newey. “It near and far. But you will also get to a free roaming section where you have
combines the fun and excitement that play traditional games of golf on full to find each tee to be able to play the
everybody associates with golf with a courses and compete in tournaments.” hole. Meanwhile, malevolent spirits on
serious story that plays out over eight Your golfer is on a quest to go pro, the course try to use your golfing abili-
different courses.” Each of the environ- and he needs to level up and improve ties to do their bidding.” In other situ-
ments is more than just greens and both his stats and his equipment along ations, alligators may snatch your ball
fairways, featuring distinct towns, char- the way. In this case his equipment is on a wayward drive, or you might need
acters, and hidden secrets. “One of the his golf clubs; different clubs offer dis- to light your golf ball on fire to melt ice
main features is the ability to drop the tinct advantages and disadvantages. blocks concealing the hole.
ball at any time and hit it,” Newey says. “Blades will make your distances more We haven’t seen many indie games
“The towns turn into a sort of golf- consistent but are also more punishing heading exclusively to Switch, but
ing wonderland, with various practice of inaccurate hits,” Newey says. “And Sidebar seems excited by the con-
greens and challenges crossing over then there are clubs such as the dig- sole’s potential. “It was our first
ging wedge, which can be used to dig choice for the game,” Newey says.
up all manner of things from treasures “Something about having TV and
to old golf clubs.” handheld mode makes every game
Sidebar integrates the storytelling on it seem more exciting.” Newey also
and challenges you undertake off the cites the console’s HD rumble function-
course into your success on the links. ality, which the team uses to accentu-
For instance, you might have to rescue ate elements of the game both on and
some turtles in one story thread, but off the course.
then they show up during a match, Golf Story looks like it taps into some
letting you skim the ball across their of the same quirky fun that makes
backs to cross a tough water hazard. games like Stardew Valley so entertain-
Players can also expect a broad array ing, relying on a whimsical tone and fun
of additional features that further flesh characters to deepen the experience.
out the progression and gameplay, If Sidebar’s new Switch game sounds
including puzzle solving, drone flights, like it might be for you, there won’t be
Golf Story geocaching, mini golf, and even mow- a long wait. Golf Story is headed for
Switch
ing. “The lawn mowing is one part release in just a few weeks. \
18 connect
 afterwords
TACOMA
Four years after the indie hit Gone Home made a splash in the indus- inspirational for us for sure.
try, Fullbright released a follow-up with a different setting, but a similar
Have you ever envisioned Tacoma
approach to gameplay. This adventure game puts you in the shoes of spe- as a theater production?
cialist Amy Ferrier, who goes aboard the Tacoma space station to unravel That would be really cool. I’m not sure
a mystery surrounding its missing crew. With a unique take on branching how we would do the effects, but it
would be really fun to have an actual
narrative and fascinating characters, Tacoma is impressive. We sat down
elevator that you’d take up and down
with Fullbright co-founder Karla Zimonja to speak about its development to the wings. Except we would need to
process. by Elise Favis suspend people with wires to simulate
zero gravity which could be terrible
Tacoma’s setting is different from heading to a resort. We eventually just [laughs]. It would be a lot of sets to
Gone Home. Why did you decide to worked out that it suited our purposes build, but it would be interesting.
tell a story in space? better to not make it a public space,
Originally, when we were thinking because one of things about public Tacoma’s approach to branching
about making another game, we were spaces is it’s really hard to personalize narrative, where you follow char-
like, ‘well what if we made it hap- them. And it’s also really hard to feel at acters to see different stories play
pen in a different house, in a different home in them. out, is fascinating. Do you think
location, and with different people in Originally, the station didn’t have any that narrative mechanic is unique to
it?’ That was our first thought, but gravity at all. It was all zero gravity and Tacoma, or do you think Fullbright
eventually we realized that it wouldn’t you would stick to floors and some- would use it again in future games?
be distinct enough, for us or for the times ceilings with magnetic boots. I’m not sure. In some ways, thinking
players. We wanted to branch out; So you wouldn’t have to navigate, about that reminds me of how I’ve
we wanted to keep ourselves and the because navigating in full 3D – like felt when Tacoma was going to be a
players interested. swimming through the air – is not easy similar set up with a different house
[Co-founder Steve Gaynor] and for everyone. We wanted to keep the and a different person in it. To me,
his wife thought of the space station game accessible, so we thought, what that sounds like we would get partway
idea while they were out hiking on if we can just stick you to surfaces? through and ask ourselves, ‘are we
Wizard Island, which is in the middle But what we didn’t realize is that it’s really doing the same thing again?’
of Crater Lake. Steve was just like, actually very hard to make recogniz- You don’t want to throw out what
‘I don’t know – what’s another place able living spaces in zero gravity. you’ve learned, and you want to be
where you can have an isolated, small You can’t just have items sitting on a able to build on it, but find a way to
population of people? Like an oil rig, desk anymore. keep it fresh. It’s a weird balancing act.
or an arctic base, or space station. We haven’t discussed it. If there’s a
Oh, space station sounds cool!’ So You’ve mentioned Sleep No More, use for it and if there’s a good pitch for
he called me up and pitched it to me the immersive theater production, it, then yeah we’d consider it.
and I was like, ‘Man, how am I going as a major influence for Tacoma. Did
to be able to get reference for a space you want Tacoma to have a similar Because you’re more of an observ-
station?’ But it ended up being a lot of theatrical feel to it? er than an active participant in
fun to work on. It was weirdly satisfy- We absolutely did have Sleep No Tacoma’s scenes, were you over
ing to go to space. More in mind, but it wasn’t right from concerned that players would not
the beginning. It was super influen- feel connected enough with Amy?
Did you always envision the Tacoma tial. I wish more people could see it With the concerns and necessities
station as a cargo transfer sta- because it’s so great. We’ve gone to that we had, we felt that someone
tion, or were there other ideas to see it a few times over a bunch of like Amy was the best choice. Seven
begin with? years, and when I first went it was characters is a lot to keep track of.
We had a big reboot in the middle absolutely the most video-game-like We did in some cases worry that if we
or so [of development] after we had experience I’ve ever had in real life. fleshed out Amy, then players would
built a certain amount of the game. You can’t really affect things that be juggling too much. It would just
Originally, it was a fancy stopover much, but you can snoop around. You be overloading the player because
for space resort guests. A part of the get to explore, dig around, put pieces it’s not that long and you don’t really
station was this Vegas lobby, where together, follow individual people, and have forever to pick up all the details
guests would stop briefly before the whole timeline loops. It was super and nuances. \
connect 19
The Science
Of Stuck
We look at why players get hung up in games,
and what you can do about it

A
nyone who plays video games has at least one “duh” moment to their name. pretend” with everyday objects as
often. “A young kid, you can hand
We beat our heads against bosses for half an hour before realizing we’re sup- them a pen and they’ll pretend it’s
posed to lose the fight. We search every nook and cranny of a dungeon for a a magic wand, a spear, a sword, a
gun, and a few other things,” Rigby
key to an unlocked door. Because of their interactive nature, even the most linear games says. “They’re not locked into
are prone to grinding halts whenever a player misses a crucial cue, a developer sends functional fixedness.” Adults, on
the other hand, tend to think of a
conflicting signals about what to do, or both. pen only as a tool for writing, which
This common problem highlights how closely game design intersects with psychol- can impair creative thinking. If, for
example, we’ve only been using
ogy. Psychologists have been studying games, problem-solving, and cognition for years the fire spell we acquire in the early
to more firmly grasp what’s going on in our brains when we get stuck. levels of a game to melt ice blocks,
it might not occur to us to use it to
light a candle later on.
Schema, on the other hand, are
by Suriel Vazquez how we map plans and ideas into
workable solutions, and they’re
how game developers guide play-
Overlooking The Obvious it can feel like a game has com- smooth them out, and has found ers through their worlds. As we
When we can’t get through a pletely fallen off of the rails. that getting stuck tends to come become familiar with a game and
puzzle, it often seems like we've Though these mistakes may from one of two psychological its controls, players often attempt
exhausted every path and occa- sound like aberrations, they’re concepts: functional fixedness to push the game’s boundaries.
sionally invent a “solution” that actually common psychological and schema. “You’ll see them hit the wall, try to
will ultimately prove fruitless (such concepts, according to presi- Functional fixedness is a way click on things, move them up and
as trying to make a difficult jump dent of media consulting firm of thinking that prevents us from down, throw chairs,” Rigby says.
that looks possible but actually Immersyve, Scott Rigby. At imagining new uses for certain “They’re trying to build a schema
requires us to activate a moving Immersyve, Rigby helps develop- objects. It’s used to describe how, for what they can interact with,
platform). When this happens, ers find points of frustration and as we get older, we don’t “play what the rules of the game are.”
20
 Bloodborne features a steep challenge curve early in
the game that can be hard for players to push past

Developers help players create

schemas to let them know what their
options are. They might block the The Legend of Zelda series frequently puts
door out of the room in which you different puzzles and enemies together
find the fire spell with an ice block,
for example, to force you to figure
out the fire spell before proceeding.
But if a schema becomes too rigid,
it can be hard to add concepts out-
side of it effectively. “If you haven’t
taught me you can pick up rocks
and throw them to distract a mon-
ster in order to get past something,
the fact that there are rocks lying
around isn’t really going to help me
very much,” Rigby says. “I haven’t
learned that rocks are meaningful
in the schema in the game.”
Because functional fixedness is a
natural human trait and schema is
largely a product of conditioning, it
can be easy for players who can’t
figure out how to progress to pin
the blame on the game. However,
one aspect of getting stuck that
has more to do with players than
anything else is perhaps our Enemies in Horizon Zero Dawn
greatest enemy when it comes to can be lured by rocks, something
the game teaches you early on
problem-solving: frustration.
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Fighting With Frustration
While many games aim to immerse
us in their worlds, most still consist
of using a set of skills (whether
that’s reading comprehension or
double-jump timing) to overcome
challenges. When we accomplish
the task before us, we feel good
about ourselves. “We all have that
need for competency, for mas-
tery,” Rigby says. “We want to feel
successful. We also want to feel
growth. That’s a basic need.” Those
feelings of learning and mastery are
why many people play games.
The difference between a chal-
lenge that tests all our skills to their
fullest and one that’s simply too
much can be razor-thin, and it can
determine whether players press
on in the face of adversity or give Bloodborne's bosses often involve
up. As we fumble around with a finding tells and capitalizing on them
puzzle searching for the solution
that might be right in front of us
or fight a boss whose attacks are One of the best ways to deal with you stub your toe on the refrigera- The first, as we’ve covered, is
proving too difficult to dodge, we aggravation in the moment isn’t to tor,” he says. “You get angry at the that the longer you sit and stare
get irritated, whether it’s at the try to play around it, but rather to refrigerator, but it can’t possibly be at a problem, the worse you get
developers or ourselves (usually examine why we’re feeling that way, the refrigerator’s fault.” at solving it. Not only do you get
the former). according to Dr. Andrew Przybylski, frustrated, but your brain gets tired,
When we get annoyed, our ability an experimental psychologist and Waiting For A Breakthrough too, according to Rutledge. “The
to think outside the box plummets, senior research fellow at the Oxford One of the most common remedies point of a break isn’t just that you
according to Dr. Pamela Rutledge, University department of experi- for hitting a wall in a game is taking need a cookie. It’s because your
director of the Media Psychology mental psychology. Whether we feel a break. For every story we have of brain is exhausted, the same way
Research Center and professor like we’re not competent or simply getting stuck, we also have tales of it is any time your brain does hard
at Fielding Graduate University. think the controls aren’t letting us times when we couldn’t progress mental work,” he says. “And when
“The ability to think in new ways is do what we want, figuring out how through a game, only to come back you’re in a problem-solving game
largely driven by a level of psycho- to better approach the obstacle days (or hours) later and solve it rather than a manual skill game, it
logical comfort, or positive emo- can help calm us down. Games immediately. All of the people I tires your brain.”
tion,” Rutledge says. Frustration aren’t perfect, but Przybylski notes spoke to for this story confirmed Second, functional fixedness
activates our natural fight-or-flight that blaming them won’t help you that taking a break indeed helps can lead to a cognitive rut, where
response, which inhibits our ability progress. “For me it’s like when you solve problems, but the rea- we ruminate on a single path or
to solve puzzles. you’re walking around at night and sons for it vary and intersect. solution. “[Say] I’m in a boss battle
and I’m able to knock the thing
down to 25 percent health, so I’m
almost there, but I’ve died eight
times,” Rigby says. “The problem
at that point is that I’m probably not
questioning the approach because
it got me 75 percent of the way
there. So the first eight or so steps
are locked in.” But those steps may
never lead to victory, whether it’s
because there’s a simpler solution
or because the strategy itself isn’t
feasible. Walking away can help our
brains reset and climb out of those
ruts to figure out new approaches.
Sleeping on a problem can also
further help us work through it. Dr.
Jayne Gackenbach, a professor of
psychology at MacEwan University
who has studied the ways video
games can help people psycho-
logically, says dreaming can help
players figure out solutions more
easily. “One of the primary func-
tions of dreaming is memory con-
solidation and problem solving,”
she says. “You don’t even have to
remember the dream. If you get
a whole night’s sleep, if you get
Players only learned to harvest resources from the enemies R.E.M. sleep, just that process will
in Fortnite when Epic made it an upgradeable skill
help you solve problems.”
22
 Adventure games often have several points of Thimbleweed Park uses a scaling difficulty
interaction, some of which players may overlook system in order to avoid frustrating players

How Paragon's heroes were meant to

attack towers initially wasn't clearly
communicated, according to Epic

Smoothing Out The Edges Lewis-Evans says. For example, Many popular games are difficult No Final Solution
While an individual player’s skill, an early version of Paragon had or obtuse on purpose, however. Despite the abundance of psy-
patience, or even mood can result towers players deactivated by Games like Dark Souls often pro- chogical research developers have
in roadblocks, issues can arise destroying the nearby crystal vide little direction upfront, and at their disposal, it’s impossible for
from a developer's familiarity with that powered them. But since leave the players to discover much a game to provide each player with
their own game. By being blind they were taking damage from of the game on their own. Still, an experience where every puzzle
to how new players interact with the shots the tower itself fired at what little information those games feels challenging but not frustrating.
games, developers may create them, players would shoot the do provide is still important, and Everyone I spoke to for this article
obtuse or unclear challenges. To tower instead. Epic fixed the issue deciding how much to reveal to says they still fall prey to the same
help see their games from a dif- by making the tower the weak the player requires a deft hand. In thoughts, ruts, and frustrations they
ferent perspective, publishers and point. “These things sort of slip by these cases, players need to know study. “I’m just as much of a victim
developers have started using because [developers] know how it enough so they can explore the to these things, except I’m probably
“user experience” (UX) groups, all works,” he says. game and figure out its intricacies, a little bit faster to recognize them
which provide them with feed- Lewis-Evans also has to contend but not so much that it ruins the fun and pull away,” Rigby says.
back about how players see their with how different games approach of discovery. “What’s important is No matter the scenario, some
games. UX has become a major difficulty and player feedback. whether the player feels like they’re players will find the solution to
part of the games industry in Games that want to draw a player in control of whether they’re lost or a challenge immediately, while
recent years, with companies like in as quickly as possible (like not,” Lewis-Evans says. others will bang their head against
Riot, Microsoft, Epic, and more all mobile or free-to-play games) tend Not everyone can afford a UX it for much longer. That doesn’t
employing in-house departments. to keep their systems simple, but department, however. Smaller mean we’re helpless in the face
As a UX researcher at Epic Games still need to provide the player developers are increasingly turn- of a daunting obstacle, however.
with a PhD in psychology, Ben with everything they need to know. ing to early access programs like Knowing how the brain works when
Lewis-Evans sees players make “Players who are used to that kind those on Steam or Xbox One to it gets stuck is valuable in itself.
all kinds of mistakes, and many of of game, in my experience, get very iron out rough spots, solicit player It may not always lead you to the
them are due to developer over- uncomfortable and upset and lost if feedback, and fix areas or puzzles answer, but it will hopefully provide
sight. “It’s often small things that you don’t provide them with a lot of that might be too frustrating or not the best way to find it without rip-
you thought would be obvious,” advice,” Lewis-Evans says. clearly communicated. ping too much of your hair out.
connect 23
 g.b.u. THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY
The Good

Quotable

“We are work-

ing towards a

bigger, more

meaningful

change about Borderlands developer GEARBOX is working on a 1v1 competitive first-person shooter appropriately codenamed Project 1v1.
somebody's
The PC game is in closed beta this summer, offering ranked, challenge, and arena modes.

gaming accom-

plishments

in history, as
The Bad
a gamer on BATTLE CHASERS: NIGHTWAR’S STATUS on the Switch keeps get-
Xbox. We can ting the shaft. Initially a Nintendo Direct gave the impression the game
was a timed exclusive for Switch, but this was later debunked. Now
do a lot more
the RPG’s Switch release is coming after it hits the other consoles in
to reflect and October. No specific release date has been announced at this time for
let people show
the Switch version.

their gaming

history and

their status.”

Microsoft delayed CRACKDOWN 3 into

spring of next year, which means the only
major first-party title coming out for holiday
season – and the launch of Xbox One X – is
Forza Motorsport 7. Earlier in the year the
Mike Ybarra, Xbox company also delayed first-party games Sea
platform corporate of Thieves and State of Decay 2 into 2018. \
vice president in
an interview with
Windows Central.
The Ugly
24 connect
 top ten
STRONGHOLDS
by Matt Miller

The Castle
Ico
In a unique twist, the desolate castle in the mist does a
better job keeping you in than out. Strange mecha-
nisms, dizzying drops, and pathways fallen into ruin
characterize this puzzling space. The loneliness of the
Castle’s echoing chambers is only eased through the
companionship between a young boy and girl.

Icecrown Citadel
Dracula’s Castle World of Warcraft
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night The tragedy of Prince Arthas is writ large upon the
A dark silhouette rises on the horizon, with jutting parapets and shadowy towers. blighted landscape of Northrend in the form of the
Within lies a host of demons and undead, roaming endlessly through hidden passages massive Icecrown Citadel. The looming fortress of
and underground barrows. Even after facing the worst dangers of the fortress, an en- sharply pointed walls looms over the north, and an
tire warped and inverted castle still awaits exploration in one of the most memorable unearthly glow welcomes visitors to a tomb of regret
and well-protected strongholds in games. and undead nightmares.

Shadow Moses Hyrule Castle Anor Londo

Metal Gear Solid The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Dark Souls
Solid Snake infiltrates a facility that should be a nuclear What was once a beacon of light and benevolent rule The breathtaking city-castle of the gods is a maze of
disposal site, but in truth hides the creation of a massive for Hyrule has been overrun by evil. A cloud of swirling twisted passageways and overwhelming medieval
walking weapon of mass destruction. Whether you’re energy and ancient guardian machines reveal Ganon’s architecture. Breaching its interior is a triumph on its
fighting a psycho telepath or sneaking across a danger- control of the edifice. Whether with the aid of the Divine own, but the visitor’s reward is the lethal greeting of
ous sniper’s snowfield, Shadow Moses is a foxhole only Beasts or alone, Link must brave Hyrule Castle’s walls brass-encased sentinels, and an unforgettable encoun-
one soldier could breach. and face a world-ending threat. ter against two guardians of the inner sanctum.

Castle Wolfenstein Masyaf The Black Gate Shinra Building

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Assassin’s Creed Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Final Fantasy VII
Hiding in disguise can only take you Masyaf was our introduction to the Talion and the Rangers of the Black Dominating the skyline over Midgar, the
so far on yet another return to Castle enigmatic Assassins and their secretive Gate protected Middle-earth for genera- Shinra headquarters leaves no doubt
Wolfenstein. B.J. must fight through Nazi hideouts. Across multiple sieges, and tions, keeping Mordor at bay. Sauron’s that this is more than just an electric
soldiers and cyborg dogs to learn the later as the hiding place of an Apple of minions murdered Talion’s family and company. The corrupt corporation hides
location of his arch-nemesis. Tiny clues Eden, Masyaf acts as a bastion for the retook the fort, sending the warrior on a many secrets behind its walls, from
are scattered within its stone walls, hint- great secrets of the Brotherhood, and mission of vengeance that would lead to the severed head of a powerful alien to
ing at the history of the stronghold and the site of some its most momentous a fateful encounter at the site of his wife the twisted breeding experiments of a
its storied tale of conflict. victories and defeats. and son’s tragic deaths. mad scientist. \
connect 25
 The Turbulent History
Of MachineGames
On the eve of launching its highly anticipated Wolfenstein sequel,
the Swedish developer looks back on its hard-knock upbringing

by Javy Gwaltney

26
 receive as much money as it That acquisition led to Starbreeze
expected from publisher Vivendi. Studios becoming a profitable
According to MachineGames company for the first time since
executive producer Jerk Gustafs- its inception.
son, the main hardship at Star- Meanwhile, Matthies and his
breeze “was always the constant fellow alumni were searching for
financial struggle – the challenges a rebirth of their own.
of signing a new project while
in full production or in the end GOING FOR BROKE
phase of production. The solu- The seven members of Star-
tion to that became two parallel breeze who broke away to form
teams working on different games what would eventually become
toward different publishers. And MachineGames started the pro-
then you end up in this dangerous cess by borrowing money. “We
loop of ill-defined, bare-minimum didn’t have any income,” Matthies
deliveries and internal battles says. “So I got this loan that I had
over resources where everything to survive on, and then we were
is about making sure to deliver like, just a handful of people. We
milestones to secure payments. weren’t any kind of studio at that
To say MachineGames is doing well would be an under- All those things that takes focus point really. Fortunately, we had a
away from what really matters – lot of relationships in game devel-
statement. After reviving the classic first-person shooter making great games.” opment, and so we thought that
franchise Wolfenstein to critical and commercial success The cycle of woe continued with we’ll book a bunch of meetings
the company picking up an adap- and pitch a bunch of projects and
in 2014, the company developed a standalone expansion tation of the popular comic book see if there are any publishers
that also did well. Now MachineGames is on the verge of The Darkness shortly after Butcher that are willing to take a gamble
Bay’s release. The acquisition was on us.”
releasing a hotly anticipated sequel. The Swedish devel- a promising one, but publisher The team spent the greater
oper is situated comfortably, but this has not always been Majesco Entertainment dropped part of a year figuring out both
the game during development what kind of game they wanted
the case for its founders. due to financial troubles. Luckily, to make as well as the publisher
The story of bringing back Wolfenstein involves a 2K Games came on as a publish- they’d want to work with. In the
er, but insisted that Starbreeze end, Bethesda was at the top of
group of people setting out to rebuild their careers from add a multiplayer mode, which is the list. “We really respected their
the ground up. It’s a story of broken dreams, chaos, and often brought up as the weakest approach to game development,”
link in an otherwise good game. Matthies remembers. “We ended
traveling down hard roads. With Wolfenstein II: The New The game sold well, but the criti- up in the situation with Bethesda
Colossus just around the corner, we talked with the devel- cal reception didn’t come close where we thought the worst-case
to the fervor kicked up by Escape scenario would be that we’d be
oper about skating on the fringes of failure for more than a From Butcher Bay, disappoint- floating for six to nine months and
decade, going broke for art, and the trials and tribulations ing Starbreeze. if nothing comes up, we’ll have to
After The Darkness shipped, find employment elsewhere.”
of reviving the world’s original first-person shooter.
Starbreeze entered yet another Things weren’t that simple.
period of tumult. “We finished The “We ended up waiting like a year
A TALE OF TWO COMPANIES fall. From the very beginning, Darkness and had a couple of and a half before the deal was
To understand MachineGames, Starbreeze’s projects suffered projects in parallel development,” done with Bethesda,” Matthies
it’s necessary to understand cancellations, often due to cir- Matthies says. “What ended up says. “It was a very scary time. It
Starbreeze Studios. Founded in cumstances beyond its control. happening was that the creative was liberating in a way because all
1998, Starbreeze is best known The company’s first game, a process we had got disrupted, we did during that time was make
for developing The Chronicles of fantasy first-person action/RPG due to both internal and external game concepts that we used to
Riddick: Escape From Butcher called Sorcery, previewed well pressures, and we were in a place pitch. Over this year we had about
Bay and The Darkness. The seven but was canceled when publisher where we felt like we couldn’t 10 different games that we spent
founding members of Machine- Gremlin Interactive was acquired make a game we felt good about. a lot of time figuring out and were
Games are all Starbreeze alumni, by Infogrames. Enclave II, the se- And when you’re making triple-A enthusiastic about.”
including Jens Matthies, the cre- quel to Starbreeze’s first true re- games, you’re investing a sizeable However, as time dragged on
ative director of The New Order lease, Enclave, was also canceled, portion of your life to each game. with no final word from Bethesda,
and The New Colossus. as well as a Bourne Ascendancy At that point, we had to decide: money started running out.
“When we left Starbreeze, we tie-in game. Are we in this for a paycheck or MachineGames, without any titles
had been there 11 or 12 years,” Outside of cancelations, the are we in this because we want to its name, seemed already to be
Matthies says. “We had invested games that were released were to do something that is meaning- living on borrowed time. Luckily
so much in that company, so often marred by broken deals ful, that we want the game we’re for the team, their publisher of
much of our time – all of our cre- with publishers, legal troubles, making to be f---ing amazing?” choice came through in the end,
ative energy had been poured into and chaotic working conditions. In 2009, Matthies, Anderrson, and Bethesda officially acquired
that company for more than a In an interview with 1UP, lead and a handful of other developers MachineGames. “When the deal
decade so that was a scary thing designer on Chronicles of Riddick left the company before develop- was done with Bethesda, I was
to do, leaving all that behind.” Jens Andersson detailed mass ment of the EA-published reboot like a week away from having to
These days Starbreeze Studios firings at Stabreeze as the remain- of Syndicate began. The shooter sell my apartment. There were just
is a profitable company. This has ing team members continued to was tepidly received and Star- no avenues left to more loans. We
not always been the case. Per- develop Butcher Bay. Despite the breeze developed one last game, had borrowed from our families.
sonal accounts from Starbreeze’s game’s financial and critical suc- the critical darling Brothers: A Tale There was nothing left to squeeze
former employees paint a pic- cess, with Butcher Bay earning of Two Sons, before reinventing out. Eventually it all worked out
ture of a studio that spent most accolades from most publica- itself as a publisher by acquiring in some kind of fairytale way,”
of its existence in dramatic free- tions and sites, Starbreeze didn’t Overkill, the developer of Payday. Matthies says, chuckling.
connect 27
MAKING OLD NEW AGAIN
Matthies fell in love with id Soft-
ware games as a young man, even
making mods for Quake. That love
was shared among the founding
members of MachineGames, so
it made sense for the team to
pursue an id license after the
Bethesda acquisition.
“A lot of that early time with
Bethesda is a warm memory,”
Matthies says. “We nudged Beth-
esda and asked, ‘Is anyone work-
ing on Wolfenstein?’ They said
‘No, no one is doing that,’ and so
we started exploring that option.
And to a game nerd…it was just
‘Holy s---!’ It doesn’t get better MachineGames’ Jens Matthies says that the developer
still uses the same design process they used to develop
than that. It’s like if you’re a movie games at Starbreeze Studios to make Wolfenstein
director and at some point in the
’80s you get invited by George
Lucas to work on Star Wars. It’s
that amazing.” Bethesda eventu- Wolfenstein: The New Order
ally offered MachineGames the
chance to work on Wolfenstein.
The team set to work, inheriting
the license from Raven Software,
who made the weakest entry
of the series in 2009. Instead
of rebooting, MachineGames
embraced the chronology of the
series, bringing back charac-
ters like Caroline Becker and the
Kreisau Circle, but situating them
in a different, more somber situa-
tion while still striving to contain
the series’ over-the-top combat
and embrace of pulp fiction.
“We basically did the same pro-
cess we always do,” Matthies says.
“We filter out what we think the
core ideas are and the ones we
want to support and we start build-
ing on that. And it was incredibly grasp of what that was, we focused FURIOUS, UNRELENTING would end up becoming one of
important that whatever we did on combat and that’s what then RESISTANCE the best-selling games of 2014
had to have the blessing of id. became The New Order.” Despite misgivings by both the in Europe, and it garnered acco-
The last thing we wanted to do The proof of concept was a press and gamers after The lades from a variety of publica-
was make a game that they didn’t gamble. Rather than build a fully New Order’s E3 reveal in 2013, tions at year’s end.
feel like was keeping in what featured shooter with a large multi- the game became a critical and A little over four years later,
Wolfenstein was. We really tried to player component, the studio de- commercial success thanks to its Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
nail down what Wolfenstein was, cided to focus purely on a single- frenzied combat and surprisingly served as the centerpiece of
and once we felt like we had a player campaign. deep storytelling. The New Order Bethesda’s 2017 E3 showcase.
With the game launching in a
few months, the team is neck-
The Darkness deep in development crunch and
anxieties are running high. Look-
ing at MachineGames’ ambition,
this is understandable. The New
Colossus’ scope is much wider
than The New Order, following B.J.
Blazkowicz and company on a
road trip through Nazi-infested
America as they try to take the
country back.
“Anytime you go big, you run a
tremendous risk of over-scoping
it,” Matthies says. “And you only
have so much time and money
to make the game. Early on, you
have to try to have good metrics
of what you want to do and how
to stretch that game to that point
and not beyond it, and that’s a
28
The Lineage Of The New Order
The developers behind MachineGames have a made a career out of working on triple-A, action-focused
experiences with a strong emphasis on narrative and character development. Here are the most notable
works that the talent working on Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus have on their collective résumé.

Enclave The Chronicles of Riddick: The Darkness

Escape From Butcher Bay
» Platform: Wii, Xbox, PC » Platform: PS3, 360
» Release: 2002 » Platform: PS3, 360, Xbox, PC » Release: 2007
» G.I. Score: 7.5 » Release: 2004 » G.I. Score: 8.75
» G.I. Score: 9.5
Starbreeze’s first release was a third-person hack- An adaptation of Top Cow’s popular series, The
and-slash RPG. While the game isn’t as interesting A thrilling experience that puts you behind the glow- Darkness centers on mobster Jackie Estacado, cursed
or strong as what came after it, it’s interesting to look in-the-dark eyes of the universe’s most dangerous with terrible powers of destruction on his 21st birth-
back on Starbreeze’s fascination with fantasy with convict. Butcher Bay wasn’t just a great adaptation of day. Essentially a fantasy-doused first-person shooter
both its cancelled first project, Sorcery, and this game its source material, which is rare as diamonds as far as that has Jackie taking on the mobsters who betrayed
given that the majority of the company’s later releases video games are concerned, but was also a fantastic him, The Darkness is notable for taking time to really
are first-person shooters in realistic or sci-fi settings. multi-genre adventure that stitched together elements let us inhabit Jackie’s sorrow and regrets, making
of first-person shooting, fighting games, stealth, and this pulp story stand out above the rest (even if the
even RPG-lite mechanics. controls haven’t aged that well).

The Chronicles of Riddick: Wolfenstein: The New Order Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
Assault On Dark Athena
» Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360, PC » Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
» Platform: PS3, 360, PC » Release: 2014 » Release: 2015
» Release: 2009 » G.I. Score: 8.0 » G.I. Score: 7.5
» G.I. Score: 9.5
MachineGames’ debut was strong, enticing players A goofy standalone prequel to The New Order that
A great follow-up to Escape From Butcher Bay that with its mix of old-school, gory violence and emo- abandoned all of the main game’s emotional beats
provided one of the few things that the original tionally powerful storytelling. The New Order isn’t a for shlock and pulp, pitting players against Nazis,
game lacked: a compelling villain, Revas. A danger- perfect game but its quirks, heartfelt story, and flex- zombies, and nazi zombies, The Old Blood isn’t as
ous mercenary in her own right, Revas provides the ible stealth gameplay have made it one of the more special as The New Order but it’s still a fun time.
perfect antagonist for Riddick and helped craft a interesting first-person shooters of its era.
compelling adventure that looked and played better
than the original game.

real science in and of itself. I think espousing white supremacist ide- the Nazis, then obviously there whether the prospect of work-
we’re getting better at it over ology. The studio suddenly found are real-world products of that. ing on Wolfenstein for a decade
the years, but it’s still incredibly itself becoming politically relevant So there are similarities. I wouldn’t is as intimidating and emotionally
challenging and one of the hard- as anxieties about the rise of the say we’re really trying [to make a draining as it seems. He laughs.
est obstacles when designing Reich rears its head in 2017. statement], but our philosophy is “I think envisioning it as a trilogy
a game.” With the current political climate, that we want the game to stand was our way of putting a bound-
Moreover, MachineGames has it’s hard not to see parallels and on its own. We want to make ary around it. It’s not infinite, this
come of age in a strange time. Its wonder if life may be influencing art something that’s timeless.” thing you can’t see the end of it.
sophomore game, which any other here in a substantial way. Matthies The world will soon find out if It’s been helpful to conceptualize
year would be pulpy as it could pushes back against that notion a The New Colossus, intended to it that way, and structure our work
be, hits in a year that has seen a bit, saying “I think any story you be the second game in a trilogy, and lives around it….”
number of rallies and protests tell is intrinsically a commentary can live up to MachineGames’ He pauses for a few seconds. “It
across the United States featuring on life. If you’re dealing with a ambitions. As the interview draws helps keep the chaos at bay,” he
men waving Nazi flags about and very distinct political ideology like to a close, Matthies ponders says, at last.
connect 29
gamer
Name:
A Homegrown Hero George Maganzini
Location:
Representing Los Angeles in Overwatch’s biggest league Los Angeles

eorge “Hyped” Maganzini jumped into the competitive Overwatch Twitter:

G scene early on, gaining acclaim for his D.Va play as part of team
Sodipop, which was eventually signed to esports outfits Immortals.
The ultimate goal, however, was clear: Get signed to the Overwatch
@IMTHyped
Occupation:
Offtank/Flex player
for the Immortals’
League, Blizzard’s multimillion dollar conference that aims to more closely Overwatch team
emulate the regional rivalries of traditional sports. After Immortals owner
Noah Whinston signed the team to represent Los Angeles, Maganzini’s
dream has finally come true.

interview by Suriel Vazquez

Did you play any other games com- with someone who was an awful team oppressive. When you play [competi-
petitively before Overwatch? player with great stats, or someone tively], you only think of the 10 heroes
I actually have very little FPS experi- who I didn’t mesh with. Fortunately, that are played, you just forget about
ence. I played almost exclusively I’m one of the very few who got picked the rest. No point in thinking about
Blizzard games, but I did play a ton up as part of a whole team. I don’t them, almost.
of World of WarCraft, StarCraft II, think many other teams are going to One of the problems with the dive
Diablo, and Hearthstone. Other than get signed as whole teams, except for meta is that it’s uncounterable. You
that, the only games I played were maybe EnVyUs and Rogue. just have to counter dive with the
Dota 2 (which is like kind of a Blizzard exact same team. So I think if defense
game in my head), and a little bit Blizzard also announced play- heroes were buffed such that they
of Counter-Strike. ers would be receiving a $50,000 were actually good on defense and
yearly salary and benefits. Did you bad on offense, then you’d see a lot of
How did you first meet up with the as a player have much input into more variance in teams.
current Immortals team? determining that?
I think it was either Competitive or I did not. I think Blizzard came up with Do you feel like the Overwatch
Quick Play, I was just playing and I just the baseline requirement kind of scene is dependent on the
think four or five of [Team Sodipop] on their own, and then from there, Overwatch League right now? If it
were on the other team, and I was just as a player, I can negotiate with my ends up being a bust, do you think
kind of destroying them. They kind employer to adjust those from the Overwatch could still have a healthy
of knew me, and I guess they had an baseline. I think Blizzard just kind of competitive scene?
opening on their team, so they asked wanted a good baseline for everyone. If we look at games like Counter-
me to try out. Strike: Global Offensive, I guess it was
How do you feel about the kind of dying for a while, and look at
How did you feel about Overwatch Overwatch metagame right now? it now. So I think that any game has
League when you first heard about People hate the dive meta, but I’m the potential to recover. Especially a
it? Were you attracted to its format? okay with it. It has gotten a tad stale, game like this. There’s going to be
Personally no, because early on we but that’s okay because Doomfist is more heroes over time, so say the
weren’t sure if there was going to be really strong, and he’s going to change Overwatch League fails and people
some sort of combine where you can the meta on his own. don’t like the game, a year or two
show your skills and get picked. They from now there could be double the
did have a scouting report, where there Is there anyone you’d like to see in amount of heroes and it’s a complete-
are lots of stats shared, but I don’t like the meta? ly different game. I think if the league
the idea of people just picking players All the defense heroes are really not fails, it’ll hurt the game in the short
out one at a time. [It would suck if] I played at all – Mei, Junkrat, I like term, but [Overwatch] definitely has
got picked up and then was just paired Widow but I do get she can be a bit the potential to bounce back.
30 connect
THE FRANCHISE CORNERSTONE
In a sports game era dominated by revenue driving-modes like Ultimate Team, Visual Concepts’
Erick Boenisch keeps pushing innovation with the longtime fan-favorite franchise mode

One series continues to buck this trend of

neglect: NBA 2K. Year in and year out, Visual
Concepts senior producer Erick Boenisch and
his franchise-focused development team con-
tinues to challenge convention and explore new
ways to empower wannabe general managers.
“I don't want to call out other games, but
they are large games – I know how many units
they sell – and I don't feel like they're doing a
service to their population,” Boenisch says. “I
know [NBA 2K’s] telemetry, I know how many
people play each mode, and people play the
heck out of our franchise mode. I don't know
if it's a matter of Kevin Costner’s ‘If you build
it, they will come’ type of a thing or if [other
companies] have done so little and their usage
numbers continue to decline. It's easy to fall
into that trap of, ‘not a lot of people are playing
it, we probably shouldn't invest a lot of time
into it.’”
A multi-sport athlete as a kid, Boesnisch
grew up playing any video game he could
get his hands on, from obscure JPRGs to
platform-defining hits like The Legend of Zelda.
But no genre left a bigger impression on him
than sports games. The first title he became
obsessed with was Sports Talk Baseball on the
Sega Genesis. Since the game didn’t have a
season mode, Boenisch created his own box
score template, went to a local copy score, and
paid $10 to make 162 copies so he could track
his team’s stats for an entire season.
“It was one of the best times of my life, but
the whole time I'm doing this, I was thinking,
‘This is dumb, why do I have to do this?’”
Boenisch says. “Why can't this stuff just be
there for me?”
Boesnisch’s passion for video games led
him to pursue a computer science degree at
Sonoma State University. Upon graduating,
friends working at Visual Concepts encouraged
by Matt Bertz
him to apply. He got the job, and has been
refining the franchise mode experience of NBA
2K ever since.

S
ports fans have always dreamed of taking control of their favorite Throughout his long tenure, Boesnisch
team and guiding them to a championship through savvy free agency and the dedicated team of franchise nuts at
Visual Concepts continue to push the bar for
pickups and smart drafting. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, video innovation with needle-moving concepts like
games started providing an outlet for this fantasy, and over the next player morale affecting locker room chemistry
several decades franchise modes became a prerequisite for any sports sim. and their willingness to re-sign with a team,
franchise relocation/expansion, the best trade
But in recent years, publishers started focusing intensely on card collection finder in sports games, and a conversation
modes that generate additional revenues like EA Sports’ Ultimate Team. As system that drives your interaction with your
owner, staff, coaches, and players. With NBA
a result, many franchise mode fans feel they’ve been put on waivers this
2K18, Boenisch’s team plans to incorporate a
console generation. full narrative into the experience of managing a
The stalling of innovation in franchise modes is glaring. EA’s NHL and FIFA franchise (read all about the plans on page 56).
“For me, I'm just trying to look at what I
series still use player acquisition and scouting systems from a generation ago, would like as a kid, and trying to improve the
MLB The Show hasn’t made a meaningful change in the basic way the mode games for today's youth and make them have
operates for years, and even sports games with decent franchise modes like a really good time,” he says. “That's literally
been my only goal for years and years. I don't
Madden frequently take a year or more off from introducing significant chang- want to stop driving new features. I would get
es to the minute-to-minute experience. bored if we stopped trying.” \
connect 31
 by Ben Reeves and Matt Miller

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connect 33
timeline
1

October2017
3
GAME RELEASES
Tuesday 03 › Elex (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
› Battle Chasers: Nightwar › South Park:
(PS4, Xbox One, PC) The Fractured But Whole
› Forza Motorsport 7 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
(Xbox One, PC) › WWE 2K18 (PS4, Xbox One)

Friday 06 Tuesday 24
› Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga › Destiny 2 (PC)
+ Bowser’s Minions (3DS) › Just Dance 2018
(PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
Tuesday 10 › Nights of Azure 2:
› Middle-earth: Shadow of Bride of the New Moon
War (PS4, Xbox One, PC) (PS4, Switch, PC)

Friday 13 Friday 27
› The Evil Within 2 › Assassin’s Creed Origins
(PS4, Xbox One, PC) (PS4, Xbox One, PC) 1
› Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Tuesday 17 › Wolfenstein II: The New
› Gran Turismo Sport (PS4) Colossus (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
GAMER CULTURE
Wednesday 04 all of its comic series their
The Joker Cured original numbering conventions,
MOVIE & TV PREMIERES In a new seven-part comic marking a historic 700th issue
Sunday 01 Thursday 12 series called Batman: White for Mighty Thor. Other series
› Bob’s Burgers (Fox) › Arrow (CW) Knight, the Joker is cured of to keep an eye on: Amazing
› Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) › Supernatural (CW) his insanity and wants to make Spider-Man is at 789, and Cable
› Family Guy (Fox) right. Patrolling the city under just hit 150.
› Last Man on Earth (Fox) Friday 13 the name “Jack,” he sets his
› The Simpsons (Fox) › Mindhunter (Netflix) targets on Gotham’s greatest Tuesday 31
foe: Batman. The Witcher Adult
Monday 02 Friday 20 Coloring Book
› The Gifted (Fox) › Geostorm (Theaters) Friday 06 Who says coloring is just for
IndieCade 2017 kids? With Dark Horse’s The
Friday 06 Sunday 22 Over 150 indie games are Witcher Adult Coloring Book, you
› Blade Runner 2049 › The Walking Dead expected to be playable at can add your stylistic choices
(Theaters) 2 (AMC) this year’s IndieCade conven- to 96-pages of black-and-white
› My Little Pony: tion held in Los Angeles’ Little illustrations inspired by the
The Movie (Theaters) Tuesday 24 Tokyo. This four-day show also video game series.
› Once Upon a Time (ABC) › The Last O.G. (TBS) offers panels, social events, and
tournaments, along with the Friday 27
Monday 09 Friday 27 chance to cast your vote for the PAX Australia 2017
› Supergirl (CW) › Jigsaw (Theaters) best new games at IndieCade. Held in Melbourne, this three-
› Stanger Things day fan fest kicks off with
Tuesday 10 Season 2 (Netflix) Wednesday 11 a “story time” keynote with
› DC Legends of Tomorrow (CW) Thor Turns 700 3 Red vs. Blue creator Burnie
› The Flash (CW) Last month’s issue of Mighty Burns. The convention floor
Thor was number 23. This is filled with game demos,
month’s issue is number 700. cosplay, tournaments, and a
2
No, you didn’t miss over 600 hall filled with the best indie
issues. Despite loving reboot- games created in Australia and
ing series with new number 1 New Zealand as selected by
issues, Marvel is returning the AIS. \
34 connect
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 » platform
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36
 Completing
the

Legend
Monolith concludes its fantasy epic in
Middle–earth: Shadow of War

by Matt Miller
cover story 37
38
 With only a few weeks before launch, Middle-earth: Shadow of War
 E ʠť ŧ ?ťŧ  ťťťŧ ťʠ >
Shadow of War is not only the culmination of the last three years of
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   Ŧ  ť ťť    ť  ťqť
  ť E  E ŧ ťťŧ >0 E ?
ť ť  Eťť ŧ  
ť ?ť  E ťE ťŦť ŦE  ʠŧ  The
Lord of the Rings>(E  ť ť ťyʠť  ť
ťť  ŧť ?qŧ ťE E Eť
ťŦŧ >
w0q ťť  ťŦ ?vť,  q
ŧ  ŧť?,) ť>w#E  Ŧŧť y
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terms of thinking we knew, now that we had built one, how much
Eŧť ťŧť?ťťŧ E  > ť?ť
   ťŦ Eťťq .ť  ,  >
ŧť?ťŦ  ťŧ>v

power. Celebrimbor is attempting to do that agile traversal, my wanderings through Minas

UNFETTERED STORYTELLING with the New Ring, but believing that if he can Ithil bring me into contact with several named
Shadow of Mordor established an intriguing do that without Sauron’s influence, it will be characters, extensive dialogue, and lengthy cin-
pair of protagonists into Middle-earth lore; perfected, and it will be the key to successfully ematic sequences that propel the plot forward.
the reincarnated ranger named Talion sought conquering Mordor.” In my attempted defense of the city, I encoun-
vengeance for his murdered family, while the In that opening cinematic, disaster strikes ter other discoveries, like the new Haedir
ancient elven wraith named Celebrimbor lit- as Celebrimbor is torn from Talion by the most Towers. These seeing stones are Sauron’s
erally joined with him in a parallel quest that unlikely of intruders. The mighty spider Shelob minor replicas of the mighty Palantir. As a
echoed back to a betrayal centuries earlier by wants the power of this New Ring for herself, gameplay device, they let Talion look out from
the dark lord, Sauron. The story had a simple and uses Talion’s connection to the wraith to a high vantage and identify points of inter-
hook, but much of that narrative potential was demand a dangerous trade – the wraith for the est; collectibles like Shelob’s web of fate and
eventually subsumed in the clash of battle ring. “The starting point when thinking about Gondorian artifacts provide new audio lore
against endless orc hordes. Shadow of War Shelob was inspired by Galadriel, and what entries, as well as additional skill points. Secret
reaches much further in its narrative goals, she means to Middle-earth,” de Plater says. Ithilden clues offer a chance to track down for-
with richer characters and dozens of cinematic “Galadriel represents light, but we’re in Mordor, gotten barrows and their riddle doors hidden
sequences. Monolith takes an unrestrained and we’re looking at the darker side of things.” throughout the world. Within lie the ancient
approach to storytelling inspired by Tolkien’s Taking the form of a bewitching woman, the remains of Celebrimbor’s forgotten allies, and
writing and Peter Jackson’s films, but one spider’s machinations deprive the pair of their the legendary set of equipment that comes with
that is willing to chart its own course and take new creation, and send them hurtling into con- their unearthing.
chances with established lore in the name of flict with Sauron’s forces as they assault the Tolkien fans already know the grim fate await-
the best game experience. Gondorian city of Minas Ithil. ing Minas Ithil. “We see the siege of the city by
Shadow of War opens nearly a decade after Our gameplay picks up on a cliff overlook- the armies of Mordor,” de Plater says. “And
the first game’s conclusion. The unlikely pair of ing the stalwart fortress, echoing in more ways then, ultimately, we see it taken by the Witch
Talion and Celebrimbor have been fulfilling the than one the walls of another city, Minas Tirith, king and the Nazgûl, and its transformation
threat implied by the last lines of Shadow of the setting of the epic battle depicted in The into Minas Morgul, which is the city we see in
Mordor, forging a new ring of power, an artifact Return of the King. Minas Ithil is a massive The Lord of the Rings. It becomes the base of
of immense strength, built to rival Sauron’s One urban environment – a game region filled with operations for the Witch-king.” Jumping ahead
Ring to rule them all. “The New Ring draws a hidden secrets and dedicated missions. In this in my journey, it’s intriguing to return to the city
lot of connections between Celebrimbor and first act, Talion confronts the armies of Mordor later in the game after it has been overrun and
Sauron,” de Plater says. “It is much the same in a vain attempt to halt the city’s capture. In decimated. Minas Morgul becomes a green-
way that Sauron invested himself in the One addition to introducing core features of pred- tinged home of sorcery and horror, devoid of
Ring, and it became a representation of his ator-like stealth, combo-driven combat, and human life and overrun by orcs and trolls.
cover story 39
 Talion's moveset has many more options in
Shadow of War, and lots of ways to customize skills

My arrival in Minas Morgul offers a chance to assassin, she’s also a potent ally, especially representing the semblances of the kings
meet one of the game’s most important charac- when wielding a defensive mystical shield they once were before being subverted by
ters – a world-weary but powerful elf who has gifted to her by Galadriel, offering protection the dark lord of Mordor. “The big thing that
fought in Mordor far longer than Talion. “Eltariel from Mordor’s most punishing attacks. we’re doing is revealing the history and iden-
is the Blade of Galadriel – her agent,” de Plater That protection and combat skill is often tity of some of them,” de Plater says. In some
says. “The particular mission she has had for essential in the boss battles that unfold in the cases, that means Monolith is creating new fix-
hundreds, or maybe even thousands of years, coming hours against the Nazgûl, one of the tures within Middle-earth history, while others
is to keep the Nazgûl contained within Mordor. most iconic threats from The Lord of the Rings. dip into established named characters from
So, she’s repeatedly having to fight to keep These black-clad ringwraiths take center stage Tolkien’s text and reveal their identities as one
them down, even though they keep resurrect- in the story, and I played and witnessed three of the ringwraiths.
ing and returning.” of the conflicts first-hand. Suladân is one of the former, a new charac-
As Eltariel fights by Talion’s side in numerous In the movies and books (which unfold ter who is the first Nazgûl I confront in open
missions throughout the game, she acts as a years later in the timeline), the ringwraiths battle. I fight him near the peak of the newly
storytelling foil to both Talion and Celebrimbor, are anonymous shells fully overwritten by the renamed Minas Morgul. As he whisks about the
questioning motives and voicing doubts about mind of Sauron. But Monolith is playing with battlefield, he flings out devastating curses that
the wisdom of introducing a new ring of power the idea that in these earlier days, vestiges demand I retreat behind Eltariel’s shield of light,
into the ongoing struggle. As a stealthy elf of the Nazgûls’ original identities remain, even as he dominates orc minions to send into

Envisioning The Nazgûl

John Howe was one of the principal artists who helped to
shape the look of The Lord of the Rings movies, and Monolith
enlisted his aid in shaping the individual appearances of
the ringwraiths in Shadow of War. During the timeframe of
the game, the Nazgûl still maintain some remnant of their
original identities as human kings, before they were gifted
with the nine rings that subverted them to Sauron's will.
As imagined by Howe, their armor and weapons hint at the
tragic tales of their past lives and eventual downfalls.
40
 A City Transformed
  ŤŦ .Ť  ,  ʘŤ     
EŤŦ ,Ť >ŤťŤ  ŤE y
 Ť ,Ť,  E >

Eltariel is Galadriel's agent in Mordor,

tasked with confronting the Nazgûl

my path. The battle has a structured form that

stands in contrast to the rest of the game’s big
procedural combat scenarios, feeling more like
a true crafted boss battle than anything I played
in Shadow of Mordor.
Two other Nazgûl encounters show off
equally varied experiences, and draw in named
characters that should be familiar to fans. Helm
Hammerhand was once a king of Rohan, and
the namesake of Helm’s Deep, but he’s met a
grim fate as one of Sauron’s nine greatest min-
ions. In a blistering fight, he calls forth drakes
and ghûls to harry me, even as he batters down
my defenses with his notorious hammer. It’s
one of the most challenging fights I’ve con-
fronted in the franchise. In another battle, we
learn that one of the Nazgûl is actually Isildur,
the famed king who once cut the One Ring from
Sauron’s hand and stole it. In keeping with his
textual connection to the Oathbreaker Army of
the Dead in The Return of the King, Isildur con-
fronts players with resurrected forms of once-
valiant Gondorian soldiers. Of all the Nazgûl,
Isildur fights the most like Talion, as they are
both part of the same heritage of soldiers.
No matter which of these figures you fight,
battles conclude with the banishment of your
foe, and the reward of a cinematic that fleshes
out the dark tale of their fall from grace. From
harsh betrayals, rage-fueled mistakes, or bitter
revenge wrought by Sauron, these sequences
give context around the ringwraiths that we’ve
never had before within the fiction.

cover story 41
AN EVER−CHANGING WEB
While Shadow of War aims to dramatically
expand its storytelling, that doesn’t mean it
backs off from the focus on big open worlds
and systemic gameplay loops. Put simply,
Shadow of War is a massive sandbox filled with
opportunities for adventure and battle.
Shadow of Mordor received its highest
praise for its innovative Nemesis system, a
procedural web of individually named foes
that changed over time in response to your
actions, victories, and defeats. Shadow of War
drastically expands this system, offering more
Like in the last game, defeat is not the
distinct individuals and new opportunities for
end; orcs that kill you remain in the game
dominated allies.
and grow stronger by your next encounter
As I wander through an open world, I’m struck
by the visual distinctiveness of the enemies I
meet and how well Monolith has built up the After investigating through connected missions, inspiration was the idea that when one of these
fantasy of memorable encounters. Whether it’s gathering allies, and designating which of your guys becomes an overlord, we want them to
an orc whose manic ramblings are all about the forces will aid in the battle, the different regions seem like super villains, and have their identity
“tasty” things he wants to devour, or a hulking of the game each have a massive fortress to expressed in the environment,” de Plater says.
Olog troll that betrays me in the heat of a big overtake. In one assault I confronted, the intri- “If you’re in Arkham, and you go to an area
battle because I killed his blood brother, the cacies of the Nemesis system really shined. controlled by the Joker, you see that every-
sense of individuality is hard to overlook. Hundreds of orcs, trolls, drakes, and more where, with clown faces, and unique thugs. We
The Nemesis system also has several new clashed around and above the fortress, even wanted that same sense. It influences the chat-
tricks up its sleeve. “One of the things that is as I navigated Talion from one control point to ter of the orcs that live there, and some of the
new is the ambusher system,” de Plater says. the next. I climbed aboard a rampaging giant ambient life.”
“The game is keeping track of what you’re graug and trampled foes. I pulled allied injured Including the eventual DLC, you can also
doing moment to moment, and how you’re orcs back to their feet so they could help me expect to find roguish Marauders, Sauron-
playing. Your playstyle will determine when turn the tide. I then confronted the orc overlord worshipping Dark tribe members, Viking-esque
a particular enemy or follower appears in the in his inner keep, and after his defeat, installed Warmongers, fear-obsessed Terror tribesmen,
world, in response to your actions.” Always one of my dominated allies to claim the fortress the blood and cleavers of the Slaughter tribe,
hunting lost Gondorian artifacts? Your foes and region. and the almost Mad Max-style maniacs of the
begin to notice, and show up to taunt your Beyond names and weapons, the overturning Outlaw tribe. Any one of these discrete tribe
nerdiness in being obsessed with irrelevant his- of fortress control also illustrates another way members can also boast a broader type or
tory. Fly around on an allied drake all the time? the bad guys of Shadow of War stand out – class that delineates its style of combat – like
Expect drake-hunting parties to begin congre- their tribal affiliations. Across Mordor, numerous assassin or trickster – adding up to a vast array
gating. “They appear in the world in more rel- distinct tribes each have their own goals, envi- of different enemy personnel.
evant contexts,” de Plater says. “And they earn ronmental trappings, and approach to battle, The improved Nemesis system feels deep
titles in response to things they achieve in the and the controlling force in a region dictates and interwoven into the adventure at every
world, whether it’s the ranger killer, the drake what you’ll find there. Whether it’s the indus- level. Even in a few hours of play, I could sense
slayer, or the conqueror if they take a fortress.” trious Machine tribe with their explosives, the the way that my choice of missions, the ene-
That final option represents one of the most beast-hunting Feral tribe, or the necromantic mies I fought, and places I visited led to con-
exciting additions to play: the fortress assaults. Mystics, every group feels distinct. “Part of the crete changes in the environment.
42
 Players can dominate an enemy
soldier, and then summon that
individual to fight on their side

crawling with spiders and mines, and the for- game,” de Plater says. “And much more
EXPLORING MORDOR tress is positioned out on this promontory, over- diverse. We have a lot more verticality and a lot
While the Nemesis system provides a wealth of looking this huge valley and facing out across more detail in the environment and topography.
missions and adventures all by itself, it would the rest of Mordor.” Later on, players visit We have caves, mountains, pits, and all sorts of
fall apart without an equally rich world to inhabit. Núrn, a lush island where you meet an ancient things. And we have the fortresses.”
The last game left a lot of Mordor undiscovered, forest spirit named Carnán. She’s an entity Beyond expanding the breadth of landmass,
and Shadow of War stretches comfortably into like Treebeard or Tom Bombadil in The Lord of Shadow of War also aims to increase the den-
all those nooks and crannies, with open regions the Rings, but suffering with the misfortune of sity of meaningful activities within those spaces.
of exploration that add up to a world multiple dwelling under the eye of Sauron. Seregost is New Nemesis missions offer a more custom-
times the size of Monolith’s previous game. craggy mountain wilderness overtaken by snow ized set of encounters specific to your most
Over what is expected to be dozens of hours and ice. The last region, Gorgoroth, is the heart notorious foes. Fighting pits offer a chance to
of play, Shadow of War takes players to five of Mordor – a blasted hellscape, where among pit orcs against one another. Collectibles are
regions, each with its own visual character, mis- other things, Sauron’s minions are summoning hidden everywhere. And Shadows of the Past
sions, and hidden secrets. The game opens in a Balrog that Talion must find a way to halt. missions are challenge scenarios in which you
the massive urban sprawl of Minas Ithil, and How much larger is the game than Shadow jump back in time to Celebrimbor’s first war
later takes on an entirely different tone as Minas of Mordor? “It’s hard to put a number on it against Sauron centuries earlier, with specific
Morgul. Cirith Ungol strikes an entirely differ- because it’s so much bigger in multiple dimen- combat, defense, or assault goals. I played one
ent chord. “It is this huge cave complex that sions, but every region is significantly bigger in which I rode a drake and breathed fire on
leads into Shelob’s caves,” de Plater says. “It’s than either of the regions we had in the first charging waves of attackers.

After defeating a ringwraith in

battle, crafted cutscenes reveal the
history of their tragic downfall

cover story 43
 Most significantly, side-mission chains are the objectives and gameplay.” same meter, you can now accelerate your run
far more robust than they’ve been before, With such a large play space, Monolith has to a supernaturally quick wraith sprint for short
acting more like optional story-mission threads gone to great pains to ensure players have durations. While climbing a wall or cliff, tapping
that cross over between different regions and the tools they need to explore with speed and the bottom face button sends you zipping up
deepen your connection to the game’s most variety. “Because the environments are so far faster than a conventional scramble. And for
important characters. “Side missions were much bigger and have so much more vertical- distant perches, elven agility allows for double
more of a template last time,” de Plater says. ity, getting around faster and more effectively jumps mid-air.
“Now we’ve given them the same sort of atten- is important,” de Plater says. A fast-travel New mounted options further expand travel
tion we’ve given to all of our story missions. system returns for the longest distances, while flexibility. Caragors and giant graug can climb
They all have cinematics. Each of our side other adaptations help more terrestrial naviga- walls. Dominating a drake leads to the most
mission arcs is around one of our main side tion. Traversal is fleshed out with several new potent power fantasy – surveying Mordor
characters like Carnán or Eltariel. They have options, many enabled by the same Focus from atop a fire-breathing beast, winging over
much stronger stories running through them rechargeable resource that slows down time well-protected walls and plunging down on
and they’re also much more crafted in terms of when aiming a ranged weapon. Using that unsuspecting patrols.

The Land Of Shadow

Shadow of Mordor primarily unfolded within the bounds of Udûn, and the seaside coastline of Núrn. Shadow of War
features a far broader and more varied selection of locales, including beleaguered Minas Ithil, the spider-infested
caves of Cirith Ungol, the overgrown island of Núrn beyond that original shoreline, the snowy mountains of Seregost,
and the volcanic devastation of Gorgoroth. To the east, other lands beckon as DLC locations.

44
 drake swooping past overhead. RPG-style upgrade system for both character
A GROWING POWER I also uncovered a lot of fun inherent to the skills and equipment. “We have many more
Celebrimbor literally pours his essence into the new summon mechanics, which let you des- skills than we had last time, and we also have
creation of the New Ring, offering a convenient ignate both a mount and a follower that can the ability to upgrade each of those skills,” de
in-fiction excuse for why players must once be called in at any time. “Summoning in your Plater says. Each of your many skills can be
again build Talion and Celebrimbor’s power. own bodyguard is awesome,” de Plater says. upgraded with two or three different options, but
Like with virtually every other facet of the game, “Especially when you have some towering Olog, only one upgrade can be active at a time. Every
players should expect a much bigger and more and you bring him in and he starts wreaking time you gain a level, you acquire a skill point
flexible upgrade system of skills and equipment havoc and laying waste to everyone.” I found that can be distributed across these skills and
than what has come before. the same to be true with a gigantic graug, or upgrades, and Talion has 60 levels to acquire
Whether fighting Nazgûl atop a snowy moun- even calling in my drake. “I really like that you over the course of the game. Another approxi-
tain or weaving between dozens of orc combat- can use these in different situations,” de Plater mately 60 skill points are attained through side
ants, a powered-up Talion has more tools at his says. “You can use them in combat, and they’ll and challenge missions, like Shadows of the
disposal. “I like that there is now so much variety come in to help you out. But if you’re in stealth, Past. Yet other skills unlock through story and
to combat,” de Plater says. “One of my favorites not only can you summon them in, but you can other progression moments scattered through-
is stunning the Olog-hai and shanking them as give them orders. If you’ve got a marksman, you out the game.
they go charging through other guys. Or that can use him to snipe at guys without reveal- Equipment options are equally complex. Every
you can shadow strike into fires, and make them ing your position. If you’ve got a drake, you can one of Talion’s equipment slots can be adjusted
explode right in the middle of your enemies. I have him fly out of the skies, pick someone up, to fit a chosen playstyle, and each offers inde-
also love the way you can chain together your and carry them off.” pendent cosmetic styles as well. Swords for
executions and combat moves in new ways.” With so many options shaping the combat open combat, daggers for stealth, and a ranged
Over the course of several hours of combat, I experience, Monolith hopes to cater gameplay weapon slot determine your offensive capabil-
constantly uncovered novel ways to achieve vic- to a broader array of potential players, and the ity, while a choice of armor, cloak, and runes
tory. I leapt onto a downed enemy, and bashed team has built Shadow of War with three diffi- applied to the New Ring further shape Talion’s
him into submission. I called on Celebrimbor’s culty settings to fit different levels of experience. defenses and abilities. The most powerful
wraith abilities to yank a distant foe hundreds “We learned that for some really skilled players, equipment even offers mini-missions to unlock
of yards from his station, so I could duel him they would never die, so they wouldn’t get a their true potential, such as stealth killing an
alone on a desolate tower’s top. Like in the last great experience of the Nemesis system,” de enemy under a designated circumstance, which
game, the pure number of foes in any given Plater says. “Other players would die too much, in turn leads to even greater weapon capabilities
battle is often overwhelming, but during play I and they’d have a bad experience because for that dagger. In addition to an incredible array
felt like I had greater facility to keep a handle they just got slaughtered.” While many gamers of different perks and tiers of quality, equip-
on the chaos. may scoff at the option, Monolith and Warner ment pieces can also be slotted with stones
Beyond distinct combat moves, Monolith Bros. are offering further ways to advance Talion that further accentuate their power. Players can
added new core weapons to the arsenal. through optional microtransactions that boost even customize and pursue the playstyle they
Early on, players gain access to the glaive of XP, provide access to loot, and aid leveling with want by hunting targets that will drop related
an ancient elven warrior named Gil-galad. This XP boosts. It’s a system I was disappointed to gear; for instance, an orc who is weak against
spear, called Aeglos, translated from elven as hear about, if only because the natural progres- frost attacks might drop a weapon that inflicts
Icicle, lets players sweep entire ranks of ene- sion I played in-game seems balanced and increased cold damage.
mies out of the way as a heavy attack, and is rewarding. But at least these rewards can still Taken together, the combined skill tree and
particularly valuable as a mounted weapon. be acquired through in-game currency instead equipment upgrades appear to be the equal of
Celebrimbor’s hammer also takes on enhanced of real money purchases. any role-playing upgrade system I can name,
potential, creating elemental shockwave effects, Behind challenge settings and all the new with tremendous potential for shaping Talion
or being flung at a distant enemy, such as a ability and combat options sits a substantial into the warrior and hunter you want him to be.

Players can customize their hero with dozens of skills,

each of which has two or three upgrade options

cover story 45
 For Any Occasion
Talion gathers resources, power, and runes to forge new weapons and armor throughout his journey; after all,
Celebrimbor is one of Middle-earth's most legendary smiths. Equipment sets can be worn in their entirety, or you can
pick and choose your favorite pieces. No matter your decision, everything changes your hero's appearance and perks.

46
 Eltariel can be a potent
ally in major fights

is introducing a fourth act – the Shadow Wars. invade the conquered forts of other players,
BRIDGING THE GAP “Act IV is this extended epilogue,” de Plater and see how well you fare against their best
Shadow of War completes the story that began says. “What happens after this epic finale? And laid defenses. “You can’t lose anything,” de
in Shadow of Mordor. In a classic three-act nar- what segues into the next story, which is The Plater says. “Even if you’re just playing, by
rative structure, we meet our characters and Lord of the Rings?” The battle over Mordor default, you’re creating fortresses for other
learn the stakes of the conflict, venture forth to continues in the years that follow Talion and people to be able to attack. It’s sort of like
conquer Mordor, and finally confront the Witch- Celebrimbor’s confrontation with Sauron, keep- a level editor, but people are creating levels
king and Sauron in what Monolith promises to ing the orc hordes busy, and giving the world through naturally playing the game, instead of
be an epic final showdown. “We’re not holding of men more time to rally. While de Plater is abstracting it out and going out to an editor.”
anything back,” de Plater says. “It’s intended to reticent to spoil the ending, he promises that Beyond online play, players can also expect
have closure and have a satisfying ending, and this post-story content isn’t just more of the two story-driven expansions that further
really complete the story.” same, but instead introduces new elements to develop characters introduced in the base
However, all along we’ve known that Talion’s gameplay, and has story elements all its own. campaign, and also let you play with two
battles in Mordor are only one part of a broader That’s not the only way that Shadow new heroes – the elven assasin Eltariel and a
tale that culminates in the events of The Lord of War looks to broaden beyond its core captain of Minas Ithil named Baranor. “Both
of the Rings. In keeping with that connection, campaign. An online conquest mode allows of these are standalone, where you’re playing
and as an excuse to let players continue their for interaction with both friends and a broader as these other characters in a way that sheds
adventures beyond that final battle, Monolith community of players. This mode lets you some more light on Talion and Celebrimbor’s
story,” de Plater says.
After spending several hours playing Shadow
T he fire–breathing drakes are some of of War, the sheer scope of the game is hard
the most dramatic enemies in Mordor to wrap one’s head around. Shadow of War’s
predecessor introduced one of the most inno-
vative approaches to systemic gameplay and
enemies that anyone has ever seen in video
games, but faced criticism for other missteps.
In all the ways that matter, Shadow of War
seems to be responding to those perceived
flaws. Monolith embraces the intricacies of one
of the most beloved fictional universes in any
medium, but is also unafraid to take liberties
with that universe in the name of producing the
most engaging game. Bigger may not always
be better, but with its overwhelming army of
features, Shadow of War certainly looks ready
to knock down some gates. \

For more on Middle-earth: Shadow of War, check out

gameinformer.com/shadowofwar throughout the month. We have
a closer look at the elven warrior Eltariel, an in-depth narrative
roundtable, and a deep dive into the many regions of Mordor,
among several other interviews and features

cover story 47
48
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Fear What Happens Next

40 MinuteS of Terror With The Evil WithiN 2

If you thought the mind of a deranged killer was terrifying to enter, wait
until you see what kind of horrors a frightened child can manifest.
We played through two chapters of this twisted sequel and found it far more
disturbing than the first game.

by Andrew Reiner
feature 49
 created by a mysterious organization called Mobius, as well as a
sick individual named Ruben Victoriano (known more commonly
as Ruvik).
After losing his sister in a barn fire, Ruvik created a device called
STEM that unites multiple users’ minds into one, allowing them to
physically live within one central user’s memories. Ruvik created this
machine with the hope of seeing his sister again. He was sloppy in
his experimentation, and the technology soon became the desire of
Mobius. They killed Ruvik and stole his creation, but soon realized
that they needed his brain to operate it. They reanimated his brain
to use it as the central operating system of STEM, which was acti-
vated again when Castellanos entered the hospital.
Castellanos was trapped in a world of horror where he experi-
enced Ruvik’s torment and anger firsthand. After a hellish journey,
he ended Ruvik’s psychological threat by detaching his brain from
STEM, but it may not have stopped him completely. The game’s
conclusion is left ambiguous, perhaps implying Ruvik returned to
the real world and is now controlling the body of a patient named
Famed game creator Shinji Mikami, known as the “father of survival Leslie Winters.
horror” for his work on the Resident Evil series, is not returning to Three years have passed since the incident at Beacon Mental
the director’s chair for The Evil Within 2. After successfully launch- Hospital, and Castellanos has been searching for answers that may
ing this new horror series, he stepped back to let his young team link Mobius to the death of his family. As The Evil Within 2 begins,
at Tango Gameworks take the reins. While Mikami remains a key he receives a message from his former partner Juli Kidman, who
player in overseeing the progress of this sequel, he handed the was secretly working for Mobius the entire time.
bloody directorial baton to John Johanas, who served as a visual “Sebastian, for three years since Beacon happened, you’ve been
effects designer on The Evil Within, but also got his feet wet as searching for answers,” she said in a recording. “You didn’t find
the director of the game’s two DLC add-ons, The Assignment and what you were looking for because they didn’t want you to. Mobius
The Consequence. knows you’ve been following us. They’ve been watching you for
The shakeup in direction doesn’t mean a new start for the series. a long time. You trained and trusted me, and in return I betrayed
Unlike the first few Resident Evil games, which introduced new pro- you. Long before we met, you lost your daughter Lily. She’s still
tagonists and threats, The Evil Within 2 once again inflicts pain and alive. This is your chance to save her; to get back what you lost. Lily
suffering upon Sebastian Castellanos, a detective for the Krimson needs you. You’re going to need to go back into STEM. Again.”
City Police Department who lost his family, sobriety, and everything As reluctant as Castellanos is to return to a world that nearly killed
but his sanity. him a hundred times over, he learns that the central brain being
At the beginning of The Evil Within, Castellanos was dispatched used for this new iteration of STEM is his daughter’s. He must enter
to investigate multiple homicides at Krimson City’s Beacon Mental her mind to locate her, and hopefully save her. He also hopes to
Hospital, but soon found himself the pawn in a sinister game destroy Mobius in the process.

STEM is now controlled by Lily,

Sebastian Castellanosē daughter

50
An Old Threat Reborn
Our demo begins in the game’s second chapter, called “Some- John Johanas On The White Theme
thing Not Quite Right.” We don’t know what events precede this
playthrough, but the dialogue leads us to believe Sebastian just The Evil Within 2ēs marketing hints at a milky white sub-
entered STEM again. stance having importance. The gameēs director John Hoha-
Kidman is back as a guiding voice, but an untrusted one now nas weighs in.
that Castellanos knows her true intentions. She tells him that he “That milky substance is a bit high concept. There is defi-
should begin by looking for the members of Mobius’ lost Search nitely an in-game connection as youēve seen with some of
Party Team, who disappeared in a town called Union. She sug-
the enemies and will show up in some places we havenēt
gests they may have a lead on Lily. The town, which is created by
Lily, is supposed to be quaint and peaceful, showing how STEM shown yet. Its initial concept, however, comes from enter-
should really work. ing STEM itself. The image of the characters entering this
We meet Castellanos in a deteriorating elevator, but he already psychological world is being submerged within this white
looks like he’s been through hell. His right hand is bandaged, he liquid, and thatēs where the core concept behind the imag-
looks disheveled, and although he’s wearing a tactical shoulder ery came from.
holster, he appears to have already lost his weapons.
“One of the early concepts in the game that we jumped on
When the elevator doors open, the environment around him is
shrouded in darkness. A lone florescent light illuminates a small
was that the whole world is built upon the building blocks of
section of a regal black and white checkered floor. A fenced in that white liquid, coming to form by those who create from
area can faintly be seen to the left. Castellanos approaches the it. In the end, itēs more of a setting than a plot detail.”
light, and ducks down to squeeze through a hole in the fence that
appears to have been munched on by something large. Again, we
see nothing but an unnerving black. Castellanos activates his flash-
light, which provides a little comfort, but not nearly enough. A quick
scan of the area reveals nothing of importance – more fencing to
the left, torn white drapes to the right, and the makings of machin-
ery and equipment for a factory. Looking dead ahead, Castellanos
sees dozens of corpses wearing white robes dangling from ropes.
They all appear to have been hanged, but the blood on their bodies
shows something sinister happened to them before this.
The only way forward is through the corpses. Castellanos moves
slowly, but accidentally runs into a couple of them. They remain
dead, swaying gently from his touch. The sea of bodies gives way
to a metal wall with a red eye painted on it. He can’t interact with it,
but a loud swooshing sound rings out, and he spins to see a cam-
era on a tripod across the room. He examines it, and again hears
a swoosh. The dangling bodies have moved, and now are lined in
straight rows, revealing a clear path to a metal door. Castellanos
cautiously inches forward, and opens it. A well-dressed man stands
directly behind the door holding a camera. Before Castellanos can
do anything, the camera flashes brightly, and then we see nothing
but darkness.
Awakening on the floor of a new room, Castellanos sees a wall-
sized mirror holding the photograph that was just taken of him.
Frustration begins to sink in. He angrily grabs the photo, and then
sees something out of the corner of his eye – a woman dressed in
red reflected in the mirror. A quick spin reveals nothing, just more
white drapes covering age-old items. Castellanos turns back toward
the mirror, which now holds the sinister smile of a demon that looks
like Laura, the spider-like demon that stalked him throughout the
first game.
The mirror shatters loudly, and this new version of Laura now
caled “Guardian” stands in his world. As a manifestation of Lily’s
mind, she’s different now, standing somewhat normally on two legs,
but is at least 12-feet tall. Her hair is still a hypnotic mess of black,
but it’s no longer her defining feature; her right arm is replaced by
a gigantic, spinning saw blade. A deeper look at Guardian’s body
reveals her flesh is sewn together with black wire, and every once in
a while you can see smaller arms reaching out from her limbs. She’s The man throws the blade forward and it slides easily into
a monstrosity, and once again incredibly violent. Castellanos’ shoulder, sending him to the ground. The man turns
Castellanos spins and runs, turning every which way, but the around and vanishes in a puff of smoke. Guardian’s pursuit intensi-
room is relatively small, offering no escape route. Guardian laughs fies. She lunges forward and grabs Castellanos off of the floor with
hysterically, but has trouble keeping tabs on her prey’s location. This what appears to be three separate hands that make up her left arm.
allots Castellanos time to sprint past her into the opening where the As he’s being strangled to death, Castellanos pulls the knife from
mirror once sat. Guardian’s wild laughter keeps up with Castellanos’ his arm and jams it into his attacker. She drops him and screams in
descent into a lengthy hallway, his stamina draining with each step. pain, creating a window for escape. After entering the doorway of
Castellanos looks back to see where Guardian is, only to see her light, Castellanos falls to the ground, and the door behind vanishes
burst through a wall. The pursuit continues, and panic is clearly in a flash. He’s now in a quaint, abandoned house.
setting in on our unlucky protagonist. He keeps looking behind him, This is how our hero obtains his first weapon: the hunt-
but should keep his gaze directly ahead to a glowing white door ing knife. This dramatic moment also signals a shift away from
that has silently opened to reveal the man with the camera again. unrelenting action to Castellanos becoming the hunter through
He’s done taking photos, and now wields a sizable hunting knife. slower-paced exploration.
feature 51
 Fighting Back with his state of thought. When he approaches the boy at the kitch-
en table, he puts his left hand up to his face to cover his nose, and
Electricity still pumps through the home, and many of the rooms then his right as he draws in closer. If the player didn’t approach the
have working lights that show it’s been lived in recently. The win- table, this little sequence wouldn’t be seen. A thorough inspection
dows are broken and trash bags are everywhere, but everything of the house reveals the crafting component gunpowder.
else is pristine, such as the nicely arranged vases on the mantel Castellanos once again enters the wooded area. The rain has
and modern furniture. The home holds healing items, the first of 40 ceased and nightfall appears to be setting in. A short run down the
hidden documents, and a handgun. Castellanos almost misses the stone path leads to a road with abandoned cars obscured in light
firearm when leaving the house through the front door, but grabs it fog. The sounds of gunshots and yelling ring out. Castellanos tracks
from an end table with one foot out of the household. the sounds to what appears to be the heart of the city, with several
Standing outside on the front porch, his surroundings are dark- small two- to three-story buildings and a church.
ened woods with a tall tree canopy blocking out most of the moon- Just when it seems the coast is clear, several rotting zombies
light, but not the light rain. A concrete path begs him to venture into sprint across the road in hot pursuit of a Union security detail.
the woodlands, and he wastes no time finding out where it leads. Although the detail is decked out in flak jackets and equipped with
He assures himself, “Don’t worry. It’s just a small, quiet town,” but heavy artillery, there are too many zombies to deal with. A few pan-
takes it back seconds later, “Yeah… Too quiet.” icked shots hit their marks, but the zombie hunger wins out. One
A good way down the path, he sees a woman sprint into another Union member enters a house and slams the door.
home. He calls for her, but she doesn’t break stride. He tries to Castellanos uses stealth to navigate the swarm, sliding along the
knock on the door, but it slides open when his hand touches side of cars and emerging at the right times to silently take down
it. Again, darkness, but this time with a voice saying “Skin and lone zombies with a knife through the top of their skulls. Enemies
bones… Eat. Gotta eat…” We then see plastic bags filled with have three stages of alertness: a sound wave indicating they hear
unrecognizable meat, and a woman at a table feeding a boy. He you, a partially open eye for thinking they saw something, and an
looks near dead, but his gargles say otherwise. She slaps him when open eye for full awareness. Although timing is everything, and
he struggles to swallow whatever she spooned him. “Don’t cry. I’m Castellanos won’t want to remain exposed for too long, he wants
doing what’s best for you,” she says, as she slams his head against to recover the Green Gel enemies drop, which can be used later to
the table. upgrade his abilities.
It’s a disturbing moment, and for the sake of spoilers I won’t detail Most of the zombies are feeding on their new meals, and Castella-
what happens next, but Castellanos learns humans are more than nos has no problem making short work of them. A close look at one
they seem. Their heads are made up of white tentacles that squirm of their corpses again reveals the milky substance on specific body
wildly, but almost appear to be made of milk or glue. parts. After entering the same home that the Union person fled to,
So far in this demo, one of the big things jumping out is Castellanos moves a bookcase in front of the door to block it, just
Castellanos’ animations. He may vocalize his thoughts to a thing he like Leon could in Resident Evil 4.
is seeing, but you’ll sometimes seem little animations that go along The frightened Union worker has barricaded himself in the base-
ment. He reveals himself as Liam O’Neal, and appears wary of a
non-Union member talking to him. Castellanos says he’s here to
“restore the Core,” which likely means he’s trying to remove his
daughter from it.
Johanason On The Freedom To Explore The game then indicates that the player has located O’Neal’s Safe
“Union isnēt filled with survivors and there arenēt a lot of House, a location that can be revisited. The first Evil Within game
official missions to take on number-wise, but some sur- was linear in design, but the sequel now features areas you can
return to. Union is somewhat of an open space that can be freely
vivors you find will give you hints or small tasks to do
explored. O’Neal won’t venture out of the house with Castellanos,
which will, in the end, make your chances of survival a but does have information on the Core, and tells him Castellanos’
bit higher. “communicator” can be tuned to detect its activity. The goal now is
“A lot of the optional tasks you find are actually more to track the girl’s voice to its origin.
freeform. Sebastian has a communication device which Before leaving the safe house, Castellanos drinks a cup of cof-
picks up resonances left within the world. As you explore, fee, which restores him to full health. He must brew another pot
if he wants to use it again, but this action will take some time to
youēll suddenly get a burst signal, which may lead you to
complete. He also grabs ammo, weapon parts, and more gun pow-
something worth checking out. However, not all of these der, which he combines at the workbench to craft more handgun
resonances are “good things.” For every one that may bullets. He also uses this station to upgrade his handgun’s ammo
lead to you discovering an underground stash of ammuni- capacity. The other upgrade options are firepower, fire rate, and
tion, thereēs one that may lead you into a dark corner of reload time. All options feed from the same weapon parts pool, and
Sebastianēs subconscious.” each field can be upgraded numerous times, leading to the weapon
gaining levels. Castellanos can also craft items in the field, but at
the expense of more resources.

52
 Union is supposed to be a peaceful town,
but as you can see, it’s anything but

Resonances The world is open for him to freely explore, should he chose to do
so. He can also track “unknown resonance” to perhaps find other
The hallway in the safe house produces a familiar sight: a specter of people in need. In this playthrough, he scavenges the exterior of
a nurse walking into a mirror. Castellanos shouldn’t be confused by homes for a bit, but continues following the girl’s voice.
this vision, as they were one of the few beacons of safety in Ruvik’s His journey leads to a beautiful white home, where he finds a
mind, but he immediately questions it. “What the…who was that?” journal on the kitchen table. When he touches it, the room tem-
He peers into the mirror and is teleported to what appears to be perature drops, and a chair shakes violently. Lights flicker as he
a police station. At the end of a hallway sits a wheelchair under retreats to the living room. Before he can get there, a ghost-like
a spotlight. When Castellanos approaches it, static appears on apparition of a woman appears behind him. She hums a melody, as
screen and he’s teleported to another reality, one that cannot be she slowly floats forward.
made out for a split second, before returning to the chair. Reality I’ll again refrain from spoiling what happens next. This sequence
shifts to a darker place again, and we see the chair consume shows just how terrifying The Evil Within 2 can be for encounter
Castellanos, fastening his arms and placing a device over his head. design, pacing, and keeping players off kilter. The gameplay hasn’t
The nurse approaches him, and he finally recognizes her as Tati- changed much since the original entry, but this second stage
ana.From this chair, the player can once again exchange Green Gel shows the player has more freedom in exploration.
for upgrades in health, combat, athleticism, stealth, and recovery. It’ll be interesting to see just how far Tango takes this element
These fields should allow players to sculpt skills to their preferred when The Evil Within 2 launches on October 13 (Friday the 13th).
play style. Upgrading stealth can lead to small bonuses like Our first taste of this dark adventure was filled with jump scares,
increased movement speed, and bigger perks down the skill tree gore, and monsters galore, but the big hook is once again Castella-
like the ability to perform a stealth kill from around a corner. The nos’ journey for answers, which is far more personal this time with
combat tree increases damage of melee attacks, and can decrease his daughter being dangled in front of him. \
the kickback of a shotgun. Athleticism can be upgraded to enable
an auto-avoid for specific attacks, and recovery has a perk that
makes Castellanos automatically use a medical syringe when tak-
ing a fatal blow.
The police station is a haven for Castellanos. Here, he finds the
first of a new collectible, one of 11 photographic slides that can be
viewed through a projector on his desk. This particular slide shows
us a moment from Castellanos’ family life. He comments on it.
After returning to Union via another mirror, Castellanos ventures to
the city square to track down a girl’s voice using his communicator.
By holding it in front of him, he can scan for resonance, indicated by
a frequency fuzz that intensifies when he points the communicator in
the right direction. Once a strong signal is found, he can lock onto it.
Heading onto the street again triggers an event. Part of the world
sudden collapses, creating what appears to be a bottomless
canyon. Another part of it jets upward to create a mountain-like
structure with a portion of the city still perched precariously atop it.
The search for the girl requires just as much stealth as before, but
now with the added effort of bringing up the communicator to keep
going in the right direction. At one point, Castellanos picks up chat-
ter from a fallen Mobius operative and uses the frequency to find
his location, leading to the bounty five handgun bullets.
feature 53
 Monster Hunter World
Dancing with dinosaurs
» Platform
T
he Monster Hunter franchise is the first mission. My options include Back to the bowgun. While I’ve
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» Publisher title, I’m incredibly excited. Longtime allowing you to turn jumps into heavy crossbow is still a lumbering
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» Developer Monster Hunter World’s adherence to landing directly on top of enemies. feel like a semi-turret that must be
3B5A? systems, mechanics, and the spirit of If you’re a fan of the “rodeo” style of planted down to get solid shots on a
» Release the traditional dinosaur hunting jaunts. hopping on these huge creatures and far-away foe. Now it’s much faster,
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 Newcomers should be even more smashing them up on their backs until while still retaining the sense that
excited – this is the most accessible they fall, this is a perfect choice for I need to pick my firing locations.
title in the franchise, and it doesn’t your play style. You can also move Instead of being locked into taking
sacrifice any of its adrenaline-infused from posterior to head while you’re a hit if I’m not ready, I can zip away
adventure to get there. on their back, picking your section in a flash and dodge a dangerous
Selecting one of my old weapon to score attacks on weak spots or to attack. I have access to a variety of
favorites, the heavy bowgun, I glance better hang on while the monster tries different kinds of ammunition, includ-
at my available accessories before to shake you off. ing an “ultimate” ability that lets me
54
 Team up with other hunters
to take on massive monsters

go Gatling-gun-style and tear off a

barrage of shots. The end result is
extremely satisfying – still one of my
favorite weapons, but it doesn’t feel
like a chore to carry around.
Finding the enemy no longer
involves running around the map and
slinging paintballs. Like a dino-detec-
tive, I use the environment around me
to search for clues to the location of
the massive beast I’m hunting, which
in this case is an early-game dino
called the Great Jagras. Footprints
and other markings fill up a meter that
gives me a bright swarm of insects
that show me a trail – like “quest
trails” in MMORPGs – that lead me to
the beast.
I’m also pleased by how collec-
tion of common materials in the
open-world island is streamlined. No
more bending over to collect seeds; flailing creatures. load screens for each section feels
I can just grab them as I walk by. In After my rousing single-player ses- amazing from a freedom perspective,
fact, I can set up crafting rules to sion got the blood flowing, I hopped and watching the monsters defend
auto-create items when I have the into a multiplayer encounter with other their territory and battle each other is
required materials, so kiss those long Game Informer editors to take on a a nice touch.
sessions of making bullets or other saucier beast, the Anjanath. Selecting Multiplayer features pop-in, pop-out
essentials goodbye. Eventually, my a paralysis hammer as my weapon gameplay, so if one of your team bails
swarm of luminescent bugs leads me and a defensive accessory, I frontlined on you, someone else can jump in to
to my mark. the encounter, wailing on its head to finish the mission. You’re also free to
As a veteran to the series, this entry- keep it locked down, and even landing explore the various areas at will, with-
level opponent doesn’t offer much a few monster-riding rodeos by sliding out picking up a defined quest, to hunt
challenge, but it does a solid job at around on the environments. for any monster that lives there.
hammering home franchise mechan- The battle got interesting as our ene- To say my short time with Monster
ics – dodging around, unleashing hell my’s health got low. During its retreat Hunter World impressed me is a vast
on the enemy, and tossing a Palico it wandered around the map until understatement. This could be a defin-
pal into the mix to distract it. However, it upset a Rathalos – a much more ing moment for the franchise, as it
the combat introduces one new tool dangerous enemy. We could have takes things to bold new levels of fluid
in capturing beasts – environmental engaged the Rathalos, but we let them combat combined with accessibility.
traps. We’ve all set down our own fight it out for a bit. This weakened the I don’t think I can go back to clawing
traps for the giant creatures playing Anjanath to its last legs, and we set to and pawing at a 3DS after getting a
older Monster Hunter games, but now finishing off the beast and slicing off chance to experience this modern
you can use things like downed logs, bits for our future crafting endeavors. take on the series on a full-fledged
trees, and other areas of the map Wandering around the continuous console. I cannot wait to play the full
to help corral and defeat these wild, environments as opposed to those game early next year. » Daniel Tack
previews 55
 NBA 2K18
You come at the king, you best not miss
» Platform
W
ith two years of development deep progression system and a story deal with behind-the-scenes drama
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hoping this is the year NBA lete proved extremely alluring, which office staff, coaches, players, and
» Style Live provides a viable alternative to is why games like FIFA and Madden the press. Unlike MyCareer, which

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» Publisher only continually raises the bar for approach to MyGM mode as well. happen via. This gives the mode
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basketball games, but for the entire Playing as a former NBA star whose much more flexibility instead of being
» Developer sports video game genre. NBA career was cut short by injuries, you limited to interacting with the few
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2K18 looks slated to continue that earn your way into the front office of roles the developers could afford to
» Release dominance with several intriguing your favorite NBA team. The basics of cast if it went that route.
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 new features. MyGM mode stay the same – you are When you transition from the front
Since its debut last generation, still free to draft, sign, trade, or waive office to the court, the first thing
the MyCareer mode has been a any player you wish at any time. you’re going to notice is enhanced
destination experience for players. But between your regular general player accuracy. Player facial scans
Combining on-the-court action with a manager workload, you must now look more authentic than ever, and a
56
 Making
Coaches Matter
Over the last several
years, Visual Concepts
has gotten better at
making sure virtual
players make the same
kinds of decisions and
actions as their real-
world counterparts. Now
the studio has turned
its attention to making
coaches feel more
authentic as well.
A new menu called
System Proficiency gives
you the breakdown of
what system each coach
prefers to run. Each
of the many systems
(like defense, triangle,
perimeter centric, etc.)
comes with its own set
of bonuses and negative
effects based on how
well the coach runs the
system and how well
the players fit into that
scheme. You can quickly
understand how good a
coach is with a particular
scheme via the five-star
rating he has, and
players have a colored
rating that ranges from
red to green that informs
you how well they fit into
that system.
To make sure the
systems fit the real-world
NBA schemes, Visual
Concepts polled coaches,
players, and managers
around the league. This
new system will play a
key role in team building
both in the MyGM and
MyTeam modes.

wider variety of body types and hair Wang. The new motion system feels your badges, taking the right shots
styles give you more tools than ever more sudden than the previous one, at the right moments,” Wang says.
to create a unique MyPlayer. PS4 with players breaking out quickly “Timing’s a huge factor, but it’s
Pro and Xbox One X owners can also during fastbreaks and bursting off not everything.”
enjoy 4K visuals running 60 frames pick and rolls. The fidelity of control As of press time, Visual Concepts
per second. also helps stay on your man while still hadn’t shared its plans for
The biggest change coming to playing defense. MyCareer, but we again anticipate a
gameplay is a redesigned player Last year’s skill-based shooting heavy investment in NBA 2K’s most
motion system that better consid- system worked for some but frus- popular mode. We hope that also
ers a player’s size, speed, and trated others, leading to an endless comes with a renewed commitment
acceleration. “We’ve been accused stream of post-release updates as to stabilizing online servers, a con-
of being animation heavy at times, Visual Concepts tried to find a solu- tinual issue plaguing the franchise.
and this year we’ve done a good tion that made everyone happy. For Should Visual Concepts deliver on
job of making the game feel like NBA 2K18, the studio went back to these shortcomings, we expect NBA
you are in complete control,” says basics. “This year it’s more about the 2K18 to box out the competition once
NBA 2K18 gameplay director Mike context, about your player attri butes, again. » Matt Bertz
previews 57
 Assassin’s Creed Origins
An attempt to modernize the series

» Platform
A
ssassin’s Creed fans who have be able to settle down. The task? by incoming reinforcements.
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&@7 been with the series from Altaïr Discovering why a sacred animal has These skills serve you well when
» Style through the Frye siblings are fallen ill, a job that involves a foren- your stealth fails, but ultimately
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5F;A@ eagerly anticipating Bayek’s forma- sic sixth sense, a kidnapping, and a Bayek works best from the shad-
)A>7'>3K;@9 tion of the brotherhood in Assassin’s meeting with Cleopatra herself. ows. The assassination methods of
» Publisher Creed Origins. After playing the latest The first and most impressive sneaking around, getting headshots
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build of the game, it seems Origins is change to the Assassin’s Creed with arrows, and using your hidden
» Developer charting a middle path between shak- formula is how Origins handles fight- blade (now back in a period where
,4;EA8F ing things up without losing some ing. While the previous game from assassins had to sacrifice a finger
» Release of the signature traits that define the same development team, 2013’s to use it) are still the best way for
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 the series. Black Flag, focused combat on parry- players to defeat a large number of
The demo I played started as ing and chaining kills, Origins requires enemies. With the different kinds of
Bayek meets up with Aya, his no- being aggressive to win the day. loot and weapons, you must bring a
nonsense wife who has sworn fealty When I tried to sit back and wait for loadout for any situation if you want
to Cleopatra. The two argue about my opportunity in battle, I found the to survive.
the never-ending battle they have enemies to be just as cautious as me, Lots of side activities dot Egypt,
undertaken and whether they will ever leading to me getting overwhelmed including scrolls with riddles that take
58
 Viewpoints are still in Assassin’s Creed:
Origins, though they do more than just show
every point of interest on the map now

you to different cities and people on

the street who need Bayek’s help.
One side-quest involves chasing
down a child pickpocket who runs
afoul of some bandits. Bayek, ever
the do-gooder, intervenes in the
thief’s troubles and discovers that
his family has been sold to bandits
for Oliver Twist-style thievery. Bayek
investigates the area where the family
is being kept only to discover it has
been burned down and witnesses
are unwilling to help. The quest takes
some twists and turns after that, but it
is not the simple one-and-done quest
the series traditionally dabbles in.
Ubisoft has promised multiple
characters are involved in Bayek’s
story, but none of them share an
equal part of the spotlight. Some of
those characters even get their own
playable sections, but it is still firmly
Bayek’s story even if he occasionally
cedes control.
The Assassin’s Creed franchise
has had stellar blockbusters and
lackluster disappointments, and it
remains to be seen where Origins falls
on this spectrum. So far, the game
shows a willingness to challenge the
series’ conventions and create a title
willing to modernize the series rather
than stay beholden to the past, which Riverboating is a fast method of
Assassin’s Creed desperately needs. travel for when you don’t need
to get into the heart of the city
» Imran Khan
previews 59
 Need For Speed Payback
The House may not win this time around
» Platform
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f you’ve seen any of the game’s activity, and cops. Unfortunately to get revenge on The House one race
trailers, you know that the cast of for them, your group of three speed at a time. It may not be the most plau-
Need for Speed Payback is guilty freaks is in a position to take The sible scenario, but it’s a great setup for
of any number of moving violations. House down. an action game.
Grand larceny, destruction of property, Your group includes Tyler, a street The action isn’t about following a
and – if we’re being honest – vehicular racer; Jess, a wheelman; and Mac, strict path. Sometimes you need to do
manslaughter. After watching sev- a thrill-seeking maniac. In one of the a little exploring. As with other entries
eral story missions in action during story missions, the group’s plan to in the series, loads of side races and
Gamescom, you can probably add a make smarmy tycoon Marcus Weir activities are available to keep you
charge of operating without a license – one exotic car lighter is thwarted. The busy when you need a break from The
specifically one for the popular Fast team nearly steals Weir’s Koenigsegg House. One of the new additions is
and Furious movies. The combination Regera megacar during a sanctioned centered around objects called bait
of criminal intrigue and over-the- street race but is the victim of another crates. These contain valuable parts
top set pieces seem to work so well double-cross from The House. The for your garage, but you’re going to
that we’re willing to let it go with a thrilling sequence highlights mid-race have to earn them, first. Once you
warning, however. character swaps timed to dramatic accept these missions, the trap is set
The latest entry in the popular racing moments. When Tyler is swarmed by and the police will swarm your posi-
series is set in the Las Vegas-inspired the police, control switches to Jess tion. Your job is to evade them.
Fortune Valley. This appropriately and her BMW M5, which is built to The mode highlights the game’s
seedy setting is operated by a cartel ram other cars off the road. Ultimately, chase A.I., which is nicely tuned
known as The House. This organiza- Weir offers a choice that’s really not a between being challenging without
tion controls the casinos, criminal choice at all: go to prison, or join him appearing overly cheap. The squad
cars attempt to box you in if there are
enough of them, so I have to weave in
and around civilian vehicles to prevent
that from happening. I run a few off
the road, but they’re persistent. One
of the game’s producers tells me you
don’t know the level of police activity
that a particular bait crate will stir up,
which adds to the challenge. It seems
the police were especially invested in
this particular one, but I make a clean
break after outmaneuvering a dozen
or so squad cars on and off the road.
Knowing that the Fortune Valley police
have armored trucks, helicopters, and
spike strips at their disposal, I was
fairly lucky. The House didn’t win this
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60 previews
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Same frantic battle, brand new audience
» Platform
S
ince its Early Access launch in
March on PC, PlayerUnknown’s Xbox One
Battleground (PUBG) has cap- » Style
tivated audiences around the world Online Shooter
thanks to its set-up: 100 players in a » Publisher
deadly game of battle royale square off Microsoft Game Studios
against each other until the last person » Developer
standing emerges victorious. PUBG Bluehole Studios
has proven to be an underdog’s game » Release
despite its unwieldy name and status TBA
as an Early Access title, which is fitting
given that anyone can emerge victori-
ous in PlayerUnknown’s gruesome
and hilarious free-for-all under the right
conditions. Despite the game’s enor-
mous popularity, selling over 8 million
copies already, it has remained closed
off to console audiences until now.
At Gamescom 2017 I played a full I didn’t miss the mouse and keyboard not to notice how ugly and muddy
match of PUBG’s Xbox One version, setup at all. houses and fields look in the distance
complete with an Xbox One control- This version of PUBG also runs in this version, especially when you’re
ler and modified visuals. The result? well, with frames per second always parachuting or looking through your
Mostly the same, pulse-pounding falling between 30-40, even when rifle’s scope. Still, this is ultimately a
game where you can bash someone’s multiple foes are on screen. The action small price to pay given just how well
head in with a frying pan just for the remains just as tight and exciting as the console version runs.
heck of it. it is in the PC version of the game, The Xbox One version of
The controller works well for PUBG, with bullets kicking up dust around PlayerUnknown’s ambitious survival
whether you are managing your your enemies as you engage in deadly game is shaping up to be a great way
inventory, camera perspective, or encounters filled with terror and uncer- to experience one of this year’s most
various fire modes for your weapons. tainty. My experience was unmarred fascinating phenomena in gaming.
The functions are broken down in by glitches, choppiness, crashes, or Given Microsoft’s new publishing deal
straightforward ways, with the shoul- sluggish performance. with Bluehole, which appears to be
der buttons changing your camera The biggest slight that the Xbox One a limited exclusivity window before
perspective while the face buttons version of PUBG has against it is the PUBG eventually migrates to PS4 as
are all tied to actions, like crouching, minor visual downgrade. While graphi- well, this may be the most anticipated
shoot ing, or reloading. Despite having cal fidelity has never been this shoot- Xbox One game on the immediate
played many hours of the game on PC, er’s main hook or strength, it’s hard horizon. » Javy Gwaltney

previews 61
 State Of Decay 2
Refining the zombie apocalypse
» Platform
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espite emerging in an era
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» Publisher vival and permadeath. Undead Labs
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» Developer if something’s not broken, you don’t
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» Release Gamescom, where State of Decay 2
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demonstrated its polished and
expanded take on the formula that
made the original a surprise hit.
Our demo showcased many of
the same features we saw at E3,
including cooperative multiplayer,
base-building, and characters with spe cial ties that are mixed into the our fans to enjoy. This means three
a variety of traits. Undead Labs also traits to make each and every charac- times the area to explore and more
introduced us to the blood plague, a ter you run into different than others. in-depth missions.
new element that can wreack havoc This is part of what makes the game
in your community. One of your most so interesting and unique, as each Are any characters from the original
valuable characters might get bitten person’s experience will be different. game returning?
by a blood-plague carrying undead While State of Decay 2 does have
and become infected with the ill- When playing in co-op, you risk the a story and campaign, we are not
ness. When that happens, you only permanent death of your charac- discussing the full details of that right
have a small window of time to find ters. Is there any material incentive now. You have to play to find out.
(or create) a cure. If you fail, then you to help other players in co-op?
need to eliminate the infected indi- While we are not discussing those What’s it like working with a team
vidual to save everyone else. specifics, there will be rewards that that’s three times the original size
The blood plague is just one of many players can take into their game. of the team that worked on the
things to consider as you fight for sur- first game?
vival in State of Decay 2. We spoke to The original game received criti- There is always joy in working with a
Undead Labs’ co-founder Jeff Strain cism for being padded with repeti- small team, but ultimately it is about
to get more insight on the new and tive missions. Are the missions in what you can accomplish and bring to
familiar features of this sequel. State of Decay 2 more varied? the fans. We could not create a game
The missions in State of Decay 2 are the scale of State of Decay 2 with
Traits help determine characters’ widely varied compared to State of our smaller team. Ultimately, we are
aptitudes and weaknesses. How Decay. We had an incredible reac- driven by what we create for fans to
many different possible traits does tion to State of Decay, and as we enjoy and a bigger team drives us to
the game have? move into State of Decay 2, we are create a better experience for our fans
There are over 1,000 character bigger, badder, bolder, and prepar- to enjoy. That is what gets us out of
traits in the game, with dozens of ing a full triple-A experience for bed in the morning. » Javy Gwaltney
62 previews
The Crew 2
Get your kicks on any route you want
» Platform
W
hen The Crew released in and challenges. Creed, to choose between land, sea,
2014, Ubisoft faced criticism The story has the player trying to and air. You can be driving down the '*
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for the game’s self-serious earn a reputation with various racing street at one hundred miles per hour, » Style
premise and the racing equivalent of organizations and the world at large. take a ramp leading to a river, and &@>;@7
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its traditional open-world towers. After While the developer wouldn’t confirm quickly change to a boat to land in » Publisher
listening to feedback for The Crew 2, that you could create your own char- water safely. ,4;EA8F
Ubisoft is trying to make good on the acter at the time, it heavily hinted this When you fly a plane to the highest » Developer
promise of racing across the United would be the case. The player char- altitude and then switch into a car, you HADK
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States via planes, automobiles, and acter endears themselves to street merely get placed back on the road, » Release
water vehicles. racing families, Drift Kings, water which is a disappointment. If players $3D5:

While playing the latest build of The racers, and even flying groups to accidentally get stuck somewhere,
Crew 2, I explored what the game is increase their influence with fans and they can hold both shoulder buttons
doing different from its predecessor. rivals alike. to be placed back on the road, rein-
Ubisoft has massively expanded the Since The Crew 2 allows you to take forcing how quick and snappy the
map, claiming it could take about four to the road, the sky, and the water, developers want the game to be.
hours by car “depending on speed” the developers added a quick-switch Quickly opening the map, zoom-
to cross its territory. Players not only to the controls. Players set favorite ing out, and choosing anywhere to
take on the wide-open road, but also vehicles of each type and then click fast-travel to is simple and easy, let-
travel through more city streets and in the analog stick, similar to bring- ting players who are getting bored
backwoods tracks set up for races ing up a weapon wheel in Assassin’s flying a plane quickly transition to a
motocross race or a speedboat time
trial. While the demo was limited to
the New York area, I found lots of
different events and vehicles, includ-
ing drifting through Central Park’s
cobblestone roads.
How The Crew 2 turns out depends
on how the rest of the country feels to
drive through and whether cruisin’ the
USA has as much to do as New York
City. The act of switching between the
various kinds of vehicles is surpris-
ingly fun, and I hope the game strings
them together in creative ways. The
Crew 2 has the toolset to do inter-
esting and fantastic things, but the
mission design and story must lend
players a helping hand to make good
on that promise. » Imran Khan

previews 63
 Star Wars Battlefront II
An explosive first look at the Starfighter Assault mode

» Platform
S
tar Wars Battlefront is about a reason why Imperial Star Destroyers torpe does and life-extending repair
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» Style participant in Lucasfilm’s iconic one isn’t operational, this task is well the imperial star destroyer’s defenses.
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world. The last entry did a solid job on within reach. Eventually I respawn as one of the
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&@>;@7 the ground, but space combat wasn’t I throw my lot in with the rest of the two hero ships available in the demo,
» Publisher a priority. Considering how important rebel scum, and hop into the cockpit the Millennium Falcon. Han Solo’s
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DFE those ship-to-ship battles have been of a T-65 X-wing. I’m immediately iconic vessel is a joy to pilot, though
» Developer in the films, it was disappointing that thrust into the space battle, and from it does paint a big target on my back.
  the reboot didn’t launch with any my position I can see several intense Fortunately, it’s quite tanky. I outma-
» Release representative gameplay. DICE later dogfights in progress. I turn on my neuver incoming missiles and whittle
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 added it in via DLC, but it didn’t feel thrusters and head toward a pair of TIE away at enemy ships with shows of
as though it had been thoughtfully fighters chasing after one of my rebel bravado I wouldn’t dare try in the com-
incorporated into the experience. Star buddies. The first one explodes after paratively fragile X-wings. I even run
Wars Battlefront II is charting a dif- a well-aimed salvo of laser fire, and into Boba Fett’s Slave 1, and we fight
ferent course. EA revealed the new I immediately get cocky. I turn back, for a while, swooping low and around
Starfighter Assault mode to the world hoping to take out the second, but the dry-dock structure with stomach-
during Gamescom 2017, and it was it’s clear that pilot isn’t having any of churning precision before I eventually
worth the wait. my nonsense. TIE fighter pilots have a break away.
The hands-on demo took place high reputation for being disposable in the I like to think I was contributing to our
above the planet Fondor, around its eyes of the Empire, and it appears that success by distracting enemy pilots
orbital shipyards. An Imperial Star the player in control of this one was long enough for the rest of my team to
Destroyer is a huge centerpiece of the an expert role-player. We head toward complete the objectives. By the time
playfield, immobilized in dry dock. Two each other, and he doesn’t seem the I shake off Boba Fett, I’m witness to
teams of 12 approach the scenario slightest bit concerned that my laser the Star Destroyer’s last moments. The
with naturally opposing goals, with A.I. cannons are tearing his hull apart. rebels took out its defensive-shield
ships flying for both sides as well to Before I can get a torpedo lock on him, generators and cannons, and blasted
increase the magnitude of each space he slams his ship into mine, taking us apart the locks that covered its reactor
battle. Imperial fighters have to work both out. core. I take a few opportunistic shots
to defend the Star Destroyer and pre- I learn from that encounter, and do at its exposed underbelly, but I’m no
vent it from being destroyed. You can my best to maintain distance between hero. I’m just a guy who happened
guess what the Rebels’ job is, though myself and the maniac TIE fighter to have been there in time to see the
completing their mission requires care- pilots. It seems to work, and I get word “Victory” appear on my screen.
ful planning and coordination. There’s off a nice string of kills thanks to my I’ll take it. » Jeff Cork
64 previews
Cuphead
Brutal, cartoonish fun

W
ith a stylish aesthetic inspired
by 1930s cartoons, Cuphead
stands out immediately.
Luckily, this run-and-gun platformer
isn’t just visually impressive – it’s also
fun thanks to its fast-paced gameplay.
Cuphead is unforgivingly difficult,
but in a satisfying way. The levels are
reminiscent of Contra, where foes
attack you in large numbers without
restraint. I struggled to survive even
the opening level, but once I suc-
ceeded a wave of joy came over me.
My tiny Cuphead character waved
his arms in the air while he jumped up
and down, as if he were as happy as I
was for the success.
Though the action is relentless and
its learning curve is steep, I eventu-
ally established a rhythm and play
style to better defeat my enemies. For
example, you can swap between two
attacks at a time. In the demo, these
included both blue and red projectiles.
Swapping is essential since the blue co-op alongside one of the devel- world well. » Platform
attack is more effective at long dis- opers, we had to coordinate while At the end of each battle or level, /4AJ
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tance, and the red attack has a large learning our foe’s attack patterns, you are graded on your performance. » Style
area of effect that can hit multiple which required lots of quick thinking This is influenced by how fast you
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enemies if you aim correctly. and dodging. beat the level, whether you filled up » Publisher
Much of Cuphead is centered on Making my way through Cuphead’s your super meter (which can unleash a *FG6;A$)
boss battles. These bosses are full world never ceased to entertain strong attack), and whether you used » Developer
of character, often being both mon- thanks to its hand-drawn, cartoonish special moves. *FG6;A$)
strous and wacky. These include a delights. Defeated enemies disap- From what I’ve played so far, » Release
crying onion with deadly tears that peared into a cloud of animated Cuphead’s gameplay is solid and its *7BF7?47D

rain down, an oversized psychic carrot smoke and Cuphead’s hand would unique world is captivating. I haven’t
that shoots tiny carrot missiles, and motion like a finger gun to shoot ene- seen any other game with a visual
giant frogs that enter a boxing match mies. The soundtrack, based off old style quite like it, and I look forward to
with you. Succeeding against these jazz recordings, amps up the action playing it in full when it releases this
enemies no easy feat. As I played in with fast-paced tunes and suits the September. » Elise Favis

previews 65
 Worlds Adrift
Airships exploring new frontiers

» Platform
T
he PC scene is inundated with exhilarating, but be careful, as there’s elements even in a congested genre,
PC open-world exploration experi- quite a drop should your swinging as you band up with buddies to sail
» Style ences where players must craft, miss the mark. Creation of a ship the skies on increasingly more majes-
MMO survive, build, and thrive alone or with allows fast travel through the skies tic rigs. There’s somewhat of a pro-
» Publisher friends. Bossa Studios’ upcoming and access to new areas, but you gression system as you acquire new
Bossa Studios sandbox blends the worlds of fantasy must be cautious – huge, dangerous technology and ship tech that can
» Developer and sci-fi with a giant world in which things could appear in the airy mists, take you through to increasingly more
Bossa Studios players must assemble massive air- and other risks like storms or weather risky and wild biomes.
» Release ships to traverse. problems could knock you off your Bossa is using Improbable’s
TBA Starting with a grappling hook and vessel into the cloudy void. SpatialOS physics engine to create
your wits, players can freely explore You can build a good deal of pro- Worlds Adrift’s huge, persistent play
giant sky islands nearby, collecting tection into your aircraft alongside space. Ripples from other player’s
resources to make weapons, tools, upgrades, from spawn point genera- actions and existence, such as wreck-
and eventually their ship. Swinging tors, new engines, weapons, wing age from fallen ships or farmed-out
around to the underbelly of islands layouts, and more. The shipbuilding clusters of peaceful animals, can have
to find hidden caves and treasures is aspect gives Worlds Adrift some fresh echoes forever. It’s possible to com-
pletely alter the ecology of a biome
through extermination, or stumble
upon a long-lost player-created craft
far from civilization.
Naturally, every encounter in these
lands isn’t friendly. Open player vs.
player ensures that you’ll be dealing
with plenty of real conflict in addition
to the monster NPCs, and most of
what you carry is fair game for looting
should another player best you.
Bossa Studios’ airship-foray into the
MMO world is an ambitious one, and
we’re eager to see more. Currently
available on the Early Access program
on Steam, the title is still search-
ing the skies for a hard release date.
» Daniel Tack
66 previews
Total War: Warhammer II
New races join the epic battle
» Platform
T
otal War: Warhammer released and put together armies of units, gems that include flying beasts and
to critical acclaim last year, jock eying for position and power on magic spells, unique wrinkles that add PC
and the sequel is following hot the world map. As you fight other a little more zing than simple hordes » Style
on its tails. With a new campaign, a armies and settlements, you are thrust of axe-wielding soldiers lumbering 1-Player Strategy
basket of iconic races and factions, into the chair of a real-time strategy toward walls with a trebuchet. (8-player online)
and more spell-slinging, real-time- commander, taking direct control of While it’s only a year after Creative » Publisher
strategy action set in the framework your units and powers. Assembly’s original foray of taking Sega
of Creative Assembly’s (usually) While hardcore history fans may its wargames to the realm of high » Developer
historically based war epics, Total balk at the series delving into fantasy fantasy, expectations for Total War: Creative Assembly
War: Warhammer II offers a huge and magic, the battles are strategy Warhammer II are high. » Daniel Tack » Release
chunk of content for battle fans and September 28
Warhammer enthusiasts alike.
The campaign is more focused in
scope than its predecessor, as you
choose to either save or disrupt the
Great Vortex. Players explore the
continents of Ulthaun, Naggaroth,
Southlands, and Lustria. You can
play as one of four races new to
the series – High Elves, Dark Elves,
Lizardmen, or Skaven. That’s right,
you can lead your conquest with
rats at last. The other races are cool
and all, but nothing beats Skaven. In
addition to the new races, if you have
Total War: Warhammer, you can play
with any of the races you own.
Gameplay is again a mix of two clas-
sic PC genres. First you engage in tra-
ditional strategy and city-building as New races with their own
style and feel join the fight
you raise forces, purchase upgrades,
previews 67
 Rend
Survive against inevitable destruction

» Platform
T
hree factions battle for suprem- pre pare for triple-faction wars over time to go out and develop, but during
PC acy in a fantasy/RPG world where these essential boons as they are the “Time of Reckoning” bases are
» Style you must craft, gain new skills, stripped from ancient tombs. fair game for both demons and play-
MMO and build up a base to survive. This Through the course of a game, play- ers, so preparing for these assaults
» Publisher concept may sound commonplace on ers research new weapons, armor, is essential.
Frostkeep Studios the PC scene, but Rend has a catch: abilities, magic, and even mounts Survival experiences are a dime
» Developer You’re not only fighting against the by taking on NPCs, like a RPG. Your a dozen on Steam at this point, but
Frostkeep Studios other two factions, but a hellish force base is secured and safe during the Rend is looking to spice things up with
» Release of demons gets progressively stronger majority of gameplay, allowing play ers this different take. » Daniel Tack
TBA and aims to destroy everyone at the
same time. The last faction stand-
ing wins, and your job is to build up
your defenses against the conquering
horde and cripple your opponents so
that the demonic tide washes over
them first.
Each server plays out as a game
of survival, from humble beginnings
hunting for scraps out in the wilder-
ness to defending mammoth bases
against player and monster alike. The
demons continue to grow stronger the
longer the game goes on.
You interact directly and indirectly
with opposing factions for a better
chance at success, including engag-
ing in risky romps out to highly unsta-
ble, dangerous territory where special
artifacts are located. If secured, these
relics can give your team a serious
edge, but they are also vulnerable
during acquisition and transit, so
68 previews
 Biomutant
A strange (and promising) hybrid
» Platform
W
e’ve seen open-world games weird, in a good way.” such as using telekinesis to hurl an
'*
R
/4AJ
&@7
R
' with the heart of a stylish- Biomutant stars a raccoon-like explosive barrel at a large enemy to
» Style action romp and an action/ creature, whose name is one of the destroy his car-door shield. Abilities
'>3K7D
5F;A@ RPG skeleton, but not many starring game’s central mysteries. Ljungqvist can be used in combos, too. Instead
» Publisher a furry creature who can manipu- walks me through the opening of of simply picking up a mutated spider
+(
%AD6;5 late his genetic composition to barf the game, starting with the char- and telekinetically slamming it against
» Developer out enemy-distracting moths and acter creator. Players can choose a wall, why not throw it into a bouncy
JB7D;?7@F
summon bouncy mushrooms. Even between a male or female critter, mushroom and watch as it’s launched
» Release stranger, the disparate parts seem to change its body shape, and tweak helplessly into a pool of toxic sludge?
 fit together effectively in Biomutant, the fur – including its style, pattern, That toxic sludge is probably the
though the result is not a beast you’re and colors. Regardless of how you greatest threat in Biomutant, even
going to confuse with anything else shape your character, you’re going to if it isn’t actively trying to hunt you
out there. Developer Stefan Ljungqvist be adept with both blade and bullet. down. The world, as beautiful as it
sums up the game beautifully: “It’s In the demo, the creature is a treat may appear, is dying thanks to a poi-
to watch. It’s fast and agile, whether sonous oily substance that’s started
YAGD
5:3D35F7D
53@
G@>A5=
3
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using its sword to juggle enemies pooling up. The tree of life, a plant
EFD3@97
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A@7
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into the air or jumping up itself to rain of great importance in the game, is
3>>AIE
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down lead-tinged destruction from being destroyed as well. Players can
above. Weapons can be modified help restore its root system – and the
and crafted, and there’s plenty of loot tree itself – or not. Ljungqvist says
with stat boosts and fun effects to the choice is up to the player, and
discover. For example, electric bullets they’ll have to face the consequences.
incapacitate foes while showing off Similarly, the game features six differ-
their skeleton in classic cartoon form. ent warring tribes, and players have
The creature can also incorporate the freedom to choose a faction and
a variety of different mutations and defeat its enemies, find ways to unite
psi abilities, which can be mapped them, or simply destroy all of them.
to the face buttons and accessed by Ljungqvist says these actions will
pressing the left trigger. These include affect the game’s ending, and in ways
those previously mentioned moths that are more meaningful and surpris-
and mushrooms, and other powers ing than just showing off a few differ-
such as the ability to shoot lightning ent cutscenes. Based on what we’ve
from your fingertips or use telekinesis. seen of the game so far, we wouldn’t
The goal is to let players experiment, expect anything less. » Jeff Cork
70 previews
Fantasy Strike
Same strategy, simpler fighting
» Platform
B
etween special moves that and character diversity. Setsuki, though. Combos still exist, and with
require specific joystick motions for example, can teleport to either characters having a maximum of eight '*
R
'
and intricate combos to memo- attack or throw her opponent, as well health, even a three or four-hit combo » Style
rize, the line between having casual as dodge incoming attacks. While can be devastating. It doesn’t take 1 or 2-Player Fighting
fun in a fighting game and building airborne, she can throw a kunai or long to find and learn these combos, » Publisher
your skills competitively can be diffi- dive across the top of the screen like however, which should cut down on Sirlin Games
cult to cross. With Fantasy Strike, vet- a flying squirrel. Rook, on the other time spent building muscle memory. » Developer
eran fighting game player and designer hand, can’t move around as well, but While hardcore fighting game fans Sirlin Games
David Sirlin (who previously led the HD has powerful throws and a special often scoff at their favorite genre » Release
Remix of Super Street Fighter II Turbo punch that can’t be interrupted by being simplified, Fantasy Strike 2018
in 2009) and his team at Sirlin Games a single attack. In just a couple of could offer an appealing inroad for
hope to make it a little easier. After matches, I felt the huge difference those who like the thrill of competi-
playing a few rounds of a pre-alpha between these two characters without tion but don’t want to spend hours
build, we’re hopeful about its chances having to pour over a move list. finding and memorizing options and
as an introduction to a tough genre. That doesn’t mean you should skip combos before heading into battle.
Fantasy Strike retains many of the the game’s practice mode altogether, » Suriel Vazquez
verbs from fighting games, but simpli-
fies the way you express them. Rather
than using six attack buttons to pull
off special moves, throws, and supers,
you have one attack button (with no
highs or lows to worry about), two
buttons for special moves, plus solo
buttons for jumping, throwing, and a
super. This lets you focus on how to
implement each of these moves in
combat rather than how to actually
perform them.
While the setup sounds simplistic,
it still allows for interesting strate gies

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 Gundam Versus
Lock-on, shot-up robots

» Platform
T
he Gundam Versus series has char acter, which you can call in during are limited, tracking down and hit-
PS4 maintained a cult following in combat to lob one attack then leave. ting a human opponent kept me
» Style several countries after releasing Combat is simple. Each mobile suit tense throughout most matches.
1 or 2-Player Action in arcades and PSP in Japan. Its high- has two different kinds of attacks Dashes lead to attacks and more
» Publisher speed, arcade-style combat values mapped to the square and triangle dashes fluidly, and landing the first
Bandai Namco strong two-on-two competition and buttons. Most mobile suits’ arse- hit of a simple combo means eyeing
» Developer fan service in equal measure, making nals are limited, making movement my locked-on target and waiting for
Bandai Namco it a fit for Gundam and multiplayer (comprised of short and long-range an opening. You only have a few
» Release fans alike. With Gundam Versus, dashes, as well as a few flight options) respawns in multiplayer, and a single
September 29 Bandai Namco is finally bringing the a huge factor. You are nearly always death can immediately put you on
series over to the West. locked-on to a nearby enemy unit (you the defensive. The ability to activate
For those not in the know, this is a can swap targets any time), which one of two gear special abilities that
good point to jump in. The PlayStation means you don’t need much camera offer acute or longer-lasting bumps
4 entry makes a couple of changes, control to play. In fact, the game can in power gives each player a shot at
but the Versus series’ tenets remain be played entirely on a fighting game- a comeback.
intact. First, you select one of over style arcade stick. I played with a reg- Players earn points to unlock more
90 mobile suits spanning from the ular PS4 controller and found it more playable and assist mobile suits by
original Mobile Suit Gundam to the than adequate for zipping around the playing any game mode. This includes
more recent Thunderbolt series. (The battlefield, however. a short, fighting-game style arcade
most notable omission I noticed was Each mobile suit has its own mode, a wave-based survival mode,
G Gundam.) After selecting a mobile strengths and weaknesses. As a and multiplayer, which has a casual
suit, you can choose one assist Gouf Custom, I had access to an and ranked mode. I didn’t find playing
arm-mounted Gatling gun and metal against computer-controlled oppo-
sword, which gave me a good mix nents nearly as thrilling, however,
of close and mid-range attacks. As though you can tweak the bot diffi-
a Guntank, I had no close-range culty to your liking.
weapon but had a mid-range arm The limited modes and lack of
machine gun and two long-range stimulating computer opponents are
shoulder-mounted cannons, which a little concerning, but the real test
were immensely powerful but hard when Gundam Versus hits in late
to aim. As a Deathscythe Hell, my September will be how the online
head-mounted vulcan machine guns multiplayer holds up, both on a techni-
were weak, but my dual beam scythe cal and long-term competitive level.
combo was devastating when I could As a longtime-but-lapsed Gundam
land it. fan, I’m eager to see the final result.
Although each mobile suit’s options » Suriel Vazquez
72 previews
 Lost Sphear
Keeping that old-school ‘90s RPG feel

S
quare Enix subsidiary Tokyo
RPG Factory, a studio heav-
ily influenced by classic RPGs
from the ‘90s, made its debut last
year with I Am Setsuna. The game
was a nice homage to popular RPGs
of yesteryear, especially Chrono
Trigger, but struggled to find its own
identity or bring much aside from
nostalgia. Even so, the studio’s first
game showed potential, with enter-
taining combat and moving music.
Now Tokyo RPG Factory is trying
again with a new game called Lost Now you can restore your health at being off by millimeters, which was a » Platform
Sphear, which borrows heavily from these, instead of just at tents and frustrating portion of I Am Setsuna. '*
R
*I;F5:
R
'
I Am Setsuna. Hopefully Tokyo RPG save points. You still explore towns, Sadly, because the demo takes place » Style
Factory can build upon what it has discover loot, and engage in side early in the game, I didn’t get to see '>3K7D
)A>7B>3K;@9
learned and add some fresh ideas. activities like cooking during your trek any combo attacks. » Publisher
In Lost Sphear, the main character to restore the world. Tokyo RPG Factory says it’s *CG3D7
@;J

awakens to his hometown disap- Lost Sphear’s active time battle also improving the skill acquisition » Developer
pearing, and must go on a journey system seems similar to its prede- system, which lets you exchange +A=KA
)'
35FADK
to rebuild the world to save it from cessor, bringing back the momentum spoils from battle for new abilities. » Release
being lost forever. I recently played system, which grants you additional It should be friendlier at tracking !3@G3DK

the game to see how it is shaping up. damage if you press the square down the ones you need for your
The demo showed off combat posi- button when a blue light flashes desired skill. Clearly a lot of work has
tioning, vibrant locales (a nice change across the screen. You can now gone into listening to feedback for
of pace from I Am Setsuna’s dreary manually move your character across improvements, but Square assures
snow), and fantastic music. It also the battlefield, making your position- us Lost Sphear also has new fea-
featured our first look at inns, which ing play a bigger role. You no longer tures, which we’ll hear more about at
were absent from its predeces sor. have to worry about your target a later date. » Kimberley Wallace

800.226.7625 | fullsail.edu/gameinformer

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 GAME THE
OF
MONTH
80 XCOM 2: War Of The Chosen
Firaxis once again proves its prowess with this ambitious expansion
that builds off the successes of XCOM 2 while integrating new fea-
tures into the pre-existing framework. War of the Chosen is a must-
play for strategy fans.

THE SCORING SYSTEM AWARDS

Outstanding. A truly elite title that is nearly perfect Flawed. It may be obvious that the game has lots of
Awarded to games
10 in every way. This score is given out rarely and
indicates a game that cannot be missed.
5 potential, but its most engaging features could be
undeniably flawed or not integrated into the experience. PLATINUM
that score between
9.75 and 10
Superb. Just shy of gaming nirvana, this score is a Bad. While some things work as planned, the majority
9 high recommendation because the game reviewed
is head-and-shoulders above its competition.
4 of this title either malfunctions or it is so dull that the
game falls short as a whole.
Awarded to games
that score between
Very Good. Innovative, but perhaps not the right Painful. If there is anything that’s redeeming in a game
GOLD 9 and 9.5

8 choice for everyone. This score indicates that there

are many good things to be had, but arguably so.
3 of this caliber, it’s buried beneath agonizing gameplay
and uneven execution in its features or theme. Awarded to games
that score between
Average. The game’s features may work, but are Broken. Basically unplayable. This game is so SILVER 8.5 and 8.75
7 nothing that even casual players haven’t seen
before. A decent game from beginning to end.
2 insufficient in execution that any value would be derived
in extremely small quantities, if at all.
The award for the
Limited Appeal. Although there may be fans of
The number of SNES Classic Editions you were able to most outstanding
6 games receiving this score, many will be left
1 pre-order + 1. GAME THE
OF
MONTH game in the issue
yearning for a more rewarding game experience.

74 reviews For more information on the age classification ratings in our reviews, head to gameinformer.com/ratings
 Batman: The Enemy Within –
Episode One: The Enigma
A disturbing return

6.5
PS4 G Xbox One G PC
Style 1-Player Adventure Publisher Telltale Games Developer Telltale Games Release August 8 Rating M

T
elltale’s unique take on Batman’s
lore was mostly successful in the
» Concept first season. Villains transformed
Batman faces off against
a crazed Riddler, who into allies, and everyday nobodies
favors decapitations emerged as unexpected threats, all
just as much as mind- as Bruce Wayne’s sanity was tested.
bending puzzles. The From Lady Arkham to Two-Face, a key
dark tone overshadows
an otherwise fascinating
theme in the story was duality. Almost
Bruce Wayne story every prominent figure had an alternate
persona or hidden agenda – we even
» Graphics learned Bruce Wayne’s parents were
Animations are rough,
but most of the shots deserving of a cell in Arkham Asylum.
are nicely framed. The In The Enigma, the premiere episode
“brooding hoodie look” of a new five-part season, Telltale
for Riddler also works clearly liked its first taste of bat blood,
» Sound and may have gone a little wild from
As demented as Riddler’s it. This new story is aggressively dark
actions are, his character
is portrayed as articulate
and gruesome, flighty in its character
and intelligent – a mix building, and more about shocking
that works well. The moments than establishing the founda- only briefly get a whiff of at the end of choreographed Batman combat
mistrust in Amanda tion of a cohesive narrative. the episode. sequence. Telltale tries to up the dif-
Waller’s voice is also This episode focuses mostly on The The most interesting moments in this ficulty with how many buttons the
captured beautifully
Riddler, who looks like the character episode are the interstitial moments player must push at once. Often you
» Playability comic fans have known for decades at showing Bruce Wayne develop a rela- are required to press a direction along
Welcome to Quick-Time first glance. He wears green, his calling tionship with John Doe, who we all with a face button. You are even be
Event City! Combat
sequences are littered
card is a question mark, and he gives know eventually becomes The Joker. required to press all four face buttons
with them, even a couple you a chance to escape or catch him if Telltale is taking its time with this at once in two battles – moments that
that push the player to you solve his elaborate riddles. Despite powder keg of a friendship, perhaps show the apex of how silly quick-time
hit all four face buttons the familiar antics, this Riddler is darker even letting players entertain the belief events can be. I’ve said this before, but
at once than any version I’ve seen before; they can save him from becoming these actions don’t feel like player input;
» Entertainment Telltale turns him into Jigsaw from the Batman’s greatest villain. This relation- they do little more than slow down
Some of the brief teases Saw movies. His riddle machines slice ship is wonderfully cryptic at this point, what would otherwise be a fun movie
point toward a more
off fingers and heads, and cook you and I hope Telltale continues to evolve sequence to watch.
meaningful story, but
this episode mostly if you don’t move fast enough. When it slowly. The only gameplay deviation that
hangs its hat on an backed into a corner, he lashes out and The introduction of Amanda Waller legitimately feels like the player has
underwhelming and tries to murder as many people as pos- is also an interesting curveball, but agency is a “do or die” Riddler puzzle
surprisingly violent sible. The duality Telltale achieved with depending on how you play your with multiple choices, fail states, and
Riddler tale Penguin, Two-Face, and Catwoman is cards, it leads to an odd skip in the just one solution. If you really think
» Replay Value nowhere to be found in this villain. He’s narrative where a rift is immediately about what the puzzle is, the solution
Moderately Low just a one-note killing machine, and formed between James Gordon and is easy, but Telltale does a nice job
a pawn for a larger story arc that we Batman. Mere minutes before this ramping up the tension in this point. I
moment, everything is fine between guessed wildly my first time, died, and
the two – they are chummy and work was hit with a “oh duh” realization on
well together. What happens next is my second attempt. Telltale needs more
a moment where Telltale goes too far sequences like this, where you feel like
in drumming up contention for a key you are doing detective work with a gun
“player choice” moment. The fracturing pointed at the back of your head.
of this relationship is shoehorned in, but The Enigma lives up to its name of
does give way to nice mystery that begs being difficult to understand from start
the questions why Waller is in Gotham, to finish. Telltale is all over the place in
and what form her Agency will take. this episode, but the desire to be gritty
The narrative in this episode is a and different is exposed too much
mess, weighed down by too much and the story suffers from it, feeling
Riddler mayhem, with a few bright spots more like an odd one shot than the first
hopefully sowing the seeds for a better part of something larger. Mysteries
second act. abound, however, and enough engag-
Gameplay mostly revolves around ing narrative threads are left dangling to
extensive quick-time events, with each potentially right this second season’s
button press unleashing a powerful direction. » Andrew Reiner
76 reviews
Yakuza Kiwami
A blast from the past

SILVER Style 1-Player Action Publisher Sega Developer Sega Release August 29 Rating M
8.5
PS4

S
ega started the year off with a sions make up the bulk of the long run- by challenging Kiryu to random battles
wonderful surprise in the form of ning time, and they primarily focus on in the world. These encounters can
Yakuza 0. The series has been helping citizens by giving them items or be as simple as running into Majima,
» Concept
Remake the first entry
around for a decade, but that prequel offering some form of protection. Most or getting jumped in the middle of in the Yakuza series in
entry held the door open for new play- of these feel like relics of the original another battle. He also pops out from the style of Yakuza 0,
ers who hadn’t yet been admitted to release, and they don’t often expand under manhole covers and a variety of adding new activities
the club. I was among those new play- the formula in any interesting ways like and restoring the
strange disguises. Each battle rewards
Japanese voiceovers
ers and, like many, I was excited to some of Yakuza 0’s did with weird trivia you with experience to upgrade your
continue following the adventures of or one-off stealth sequences. I under- abilities, as well as a chance to unlock » Graphics
Though the overall
Kazuma Kiryu and company. Yakuza stand this is a remake of a decade- moves in your special dragon style of quality is inconsistent, the
Kiwami makes it simple. It’s a PS4 old game, but that doesn’t make the combat. Combat is simple and satisfy- visuals are undeniably
remake of the PS2 original, and a repetitive side missions any easier to ing, with over-the-top animations that easier on the eyes that its
direct successor to Yakuza 0 – both in stomach. Minigames including darts, add weight to the brawling action. PS2 counterpart
presentation and narrative. It’s mostly pool, and skill-crane challenges are Majima’s transformation from » Sound
more of the same great game, though back, and they’re a nice break from all Yakuza 0’s stoic nightclub manager to It may lack the star power
it’s noticeably stifled by being bound to the fetching and fighting. the so-called Mad Dog of Shimano is of the original release,
a 10-year-old release. Sega added some new activities that jarring, and there isn’t any connective but the cast sells the story
well enough that longtime
The series has been compared to weren’t in the original release, includ- tissue that explains it in any satisfy- fans probably won’t
Grand Theft Auto, but it’s more like an ing the return of Yakuza 0’s pocket ing way. That’s largely a criticism of miss Michael Madsen
open-world RPG/brawler. Rather than racers and a bug-battling arcade Yakuza 0, but a new explanatory or Mark Hamill, who
focus on driving around and causing game, each of which includes a multi- cutscene or two would have gone lent their talents to the
mayhem, your character wanders the stage quest chain. I enjoyed catching a long way. I learned to tolerate his original release
streets of a fictionalized Tokyo dis- up with Pocket Circuit Fighter and the oddball Joker-meets-Jar Jar persona, » Playability
trict, battling thugs and enhancing his crew of kid racers, and even though however, possibly because most of our Returning players will be
right at home, and they’ll
arcade-inspired fighting abilities. they’re clearly getting older, they still encounters ended up with me smash-
enjoy the quality-of-life
Yakuza Kiwami’s story begins sev- enjoy racing the customizable toys. I ing a bicycle over his back. improvements added since
eral years after the events of Yakuza wish I could be as enthusiastic about I had a lot of fun with Yakuza Kiwami, its original release
0, with Kiryu now a respected player MesuKing: Battle Bug Beauties. This but it occupies a strange place. I com-
» Entertainment
in Japan’s criminal underworld. He card game is a dead-simple rock- mend Sega for the extra lengths it took Yakuza Kiwami is a
gets caught up in a murder and ends paper-scissors challenge, with the with the remake – including replacing sprawling adventure, but –
up serving 10 years in prison. After main attraction being that you watch the Western actors from the original as enhanced as it is – it’s
his release (and a merciful time skip), women in skimpy insect-inspired cos- release with all-new dialogue from the clearly a foundational
entry in the series
he has to unravel a mystery involving tumes grapple and writhe around. It’s Japanese actors – but feels like a relic
murder and the theft of 10 billion yen. creepier than a bucket of centipedes, at times. The game’s overall scale is » Replay Value
It’s melodramatic stuff that teeters on Moderately high
and absolutely no fun at all. still impressively large, but there’s only
the edge of being needlessly com- The biggest addition is the inclu- one main area to explore. Visiting the
plicated, but the cast of menacing sion of the new Majima Everywhere first entry, enhanced as it is, certainly
thugs and honorable criminals kept system. You can’t play as Goro Majima gave me a greater appreciation for
me from being tempted to skip the in Yakuza Kiwami, but he does play a the strides that the series made later.
lengthy cutscenes. newly elevated role. Kiryu got a little That’s probably not what Sega was
While the campaign veers toward soft during his time in prison, according hoping for here, but it’s unavoidable
being self-serious, it’s a hard turn from to Majima, and the character wants to considering the close proximity to
the side missions. These optional diver- help Kiryu get his mojo back. He helps Yakuza 0’s release. » Jeff Cork
reviews 77
 Madden NFL 18
A tale of two halves

8.25 Style 1 to 4-Player Sports (6-Player Online) Publisher EA Sports Developer EA Tiburon Release August 25 Rating E

F
PS4 G Xbox One ans are sometimes confused and Ultimate Team mode lurches the with just the left analog stick, and from
by the players NFL teams draft. game hard in the opposite direction. there you can add jukes and spins,
» Concept Players are taken at positions The grind for cards that is Ultimate which have extra importance. Overall
Madden 18’s additions
mainly skew to the the team is already strong at, while Team gets even more onion layers the game has more big runs and crush-
hardcore/competitive weaknesses are seemingly ignored. through a leveling system, player ing hits than last year, particularly in the
crowd, but the Longshot Fans deem some players a reach, and upgrades, and team tokens. Earning optional competitive play style.
story mode is also worth don’t understand why their favorites more stuff to apply may sound appeal- Madden 18 exhibits a split nature in
a look weren’t drafted. Madden NFL 18 pro- ing for diehard MUT players, but other ways. The Frostbite engine adds
» Graphics duces a similar reaction. It plays to its these additions are just more gates great detail and a color warmth, but the
The new Frostbite competitive/hardcore side seemingly that contribute to the mode’s already framerate stutters. The offensive line
engine makes
at the expense of its career-focused brutal grind. does a great job getting to the second
everything look great
without negatively Connected Franchise mode (CFM), Ultimate Team gets even more level and opening up more visible run-
impacting gameplay and its Longshot story mode is an competitive through 3v3 co-op MUT ning lanes, but magnet tackles still rule
» Sound entirely different kind of experience. But Squads. Its team-based play requires behind the line of scrimmage. More
Commentary has more Madden 18 can’t easily be character- the coordination of seasoned players incompletions occur, but some beggar
context around what’s ized by what’s on the back of the box. who can run a pass route and stay belief, such as when your QB plants his
going on in the game as Underneath what seems like a collec- focused on their roles. The mode has its feet and misses a wide-open receiver
well as historic stats tion of thrown-together or even uninter- moments when everyone contributes, by a mile just because a defender was
» Playability esting features is a good game whose but even on a good play, you’re often closing your pocket.
Target passing for QBs rewards are less readily apparent. isolated on the field or arriving late to As for CFM, it has its own contradic-
is easy to perform, but
The Longshot story exemplifies this the action (although the player switch- tion. The mode is largely the same,
hard to master in the
heat of the moment. situation. This four-hour mode fol- ing is good), limiting its appeal. but its stasis feels different because
However, it’s a useful lows college dropout Devin Wade’s MUT Squads may not always be with more short and mid-length inju-
tool that pays dividends. attempt to get into the NFL. The story engrossing, but you can still reap the ries, team depth is paramount. This
The controls feel good is more about provoking feelings about benefits of one of its features: the new puts a renewed importance on your
overall, and stick skills Devin and the Texas football environ- wide receiver vs. defensive back chess scouting, drafting (which now lets you
are rewarded
ment he grew up in than it is about match mechanics where WRs and DBs create a custom draft board), and free
» Entertainment player freedom and seeing if all your use the right analog stick to get better agency even though these areas need
Madden 18’s benefits
choices are precisely reflected in a positioning on each other. Similarly, overhauls to import more NFL drama,
don’t immediately jump
out at you, but they are particular ending. Gameplay mainly competitive players will love playing user options like more complex con-
worth exploring consists of quick-time events, dialogue with the target-passing QB mechanic tracts, and an expanded coaching staff
» Replay Value choices, Devin playing QB, and some to place the ball where only the receiver to reflect the importance of a good
High minigames. However, the excitement can catch it. The latter isn’t easy to use team structure.
comes not from the gameplay, but in the thick of battle, but the value of Madden 18 is missing a host of fixes,
from understanding Devin’s mindset these features isn’t measured in the wish-list staples, and improvements.
and making decisions that feel true in total time you use them. Instead, it’s in However, it captures the joy that I find in
tense situations. By that measure, it’s the enjoyment you get from them and playing video game football even after
a success. their usefulness. all these years through the continuing
While Longshot is an experience Another thing that both hardcore and refinement of gameplay and modes
everyone can relate to, Madden 18’s casual players can savor is the feel of that still have the ability to surprise and
overall bent toward competitive players the running game. It controls smoothly excite. » Matthew Kato
78 reviews
Agents Of Mayhem
Explosive, absurd fun

Style 1-Player Action Publisher Deep Silver Developer Volition Release August 15 Rating M
8
PS4 G Xbox One

I
n many ways, Agents of Mayhem rotation. The shooting (explosive bar- interactions and perform the next
feels like a child smashing action rels are everywhere), driving (ramps are bizarre task. One boss fight, for exam-
figures together and making explo- easy to find), and jumping feel great, ple, has you trying to hack the autotune
» Concept
A cast of characters that
sion sound effects. On one hand (the making each agent a superhero in their software of an evil popstar between wouldn’t be out of place in
one holding the bad guy), the game is a own way, but I did run into physics bouts of gunfire so his fans hear his an ‘80s Saturday-morning
shallow rumination on good versus evil. hiccups occasionally. Some actions true voice and turn on him. cartoon take their battle
On the other hand (the one holding the of good versus evil to the
feel too slow, like switching between Every character, even the ones you
streets of future sci-fi Seoul
hero), it’s silly in all the right ways that your three characters or using a spe- aren’t using, level up at a steady clip,
make it entertaining and fun to play. The cial ability, leading to the occasional earning new abilities you can apply » Graphics
Character designs are
imprint of developer Volition’s previous unfair death. any time you want. You can also send distinct and memorable,
series, Saint’s Row, is impossible to The futuristic version of Seoul that unused agents out on missions to earn but the city of Seoul looks
ignore. Both are open-world games with serves as the setting for all the action is money and rewards in the background the same throughout.
over-the top characters and explosive bland, with few memorable locations. and level up broader abilities affecting The same can be said of
action, but despite that heritage, Agents It hampers the experience as an open- everyone, like faster cooldowns and its repeated rooftop and
underground environments
of Mayhem finds an identity of its own world game, but its variety of missions experience multipliers. The result is an
thanks to the memorable characters, makes up for it. Agents of Mayhem is excellent pace of rewards for nearly » Sound
even if the action is familiar. an underwhelming open-world game, every action that make the characters The licensed music of
Volition’s Saint’s Row
Agents of Mayhem is an open-world but it’s a great action game. stronger and offer more options to cus- games is sorely missed,
game with all the familiar trappings of The story is stupid, but I mean that tomize them to your personal playstyle. but the enjoyable, over-
the genre. You can steal cars and drive in a complimentary way. Agents of Agents of Mayhem is cheesy, rarely the-top voice acting of
them around with reckless abandon, Mayhem thinks it’s funnier than it is, but funny, and generally ridiculous, but I each character makes
tackle sidequests littered across the its lighthearted atmosphere and goofy was eager to play for long periods of it worth avoiding the
mute button
map, and shoot your way into and out characters make the hundred jokes that time. The action is frenetic and fun, with
of trouble on your mission to disrupt the flop forgivable when you do run into room for strategy using all the charac- » Playability
The driving, shooting, and
bad guys’ plans. It sets itself apart from one that hits and makes you chuckle. ters’ assorted abilities. Even if Seoul
triple-jump platforming
other open-world games in a few ways, I wasn’t so much engaged in trying ends up being a bland backdrop, I feel great, but switching
however. Seoul is small, meaning you to uncover everyone’s motivation enjoyed being in the world and causing characters and pulling off
never have to drive far to get in trouble, and stop the bad guys as much as I explosions at every opportunity. special moves sometimes
and the car you can instantly call in at was eager to see the new character » Kyle Hilliard feels needlessly delayed
any time is always far superior than » Entertainment
anything you can find in the wild. You Agents of Mayhem is
also switch among a cast of unlockable absurd, but it leans into
its own insanity in a
playable characters each with distinct
charming way and backs
abilities and playstyles. it all up with fun,
Volition once described Agents of explosive action
Mayhem as being similar to a Saturday- » Replay Value
morning cartoon like G.I. Joe, and Moderate
the comparison is apt. Each of the 12
playable characters and all the villains
are completely different. They look like
they were designed to be action figures
from the start, except they have no
qualms with profanity and cheer when
a particularly troublesome bad guy
gets his head violently blown off. The
characters are juvenile, and they are
participating in an immature story, but
they’re well-realized and I like them for
different reasons – like Daisy’s drunken
disdain for authority, or Rama’s mission
to save her homeland from a seemingly
unstoppable disease.
Beyond their unique personalities,
each playable character feels different
and uses different weapons. I quickly
gravitated toward Fortune with her fast
movement and awesome jumping ani-
mations, but you can also forgo guns
entirely and use a character like the
melee-focused Scheherazade, or use
both. You take three Agents with you to
most missions, which lets you experi-
ment while still keeping your favorites in
reviews 79
 XCOM 2: War Of The Chosen
The pièce de alien résistance

9.25 GAME THE

OF
MONTH GOLD
Style 1-Player Strategy (2-Player Online) Publisher 2K Games
Developer Firaxis Release August 29 Rating T

F
PS4 G
Xbox One G PC iraxis’ alien-blasting strategy introduces a new class of enemy called chance to attack without revealing
game is so finely balanced that the Lost. These stumbling corpses themselves to enemies, Templars are
» Concept if the developer pushed too hard are basically zombies, and they attack psionic powerhouses who grow stron-
Take Firaxis’ robust sci-
fi strategy game and on any of its systems the whole game indiscriminately in hordes. Every time ger after each kill, and Skirmishers are
pack in an impressive could completely break. This existing you kill a Lost you gain a free action, so alien/human hybrids who specialize in
amount of new content complexity makes XCOM 2’s War of you can attack multiple times, and I had close-quarters combat. All three units
until you have a strategy the Chosen expansion feel like a magic a lot of fun picking them off in packs. are wildly different from XCOM’s other
experience that is nigh-
infinite replayable
trick, because Firaxis adds nearly a It’s also easy to burn through ammo classes, and each is so useful that I
game’s worth of new content into the when fighting these leaderless masses, wanted to bring them on every mission.
» Graphics existing framework without compro- which means you can get overwhelmed Unfortunately, you can only recruit new
These procedurally
generated levels feel mising any of its mechanics. XCOM’s if your clip runs dry. Ultimately, I loved units by running missions with their fac-
even more robust than strategy has never been richer. the extra element of chaos the Lost tion leader, which makes them hard to
before, and the list of Like Firaxis’ previous expansions, brought to each encounter. Since the replace if you lose one in battle.
customization features War of the Chosen weaves an exten- Lost also attack other enemies, some- War of the Chosen contains so much
for your player-created
sive number of fresh ideas into the times it’s beneficial to keep them alive new content that it could almost have
characters allows you to
create nearly any rag-tag base game. With no new campaign, on the chance that they help you cut been called XCOM 3. Every mission
team of freedom fighters players must start a new game that through more menacing aliens. dishes out a new enemy, mission
you can dream up features all of XCOM 2’s content up The new aliens add a few wrinkles to type, or environment, which allows the
» Sound to this point. However, given XCOM’s XCOM’s combat. Fortunately, War of game to remain fresh for several dozen
XCOM’s creepy digital procedurally generated nature, I never the Chosen gives you access to several hours. War of the Chosen’s wealth of
score is a great felt like I was replaying the same mis- new soldier classes that expand your interwoven systems might overwhelm
soundtrack for kicking sions from last year’s release. On the strategic options to compensate for newcomers, but strategy nerds willing
alien butt, but it feels too
repetitive by the end of
contrary, within the first hour of War of these new threats. These new classes to master the nuances will be treated
the game the Chosen, I had already encountered come from three new resistance groups to one of the most rewarding strategy
new environments, faced off against you can befriend and share resources games in years. I don’t know how
» Playability a variety of unique aliens, and eagerly with. Each class has its own strengths Firaxis could make a more complex yet
Controller support is
welcome, but the mouse/ deployed new combat units onto and weaknesses. Reapers are incred- gratifying strategy game, but I can’t wait
keyboard interface is still the battlefield. ibly stealthy marksman who have a to see them try. » Ben Reeves
the most intuitive One of the most noticeable additions
» Entertainment to War of the Chosen are the titular
Overpowered aliens and Chosen. These three new individual
a run of bad luck can test aliens have unique personalities and
your resolve, but there is
almost always a way out powers. You encounter these Chosen
of every jam thanks to at random several times throughout
XCOM’s layered strategy your journey, but each encounter plays
» Replay Value out differently because the Chosen
High learn from your encounters and gain
new skills over time. XCOM’s aliens
have always been imposing, but the
Chosen are so overpowered that you
need to pull out all the stops to take
them down. I developed a special
hatred for each Chosen, and my jour-
ney to end their tyranny felt personal in
a way that I’ve never experienced play-
ing XCOM before.
The Chosen aren’t the only new aliens
in War of the Chosen. This expansion
80 reviews
Observer
Pure horror from the far-flung future

GOLD Style 1-Player Adventure Publisher Aspyr Developer Bloober Team Release August 15 Rating M
9
PS4 G Xbox One G PC

O
bserver begins like many classic explore their minds to recreate crimes augmentations and his mind, soon
mystery stories: with a phone call. and obtain secrets stored far away in experiencing hallucinations in the real
» Concept
Detective Daniel Lazarski is in his the subject’s memories. world so that everything starts to blend Investigate a creepy,
patrol car when he receives a distress Memories are tricky things, especially together in a horrifying way, like rooms dilapidated apartment
call from his estranged son, Adam. under stressful situations, and many that were once wood and metal trans- complex in the distant
Tracking down the signal, Lazarski of the minds that Lazarski explores are form into bleeding organs. Our detec- future to search for your
missing son and take on a
races through the futuristic and corpo- traumatized. Several levels are trippy tive’s story is a hellish one, and can be
corporate conspiracy
rate-controlled Fifth Polish Republic to hallucinations; walls break away, and one of redemption or despair depend-
find the call coming from a run-down characters or settings change entirely ing on your choices during certain » Graphics
Character models are a bit
apartment complex in the poor part as you jump from memory to memory. moments. These choices shape where dodgy, but the futuristic
of the city. The grizzled protagonist I loved these intense, terrifying sec- the story goes in the end. Regardless of environments and the
steps out of his car and into the build- tions because they make the most the outcome, Observer ends up being interface are beautiful
ing, entering a hellish labyrinth where of the mind-jacking concept. I would not only a horrifying tale, but also an » Sound
both the sins of his past and the hor- be exploring a prison cell, reliving my emotionally resonant one. Creepy sound design
rors of humanity’s technological future victim’s memories from when he was Observer is such a compact and is brilliantly married
await him. a convict, and then suddenly be in his satisfying experience that the few to an evocative
electronic soundtrack
Observer makes the most of its fusion apartment years later, watching him things that bothered me are niggles that
of cyberpunk sci-fi and terror. Where and his wife having a violent argument – didn’t tarnish my enjoyment. Lazarski » Playability
stories like Blade Runner, Snatcher, then a figure leaped out of nowhere to is voice-acted by accomplished actor Observer is easy to play.
You only need to walk
and Shadowrun usually have the urban maul me. I never felt safe during these Rutger Hauer, but a number of his lines around environments,
sprawl of a futuristic city to work with, sections, and was always interested in are poorly delivered and occasionally switch between your
Observer trades that in for the narrow what came next. distracting. A few “avoid the monster” augmented visions, and
halls of a broken-down apartment com- In the sections where you’re actually segments that show up are not as spe- interact with objects
plex filled with tenants cowering in fear. in the real world as Lazarski, you’re cial as the rest of Observer’s offerings » Entertainment
This creates an experience where the investigating crime scenes with the and can feel like a chore, but they are Observer is a tense
most interesting aspects of the genre detective’s augmented visions, all of all brief. The enjoyment that I derived combination of sci-fi and
are all funneled into a concise and which are visually pleasing and useful. from playing the game so far out- horror, and one of the best
cyberpunk games in years
terrifying experience. These vision settings also help you weighed my annoyance with the flaws
Observer is about as pure horror as solve puzzles, like scanning a corpse that I immediately dove back in after » Replay Value
Moderate
you can get, despite its grimy sci-fi to read their various wounds and put- finishing to further explore the apart-
wrapper. Along with a high number ting together how they died with your ment complex.
of effective jump scares, there’s a biosensor, or tracing a locked door to Bloober Team’s latest is one of the
sense of dread that hangs over this its security keypad via your electronic scariest horror experiences I’ve played
five-hour odyssey thanks uses its magnetic detector and then hacking it. in a long time, and its strong sense of
cyberpunk elements, like its twisted The fine balance struck with these puz- place, story, and action put it above the
take on hacking. Lazarski is one of zles’ difficulty makes them interesting majority of other games in the genre.
the eponymous Observers, which are but keeps them from being frustrating. Observer is simply the best of both
special police units, half-human and The story is exceptional. As Lazarski worlds and is a must-play for anyone
half-machine, who can jack into the becomes more desperate to find his who considers themselves a fan of
mental implants of individuals and son, he takes greater risks with his either sci-fi or horror. » Javy Gwaltney
reviews 81
 LawBreakers
A passionless prison for great gameplay

7.75 Style 10-Player Online Shooter Publisher Nexon Developer Boss Key Release August 8 Rating M

L
PS4 G PC awBreakers is a smart arena- not be the massive game-identifying that, having similar modes takes its
shooter that hearkens back to changer that makes LawBreakers stand toll even just after a few hours of play.
» Concept the early age of digital slaying, out from other shooters, they are an Repetition isn’t always a bad thing, but
Slaughter other players
in fast-paced, objective- where mobility is essential, battles interesting and worthwhile addition to combined with maps that lack depth
oriented area battles are decided in split seconds, and skill the classic arena-shooter core. and flavor and the aforementioned
determines who thrives and who dies. Each kit also contains a super ability character issues, the game ends up
» Graphics
The environments and Despite putting critical pieces together that often has a significant cooldown. feeling like one never-ending chain of
characters alike blur into to deliver tight action and unique play These supers can turn the tide of battle, the same, same, same.
samey-feeling mush styles, LawBreakers lacks a sense of but don’t feel tremendously overpow- You can check out your stats with
» Sound identity outside of the assortment of ered. You still need careful timing and each character and your overall career
While important various weapon and ability templates. true aim to reap the rewards from a between matches, and you can also
gameplay-centric sound The maps, modes, and characters channeled laser or slamming drop. On use that time to unlock loot stashes
cues carry things, just blend together to form a lacklus- a mechanical level, gameplay is pre- provided as you level up. The progres-
repetitive and sometimes
cringe-worthy dialogue ter wrapping to the adrenaline-laced cise, incredibly fast, and fun. sion is purely cosmetic, allowing you to
is a damper kill counts. However, that fun core ultimately give your characters with new outfits,
Like many of the hero shooters in the suffers from a lack of personality and gun decals, and more. These custom-
» Playability
Clearly targeting the FPS scene, each LawBreakers char- differentiation. Even after almost 15 izations are nice, but as the only real
hardcore player, the skill acter offers distinct skills to master. hours of gameplay, I can’t really tell the form of current progression, players
ceiling is significantly From zipping around with a grappling difference between many of the classes may want a ladder or ranking system to
high – but the barrier to chain and landing lethal blows with at distance (and you’re never in close show off their prowess.
entry is surprisingly low
blades to spinning up your chaingun for range for more than a second in most As of launch, servers are stable and
» Entertainment increased accuracy, each weapon feels circumstances). The dialogue never matchmaking doesn’t take long at all,
Excellent gameplay and unique and special. Unlike other hero- sparks a reaction beyond a “meh” with getting into games is painless and easy.
mechanics are bogged
down with lifeless
based arena games, there’s no need witty quips like “worse than jetlag” and LawBreakers delivers in terms of neat
characters, forgettable to form a well-balanced group with randomly barked swear words that weapons, lightning-fast kills, and aspi-
maps, and game modes complementary skill. Everyone’s goal is carry zero weight. It’s unfortunate that rational skills. You’ll look back in awe at
that lack distinction from dishing out damage, so you don’t need the character with the most distinct performing feats like landing a triple kill
one another to worry about having tanks, supports, identity is the Blitzball. Voiced by Justin while blasting yourself backwards into a
» Replay Value or healing. Everything is designed to Roiland of Rick and Morty fame, the zero-g environment. Despite the adren-
Moderate kill. You can’t just mash buttons; aiming talking objective is mind-numbingly aline-fueled highs, the title falls back
precisely and taking advantage of your annoying with its constant cries of “It’s to earth due to uninteresting environ-
weapon skills is critical. time for Blitzballlllllll!” but at least it has ments, generic characters, and a lack
Mobility is equally important. The defining characteristics. The rest of the of variety. Even with an admirable effort
game introduces zero gravity spaces cast are soulless husks only as interest- to capture the spirit of the core arena-
in each arena where you can show ing as their loadouts. shooter and offer players a chance to
off your skills, propelling yourself for- The same can be said about the show off their skills, the hero-shooter
ward and back to dodge fire and snag selection of game modes, which feel space is inundated with choices, and
objectives. These sections make you way too alike. Whether you’re charg- LawBreakers doesn’t offer much to
think differently about how your abili- ing up a battery, waiting for an uplink stand out amongst the rest of the pack.
ties affect your movement, and add an to download, or simply trying to hold » Daniel Tack
additional layer of precision and mobil- a location, almost all the modes focus
ity skill required to play at the higher on defending or attacking a spot. While This review pertains to the PC version of
levels. While zero-gravity areas may there’s nothing inherently wrong with LawBreakers. The game is also available on PS4

82 reviews
 Nidhogg 2
A bloodthirsty rematch

Style 1 or 2-Player Fighting (2-Player Online) Publisher Messhoff Developer Messhoff Release August 15 Rating T
8
PS4 G PC

T
he original Nidhogg found a Bows are oppressive at long range, You can also tweak other settings,
creative, fun take on the fight- but hard to manage up close, and their such as making weapon throws your
ing genre. Its acrobatic combat arrows can be reflected. Finally, new only option, disabling slides, or having
» Concept
Build on the absurd
and aesthetic simplicity were part of melee attacks and slides lead to hectic each round be a single sudden-death fun of Nidhogg with
its charm, which makes adding com- exchanges as both players discard their bout. These options are a smart way new weapons and an
plexity without souring the experience weapons and try to kick each other to to extend the life of a game; if you get overhauled look
a difficult task. Nidhogg 2 handles it death at close range. Though knives bored of regular matches (or if some- » Graphics
well, adding substantive new ways to are a bit weak, every other new weapon one abuses a particular tactic), you can Characters and animations
engage your opponent without losing and trick feels strong enough that I play with low gravity, or with both play- are more cartoonish and
gory this time around,
what made the original a fantastic never felt like I couldn’t land a blow on ers constantly crouching. Playing with and the new stages feel
fighter. It fails to expand the scope my opponent somehow, even if I didn’t friends or in groups is a blast, as every simultaneously cheerful
of the series the way you’d expect a have a weapon handy. group develops tricks, counters, and and grotesque
sequel to, but the array of new combat You can also fight on several new builds on their own specific strategies » Sound
options make it hard to go back to stages, and those with names veter- over longer sessions. The mellow synth
the original. ans might remember (like “Clouds” or You won’t find much to do outside tones establish a low-
Nidhogg 2 retains the back-and- “Castle”) are substantially different. that group setting, however. The arcade key backdrop for your
forth, nimble action of the original. Two The cartoony, expressive art style is a mode doesn’t even serve as good skirmishes, though you
won’t find too many of
opponents fight to death for the honor far cry from the original’s eclectic skies practice; computer-controlled oppo- them stuck in your head
of being sacrificed to the Níðhöggr, a and minimalist tones, but the more nents don’t capitalize on kills, stand still
godlike serpent of Norse mythology. matches I played, the more I embraced for seconds at a time, and often wait » Playability
The new weapon and
Whoever strikes first makes a mad how colorfully dense and diverse each for you to kill them. You can’t modify movement options make
dash to their end of one of several, stage was. One stage has you fighting the difficulty, either, which means if you this more than a facelift,
multi-screen arenas as their oppo- through a series of cramped jail cells, can beat the arcade mode once (and and tweaking combat
nent tries to stop them. Momentum is while another has several bobbing ice- you should have no problem doing so), options creates some fun
house rules
fierce – a single kill can lead to succes- bergs to contend with. there’s little reason to tackle it again.
sive victories as the loser scrambles The new options make combat You can also test your mettle online, » Entertainment
to build a proper defense, but a single much more interesting; after merci- though your mileage will vary. While Though a ton of fun with
friends locally, the new
swipe of a sword can reverse the flow lessly skewering an opponent, you we had matches that went smoothly, single-player and online
of a match in an instant. This makes need to think about not only how we also experienced severe slowdown modes may not offer much
for tense matches as evenly-matched you’ll approach them during your next on occasion on certain stages. to those hoping to play
players trade kills near a doorway, con- bout, but also how you plan to counter Though it doesn’t add much for long-term
veyer belt, or lava pit until one player whatever weapon they’ll randomly be players looking to play around with its » Replay Value
finally manages to break through and given. This adds a degree of chance, improvements solo, Nidhogg 2 adds Very high
advance to the next screen. but because it’s in service of defense, it layers of depth to a simple formula
Along with the tried-and-true fenc- serves as a way to quell the momentum without breaking what made it so
ing foil, jumping dive kicks, and rolls, the winning player maintains with every appealing in the first place. The new
Nidhogg 2 adds a few new tools to won encounter. And since each match weapons and maneuvers blend seam-
shake things up. Claymores don’t have takes place over the course of several lessly into fights, making them more
the forward range of the fencing foil, but short bouts, one lucky weapon spawn dynamic and tense. Its single-player
their swipes are perfect for countering won’t win you the match. offerings may be paper-thin, but for
jump-happy opponents. Knives strike If you or group of friends find any anyone looking to test themselves
faster than any other weapon, making weapon or tactic particularly annoy- against their friends, Nidhogg 2 is hard
them perfect for close encounters. ing, you can opt to remove it entirely. to beat. » Suriel Vazquez
reviews 83
 Slime Rancher
Fun on the range

8.5 SILVER Style 1-Player Action/Simulation Publisher Monomi Park Developer Monomi Park Release August 1 Rating E

Y
Xbox One G PC ou are alone on a faraway planet, upgrading the corrals, I started cross- see what unique slimes and vegeta-
and a strange piece of technol- breeding slimes. That went well until I tion were waiting to be gathered. For
» Concept ogy is your only way to survive an moved two different cross-breeds into example, each slime has a favorite
Raise slimes for fun and
profit while constructing alien frontier teeming with unfamiliar the same enclosure, which resulted in food that makes them produce double
an efficient operation creatures. Slime Rancher’s set-up may the creation of evil slimes that almost the plorts, so bringing that back to the
» Graphics sound like a tense sci-fi shooter, but wiped out my entire collection. And ranch and cultivating it yourself guaran-
Colorful, simple visuals the reality is far more relaxing. This don’t even get me started on the tele- tees a big payday. While chasing that
create a stylish world easygoing simulation from developer porting quantum slimes. In addition to payday, sometimes you’re a long way
with a cartoony feel Monomi Park is all about exploration making for funny stories, these minor from home, a little lost, and holding
» Sound and optimization, with plenty of depth and major disasters deftly nudge you on to a treasure trove of rare goodies.
Peaceful music and cute and tantalizing upgrades to make your toward the best approach to running Slime Rancher nails the thrill of that
sound effects do their job life on the range entertaining. your ranch, building a knowledge situation, creating memorable moments
without being intrusive
Equipped with a vacpack that can base that comes in handy as the of tension and discovery without being
» Playability suck up, store, and shoot various game expands. too punishing.
Navigating the world
items, your job is to turn a desolate Taking care of your slimes is a con- On your journey, you find mysteri-
and manipulating items
is easy, though you patch of land into a thriving ranch. At sistently rewarding background activity ous beasts and objects that are bound
have to spend a fair bit the center of this pursuit are slimes – that gives you money at a decent pace, to raise questions. What do I do with
of time referencing the cute, bouncy lifeforms that act as and your ability to create and handle those gigantic slimes that won’t move?
“Slimepedia” to figure out your livestock and primary source of new situations improves by purchasing How do I unlock these doors? I like
advanced mechanics income. You collect them as you ven- an array of upgrades for your character how Slime Rancher lets you find and
» Entertainment ture beyond your homestead, place and the ranch. Whether you’re increas- engage with these things on your own
Optimizing your ranch them in corrals, feed them to produce ing your carrying capacity, installing a terms, but I would have appreciated
and collecting new slimes
“plorts,” then harvest the plorts to sell. jetpack, or unlocking access to a differ- an indication of how important they
is engaging, and the
steady stream of valuable The loop is simple in concept, but with ent part of the ranch, you never have a are. Once you realize these things are
upgrades ensures you new areas to explore and additional shortage of useful things to spend your your only way to progress, remember-
always have a goal to layers of complexity gradually folding hard-earned money on. This results in a ing where they are can be a challenge;
reach for into ranch maintenance, Slime Rancher gratifying stream of improvements that though Monomi Park says a map is
» Replay Value hits a sweet spot; it makes you feel always has you anticipating what you’re planned for a future update, its cur-
Moderately high successful, but also keeps you plan- going to buy next. I often had trouble rent absence is frustrating given the
ning for the future. deciding because the options seemed size of the world – especially the final
Despite their vacant smiles, slimes so useful (though the jetpack should be area. The relative rarity of teleport-
require a surprising amount of thought a high priority). ers is another issue. Though you can
to manage. An in-game Slimepedia Building a thriving ranch requires craft them late in the game, until then
explains the basics of tending to your going far afield to gather new slimes you must traverse zones that don’t
herd, but the best lessons come from and resources. You advance through have much to offer you anymore. At
experience. Early on, I just kept normal interesting areas, like the quarry worst, these problems result in mild
slimes in basic pens, but then they and ancient ruins, and the cartoony tedium and a bit of wasted time, which
bounced out and I had to chase them visual style suits Slime Rancher well. isn’t enough to dull Slime Rancher’s
around and suck them up again. After Exploring is fun, and I couldn’t wait to overall charm.
My time on the range periodically
reminded me of many other gaming
experiences I’ve enjoyed over the
years. The low-stress farming ele-
ment feels like Viva Piñata, the routine
scratches the same itch as Stardew
Valley, and exploring the unknown
has a Minecraft vibe. Slime Rancher
captures the essence of what makes
those things fun, but it’s more than
an assemblage of familiar parts.
Everything comes together in a care-
fully crafted whole with surprising
depth that provides incentives to col-
lect every slime and buy every upgrade
(not to mention lots of resource-
intensive, late-game rewards for the
especially dedicated). Slime Rancher
has the ability to keep you hooked
for hours; I often looked out over my
ranch, felt pride at my accomplish-
ments, and eagerly ventured back
into the wilderness to see what other
strange things I could find. » Joe Juba
84 reviews
Sonic Mania
A joyous leap back in time

SILVER
Style 1 or 2-Player Platforming Publisher Sega Developer Christian Whitehead, PagodaWest Games, Headcannon
Release August 15 (PS4, Xbox One, Switch), August 29 (PC) Rating E
8.5
PS4 G Xbox One

F
ollowing Sonic the Hedgehog’s
meteoric rise to prominence in Switch G PC
the early ’90s, Sega tarnished the
franchise’s once-sterling reputation
» Concept
Take the Sonic the
with a long string of mostly disappoint- Hedgehog series back to
ing entries. With Sonic Mania, Sega its classic roots with 2D
wants to wipe away the last couple of gameplay and graphics
decades and give fans a true successor » Graphics
to the beloved Genesis titles. The effort A cursory glance may
largely succeeds. Sonic Mania is a lead you to believe you’re
playing a Genesis game,
beautifully made love letter to the clas-
but new animations and a
sic days of the franchise, and the best smooth framerate update
entry in more than two decades. the experience while
Sonic Mania preserves the pleasure preserving the retro look
and thrill of speeding through a stage, » Sound
grabbing every ring you can while While new songs capture
bashing enemies along the way and the classic Sonic feel, the
discovering new routes. The team of remixed classic tunes are
the highlight
independent developers behind the
game paid attention to so many facets » Playability
Sonic Mania is nearly
that fans of the original games remem-
indistinguishable from its
ber. Critical elements like the way Genesis predecessors, but
Sonic builds momentum and smaller with added moves and
details like how the camera lags slightly extra polish
behind when he reaches full-speed are » Entertainment
handled with care and precision. Sonic Mania succeeds in
The moves accessible to Sonic, paying homage to the
Knuckles, and Tails feel true to the early classic ‘90s entries that
so many fans remember
games. Sonic has a new drop dash
fondly, and in the process
ability that lets him stop on a dime and delivers the best Sonic
transition from a jump straight into a game in decades
spin dash. Though it took me a while to With so many fun branching paths Mania includes two distinct versions. » Replay Value
stop using this ability accidentally, once to speed through as three distinct The first bonus stage is a faithful Moderate
I retrained my muscle memory, I used characters, each with their own special recreation of the blue-sphere stages
it regularly to escape tight spaces in abilities, it’s possible to approach the from Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles.
boss battles. stages differently each time over the Though the concept and gameplay for
You’d be forgiven for thinking Sonic course of multiple playthroughs. For these stages have aged over the past Time Attack
Mania is a Genesis game at first glance; example, in Chemical Plant Zone, I 20 years, it’s nice to be able to play And Multiplayer
the sprites, stage elements, and back- stuck to the simplest route as Sonic, through 32 new blue-sphere stages. Outside of the traditional
drops all look authentic to those early following the helix-shaped paths that Though I have great affection and single-player mode, Sonic
titles. The developers remade numer- lead straight into the infamous rising fond memories of the blue-sphere Mania features Time
ous classic levels. However, though purple liquid from Sonic 2. When I stages, I prefer the UFO chase bonus Attack and Competition
you may recognize Green Hill Zone played through as Knuckles, I wanted stages where you race for a Chaos multiplayer. Time attack
from Sonic 1 or Hydrocity Zone from to minimize the amount of time spent Emerald in a polygonal 3D environ- is an easy way to jump
Sonic 3, myriad changes breathe new underwater, so I glided to a wall Sonic ment. Rather than the sharp 90-degree to a stage and see how
life into these familiar settings. For had difficulty reaching, then used turns of the blue-sphere stages, your fast you can get to the
example, in Chemical Plant Zone, the Knuckles’ climb ability to ascend to a character controls more like a vehicle goal without having to
second act introduces new gels that let separate path that kept Knuckles dry in a cart-racing game as you avoid worry about boss battles
you bounce higher and stick to walls, for longer. obstacles, collect rings, and rack up as impeding your progress,
as well as ways to transform hazardous At the end of each act, you face many spheres as you can to prolong while Competition lets
gels to helpful ones. Changes like these off against a boss. Whether you’re the timer and increase your velocity you race a friend in a
are exciting intersections of nostalgia taking on Sonic’s mustachioed nem- enough to catch the UFO. competitive splitscreen
and discovery as you witness these esis, one of the themed Hard-Boiled A return to the series’ roots in every experience. Though I like
stages in new ways. Heavy robots, or a modified version sense, Sonic Mania is a joyful reminder the idea of Competition,
Though it’s a blast to see which clas- of a classic boss-robot battle, these why the franchise became such a hit in even as a nod to the
sic stage Sonic Mania resurrects and encounters are creative, challenging, the first place. Though it’s content with splitscreen in Sonic 3, the
reworks next, I wish Sega placed a and often intense. I don’t want to spoil reliving past glories, it does so excep- stretched graphics are an
heavier emphasis on all-new zones. any of the surprises, but many of them tionally well. Exciting level design, a eyesore and the stages
The new zones successfully capture feature cameos you don’t expect, as stellar soundtrack, and cool expan- are best experienced in
the spirit of what made the early Sonic well as fun nods to both Sonic and sions on the original formula work in the main mode, making
stages so great during the franchise’s Sega’s past. one accord to deliver the Sonic game the Competition mode
glory days, and they seamlessly join the Bonus stages were a major part fans have been waiting for. little more than an
collection of retro zones. of the early Sonic games, and Sonic » Brian Shea adequate diversion.
reviews 85
 Matterfall
Challenging and elegant action

8 Style 1-Player Action Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment Developer Housemarque Release August 15 Rating E10+

H
PS4 ousemarque has made its name
developing fast-paced arcade
» Concept shooters like Super Stardust,
Retake a planet back
from an alien infestation Resogun, and Nex Machina. These
as a sci-fi warrior in this games delight in colorful explosions,
action-packed fusion velocity, and thumping soundtracks.
of twin-stick shooters The developer’s latest, Matterfall, has
and platforming all those qualities, but also stands
» Graphics apart from the pack with its interest-
The world and ing combination of twin-stick shooting
the enemies that
and platforming.
occupy it are generic
looking; however, the Matterfall’s story barely exists. You
environments are sleek play an exosuit wearing, jump-jet using
and pleasant to look freelancer tasked with clearing a planet
at regardless of a hostile alien presence and rescu-
» Sound ing civilians. The straightforward levels
A pumping electronic have you moving from one end to the
soundtrack provides next, blasting enemies while dash-
many earworm tunes
that help drive home the
ing through checkpoints and jumping
intensity of every battle across moving platforms. You have
a variety of abilities at your disposal,
» Playability including an arm cannon, a dash attack
Matterfall has a
surprisingly complicated that lets you phase through bullets and
control scheme but once stun enemies, and augmentation slots
you get used to it, it’s that let you equip secondary weap-
easy to play ons and mutators. The game controls
» Entertainment well, giving you a lot of mobility when
Matterfall is an enjoyable, it comes to dodging enemies and
arcadey action game
threading the needle during platforming
with a few twists even
though difficulty spikes sections, though occasionally I noticed
mar the endgame that my freelancer would shoot upward
» Replay Value when I meant for them to dash right.
Moderate This was rare enough that it wasn’t ever
a huge issue.
The augmentation slots are
Matterfall’s greatest strength. Rescuing
civilians lets you access more aug-
mentations, and you can have three of
them going at any time. Some of them
are weapons with a small cooldown,
such as a shotgun or railgun, while games I’ve played this year. Later difficulty spikes can prove tiresome in
others give you buffs, like increasing stages border on being cruelly unfair, the last hour.
the chance of a powerful bomb you but the arsenal of tools at your disposal The campaign is on the short side,
can use against enemies appearing gives you enough tactical options to but enough secrets are scattered
or making your dash attack damage. survive. At its best, Matterfall is great throughout every level that it’s worth
The ability to swap augmentations at making you feel a surprising amount replaying, especially if you’re someone
on the fly is useful; while a grenade of tension as you fend off countless who loves pursuing the top spot on
launcher might not save you as swarms enemies surging toward you with an online scoreboard. Even if you’re
of enemies encircle you, a blast from speed and elegant maneuvers. You not into competition, it’s unlikely you’ll
your shotgun could eliminate enough never have much time to strategize so unlock all your augmentations on your
of them to give you an opening to dash every encounter is about your intuition first run, so it’s fun to dive back in and
through and escape. Every kill you get and the rapidness of your physical hunt down the rest of them and mix and
and civilian you rescue contributes to response to plans you’re making on the match them with your subweapons.
a score tracker. The longer you stay spot. I often felt like I had gotten away Matterfall’s brand of action is simple
undamaged, the more your combo with some great, exhilarating crime by but refined, producing many doses of
multiplier builds. You don’t earn any just surviving an encounter. However, adrenaline as you survive overwhelming
unlockables with a higher score, but the flip side of this is that the game odds again and again. The shooting is
a strong sense of satisfaction comes devolves into cheap death after cheap satisfying, and zipping across stages
from seeing your score climb as you death in rough sections toward the end while blasting foes is a great, dumb
deftly move throughout the world like due to the demand that you master time. For those who like their action
some ballerina of death – if you’ve got both platforming and stick shooting at simple but visually pleasing and
the skill. the same time. I was more thrilled than challenging, Matterfall is an easy
Matterfall is one of the hardest action annoyed by the challenge, but the recommendation. » Javy Gwaltney
86 reviews
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
The heart of adventure is bigger than one hero

GOLD
Style 1-Player Action (10-Player Online) Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer Naughty Dog Release August 22 Rating M
9
PS4
» Concept
Chloe Frazer shines in the
leading role with a story
that is equally as personal
as it is about the hunt for a
mysterious artifact
» Graphics
Every bit as jaw-dropping
as Uncharted 4. The scenic
landscapes are ridiculously
detailed and beautiful
» Sound
Claudia Black and Laura
Bailey are wonderful
together, but too much
focus is placed on jokes.
The two shine brightest
in one of the series’
slowest moments

» Playability
Scaling perilous cliffs

N
athan Drake’s days of adventuring Chloe and Nadine settle into a nice (yet direct continuation of Uncharted 4,
is just as much fun as
are over. As we watched him hang somewhat turbulent) groove, and end hanging its hat firmly on the same
ever, but don’t expect
up his holster and rope to begin a up being a fascinating duo to track. grapple hook, stealth, and open-world any new wrinkles in the
new chapter in his life, Naughty Dog’s They’re funny, terse, and wonderfully exploration Drake used. Outside of a adventuring outside of a
scribes doubled down on the message unpredictable in both their actions and lock-pick mechanic – which can deliver few puzzles
of “it’s over.” Video game protagonists words – their chemistry works even as high intensity when used in areas » Entertainment
rarely walk off into the sunset, but they frequently butt heads. where enemies are on patrol – Naughty Shorter than any other
Drake’s farewell is as definitive as they Chloe and Nadine are in hot pursuit of Dog doesn’t introduce much that can Uncharted game,
come. Naughty Dog wrote Uncharted 4: the Golden Tusk of Ganesh, which they be classified as “new.” As I worked my yet just as powerful
and memorable
A Thief’s End as a conclusion to Drake’s believe is located in the long-lost ruins way across India’s lost ruins and gor-
story, and it ended on a poetic and of the Hoysala Empire located in India’s geous jungles, I never felt the gameplay » Replay Value
Moderately high
satisfying note. To bring him back in Western Ghats, another part of the needed a shot of something different.
starring role would be foolish. It really is world Naughty Dog turns into a scenic The spectacle is always so huge, and
over. Is Drake’s name synonymous with work of art for players to explore. The the next discovery is always so enticing
Uncharted? He’s wonderfully charis- duo are soon at odds with an insurgent that I didn’t think about the actions that
matic and endearing, but we now know rebel leader named Asav, who initially got me there – other than they are fun Multiplayer Worth
he isn’t the lifeblood of it. appears to be just another madman and reliable. Your Time
The Lost Legacy is every bit as who loves treasure, but is later revealed Although the gameplay mechanics The Lost Legacy comes
riveting and accomplished as any to be far more dangerous and cun- fit like a well-worn glove, Naughty Dog packaged with all of
Uncharted title. We learn that the heart ning than anticipated. Asav moves the still has a few tricks up its sleeves. The Uncharted 4’s multi-
of the adventure trumps everything else, narrative needle just as much as the puzzle contraptions that were invented player content, along
and can extend to any character. heroes, and the story soars from the to hide the Golden Tusk of Ganesh are with a fun cooperative
Chloe Frazer fits into the starring role uncertainty of his actions. challenging, clever, and again all about Survival mode for up to
admirably, but never once is written in a I just wish Naughty Dog wouldn’t spectacle. Two of these puzzles rank three players. People
way where you feel she is replacing or have felt the need to reference the among my favorites in the series – one jumping into The Lost
replicating Drake. She’s just as playful, Drakes so often – a distraction that dealing with platforms and swinging Legacy’s multiplayer
but she’s wired differently; she’s more frequently entertains and can be axes, and another that uses silhouettes join the existing base of
than the untrustworthy hustler we briefly interesting, but is placed more in the in a fascinating way. I’d even say these Uncharted 4 players. The
got acquainted with in Uncharted 2: spotlight than is needed and dimin- slower gameplay moments are more release of Lost Legacy
Among Thieves. Figuring out who she is ishes Chloe and Nadine’s ownership of impressive than the series’ signature brings a few additions,
takes time in The Lost Legacy, partially the adventure. setpieces, where everything explodes including a new Survival
because she’s incredibly guarded, but The Lost Legacy was originally and collapses. Yes, Lost Legacy has Arena mode, featuring 10
also because you are getting to know intended to be a bonus episode for plenty of that, but it’s nothing you waves of combat, some
her in the midst of an adventure. Uncharted 4, but ends up being a legiti- haven’t seen before. ending with warlord
Chloe is nearing the end of a heist she mate sequel that is every bit as fully Given just how fully featured this boss fights. You’ll also
organized with Nadine Ross, the former featured as any of Drake’s adventures – adventure is, Lost Legacy could have find Asav as a playable
paramilitary boss turned treasure seeker it’s just a little shorter. I would never say easily been Uncharted 5. Where character. New skins are
from Uncharted 4, who is in many ways any of the Uncharted games are too Naughty Dog goes next is anyone’s included for Lost Legacy’s
the polar opposite of Chloe, pragmatic long – they always leave me wanting guess, but I would love to see Chloe notable players. I enjoyed
and fixated on results. We are left won- more – but this new entry demonstrates and Nadine return for another hunt, as Uncharted 4’s multiplayer
dering why they are together for a little brevity works just as well, as the jour- they’re every bit as engaging as the thoroughly for its com-
too long, but satisfying answers eventu- ney feels more urgent and streamlined. Drake family. They make a hell of a bination of run-and-gun
ally arrive. As the confusion melts away, The Lost Legacy’s gameplay is a team. » Andrew Reiner and traversal mechanics.
reviews 87
 Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
A delightful new take on Mario

8.5 SILVER Style 1 or 2-Player Strategy Publisher Ubisoft Developer Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Milan Release August 29 Rating E10+

U
Switch bisoft surprised gamers when attacks and head stomps while on find the rabbids in, the Sokoban-style
it announced not only was it the move to supplement their weapon block-pushing puzzles go from too
» Concept working on a Mario title for the attacks. Characters also have their simple to simply tedious. Collecting a
Combine Team Mario
with Ubisoft’s own Nintendo Switch, but that it would be own special abilities (including the big string of coins and snagging a new
demented Rabbids transporting the mustachioed plumber aforementioned Hero Sight or enemy- weapon or pile of ability orbs (i.e. skill
for a lighthearted but and friends to the turn-based battle- attracting Magnet Dance), giving points) from a treasure chest is satisfy-
challenging take on grounds of the tactical strategy genre. each of your three characters a trio ing, but concept art, music tracks, and
the turn-based tactical
strategy genre
While that may sound like an ill fit for of maneuvers to perform every turn. 3D models make up the bulk of the
gaming’s biggest kid-friendly mascot, As such, each battle plays out like an underwhelming rewards. While I appre-
» Graphics Kingdom Battle succeeds by not only intriguing optimization puzzle, as you ciate the brief respite from combat,
Ubisoft adopts Nintendo’s
style of crisp, cartoony what it cribs from the genre’s leaders, swap back and forth between char- Kingdom Battle’s puzzles feel like filler,
visuals while throwing but also by what it adds to the mix. acters’ movements, weapon attacks, as does the need to backtrack through
in its own underpants- Kingdom Battle mashes up the Mario and abilities to set up the best team the lengthy worlds to complete the
laden twists to the and Rabbids universes with the flimsi- combos and maximize the damage you unlockable bonus missions.
world design
est of storylines. A material-merging VR inflict on enemies. Additional Mario- Kingdom Battle’s entertaining and
» Sound headset falls into the hands of the time- themed elements like sewer pipes that demanding tactical combat more
The mash-up cast offers traveling rabbids, who waste no time in transport you around the battlefield than makes up for the downtime. I
up all the grunts and
exclamations you’d
accidentally transporting themselves to and chain chomps that take a bite out was frequently switching up my party
expect. Grant Kirkhope’s the Mushroom Kingdom, jumbling up of the nearest character offer more and trying new character builds, and
musical score perfectly the two worlds in the process. The onus wrinkles to the gameplay, and reinforce I relished the added challenge of
punctuates the action falls on Mario to clean up the mess, Kingdom Battle’s unique identity. the numerous boss battles, from the
» Playability along with some of his old friends, a Kingdom Battle offers strategy fans banana-chucking Rabbid Kong to the
The controls can be few helpful rabbids, and a Roomba- another attribute that XCOM can’t aria-crooning Phantom. The gradual
finicky during some esque robot named Beep-0, which you match: a wacky and light-hearted tone build-up in difficulty only hits a few
timed block-pushing
use to plot your moves during battle. that eschews the genre’s penchant for minor bumps along the way, culminat-
puzzles, but mapping out
your strategic offense The madcap adventure plays out gut-wrenching decisions, oppressive ing in a satisfying final showdown and
maneuvers works great across four uniquely themed worlds, tones, and squad-wiping permadeath. some post-game ultimate challenges
» Entertainment each of which offers 15-plus tactical This opens the door to more experi- that prove just how fun and flexible the
While Kingdom Battle’s battles against “corrupted” rabbid mentation and risk-taking. If one of combat system is. A two-player co-op
puzzles won’t win any forces. Kingdom Battle draws no short- your characters gets knocked out (say, mode rounds out the impressive pack-
awards, the robust age of inspiration from the genre-lead- from having their butt lit on fire), you age, offering up an enjoyable but minor
selection of challenging ing XCOM series, from the navigational can restart the battle with no long-term diversion from the main campaign.
tactical battles entertains
from beginning to end aids and overlays that make planning repercussions. There’s plenty to exper- I was as skeptical as anyone when I
your moves a breeze to some char- iment with – each character has a long heard the words “Mario” and “XCOM”
» Replay Value acter abilities like Hero Sight, which list of weapons to unlock, as well as uttered in the same sentence, but
Moderate
allows Mario to snipe a moving enemy skill trees that you can (and will) respec Kingdom Battle didn’t just prove me
on their turn (why they didn’t call it before any battle. wrong – it ended up being my favorite
Marioverwatch is beyond me). Ubisoft breaks up the endless series Mario game in recent years. Nintendo
But Kingdom Battle is more than a of tactical skirmishes with some light and Ubisoft took a big risk working
kid-friendly XCOM clone. Your squad exploration and environmental puzzle- together outside their comfort zones,
of heroes is more mobile than in most solving. While I enjoyed the world and that risk paid off.
tactics games, and can perform dash themes and silly predicaments you » Jeff Marchiafava
88 reviews
 Gear up with new Destiny and Destiny 2 merch that’s in a class of its own.

© 2017 Bungie Inc. All rights reserved.

Shop online or find a location near you at thinkgeek.com/locations

 7.75 Kingsway 6.5 Gigantic
Platform PC Release July 18 Rating NR Platform Xbox One, PC Release July 20 Rating T

What separates Kingsway from the rest of the Though Gigantic ticks off many of the
role-playing pack is its adherence to an age-old, boxes players might want from a MOBA,
Windows-based aesthetic, with the gimmick it also removes many of the nuances to
that you’re battling with your own window make itself more accessible.
management and interactions fly across the – Suriel Vazquez
screen demanding your immediate attention.
– Daniel Tack

7.75 Sundered
7.5 Minecraft: Story Mode – Platform PS4, PC Release July 28 Rating T

With its smooth combat, rewarding

Season Two: Giant Consequences exploration, and pulse-pounding battles,
Platform PS4, Xbox One, PC, iOS, Android Sundered is worth a look from fans of
Release August 15 Rating E10+ Metroid and Castlevania. – Brian Shea
With a breakneck pace and action-packed
events, the sophomore episode of season
two has me hoping the series can carry this
momentum forward. Though I’m anticipating
the typical Telltale pattern where all your
7 The Escapists 2
choices end up not making much of a Platform PS4, Xbox One, PC Release August 22 Rating T
difference at the season’s conclusion, I’m at When you find the right offbeat item, or
least enjoying the ride to that point. barely squeak by a guard in Escapists 2,
– Brian Shea it’s incredibly refreshing. However, the
monotony of gathering items and playing
errand runner for other inmates sours the
experience, and the awkward controls
6.75 Layton’s Mystery Journey: don’t help. – Kimberley Wallace

Katrielle And The Millionaires’ Conspiracy

Platform iOS, Android Release July 20 Rating 4+

None of the cases stand out as noteworthy, with the possible 7.5 Dream Daddy
exception of the final one. An underwhelming first outing certainly
Platform PC Release July 20 Rating M
doesn’t spell doom for the new Layton Detective Agency, but I was
hoping for more from this series’ reboot. – Kyle Hilliard Dream Daddy is a surprisingly
wholesome game about fatherhood, and
about finding love again after loss. The
well-written dialogue surprised me, and
so did the fact that it is an incredibly
heartwarming game.
– Elise Favis

7.5 Miitopia
7.25 The Long Dark Platform 3DS Release July 28 Rating E

Platform PS4, Xbox One, PC Release August 1 Rating T

Miitopia shines another light on the
Miis, taking the goofy characters
With its stellar survival mechanics, The Long Dark makes for a brutal on a lengthy RPG adventure. The
experience that requires patience and micromanaging to fully appreciate. silly presentation masks a number
However, it’s brought down by some bugs and a story mode that leaves of surprisingly deep and satisfying
much to be desired. – Elise Favis systems, even though it ultimately
wears out its welcome several hours
before it ends. – Jeff Cork
Visit gameinformer.com/mag for the full reviews
90 the score
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 The Lost Tale
From Middle-earth
Electronic Arts’ unreleased The Lord of the Rings: The White Council

outside of their traditional timeline in the

by Matthew Kato sources. The game wanted to ride that
fine line between shepherding players
to the essential story beats while not

I
n July 2006, Electronic Arts announced it was working on its sec- being too linear or restricting players’
ond Lord of the Rings RPG – The Lord of the Rings: The White choices. Of course, The White Council
also aimed to feel true to the universe
Council. Whereas the company’s previous RPG effort, The Lord of
Tolkien created, so it was more of a
the Rings: The Third Age (2004), was a relatively run-of-the-mill large RPG full of content than a true
RPG experience based on EA’s rights to Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, this open-world game.
new project would be an open-world RPG on the Xbox 360 and as- Apart from the story quests, players
yet-unreleased PS3 following in the wake of Bethesda’s smash hit The could pick up tasks from other char-
acters and those related to the game’s
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It would also be a major foray into the lore
eight professions: Craftsman, Burglar,
established by J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, which EA had acquired the rights Courrier, Outrider, Ranger, Sage, Sheriff,
to adapt just the previous year. and Minstrel. Players could switch be-
With some intriguing pieces in place, Game Informer negotiated an ex- tween these at any time, and each had
a skill tree of eight to twelve associated
clusive cover story for our January 2007 issue, traveling to developer EA
skills (which grew through usage) as
Redwood Shores to get the full rundown on the game. However, shortly well as other passive skills. Further-
before we went to print, EA abruptly informed us that The White Council more, there were abilities for each skill
was being shelved, closing a chapter on what could have been an excit- as you progressed.
ing adventure and signaling the beginning of the end of EA’s time with Customization was a big compo-
nent of the play experience. There
the licenses. The game was never released, but for the first time we are
were 600,000 spells you could craft in
detailing the Tolkien adventure that never came to pass. seven different styles; the spells were
enumerated by the specific placement
The White Council took place stature as a hero for their people, thus of runes and the addition of particle
before The Hobbit, when Sauron was drawing the attention of the council. effects through the ink color used to
disguised as The Necromancer in Mirk- Players would come into contact with craft the spell’s scroll. Recipes in the
wood. The Ring had not been found the main heroes Aragorn, Gimli, and world allowed you to put an emblem
yet, but The White Council convened to Legolas (EA was still working on get- on your shield and color it with paint
address the growing evil. The council ting the voice acting together), but the you made. Skills such as mining,
members, including Gandalf, Saruman, game would steer clear of being too herbalism, and fishing supported this
Galadriel, Elrond, and Radagast the derivative of existing stories – a pitfall crafting, and successfully performing
Brown, enlisted the player to inves- of The Third Age. The White Council minigames provided an added bonus
tigate the situation and help counter included material and characters not in to your efforts.
the threat. Players could choose their the movies that were only referenced The game mainly took place in
character’s race (human, elf, hobbit, or in the books. EA cleared everything Eriador in the western/north-western
dwarf) and design their appearance. through New Line Cinema and the Tolk- part of Middle-earth, including familiar
The first third of the game contained a ien estate – including material such as locations like the Grey Havens and rela-
unique storyline as players built up their Ice Balrogs and characters presented tively unfamiliar ones like the ice bay of
92
 title – Conquest (2009), developed by
Pandemic, but this was poorly received
and, according to movie industry paper
Variety, rushed to market just as EA’s
rights to the Peter Jackson movie
license ran out. Polygon has reported
that EA executives asked how long
it would take to complete The White
Council, and pulled the plug when
they were told that not only would the
game not come out in holiday 2007 as
announced, but it needed three years
to finish the project. Since EA knew
its license was about to revert back to
movie studio Warner Bros. – who was
putting out its own games via its inter-
active division – perhaps EA decided
there was no use in releasing The
White Council if there was no future
Forochel to the north, but skipping the was still in an early form. Other aspects with the license.
far east, Rohan, and Osgiliath. Areas of the mode were still being ironed out, While we’ll never know how The
were gated from the player based on such as a clan structure, bonuses for White Council would have performed
their level and affinity with the local mentoring lower-level characters, and upon release, the failure to realize the
population. For example, you wouldn’t transferring equipment. project was a missed opportunity to
be able to access dwarven lands or As tantalizing as the game sounded take the company in an ambitious
related quests as an elf until your affin- a year from its holiday 2007 launch, direction that was unlike the majority of
ity with the dwarves was high enough. The White Council’s end would occur EA’s catalog both then and now.
Affinity also mattered in recruiting much sooner. In November 2006, my “It’s not anything secret; EA doesn’t
NPCs such as mercs or like-minded writing very close to being completed, really have that great a reputation
companions who joined up with you in Electronic Arts called and told us the when it comes to these sort of things,”
your adventures. cover story was off, with the com- admitted The White Council creative
Each area had its own natural eco- pany giving no indication regarding director Chris Tremmel, referring to the
systems, from native wildlife to orc and the game’s future. In January a rumor company’s performance with RPGs
troll populations (orcs also had their surfaced on website Shacknews that up to that point. “The teams are really
own clans), and emergent side quests the game had been canceled due to passionate and work really hard on
could present themselves as you management issues, including that this stuff, and I wish that stigma would
explored. Clearing out a goblin den you some of its developers had left EA go away, but we can only do that by
stumbled across, for instance, could altogether. It wasn’t until the following making better games.” While EA would
have also influenced what happened month during an investors call that EA go on to create distinction for itself
in the area in the future. Set a troll free confirmed that The White Council was with BioWare-developed RPGs such
from its captivity, and it wouldn’t attack postponed indefinitely. as in the Mass Effect and Dragon Age
you later on. The game world was also Electronic Arts would go on to series, The White Council would not
fleshed out with books you’d find that put out one more Lord of the Rings contribute to this history. \
would explain more of the backstory
and a set of appendixes that filled
in when you went to a town or met
a character.
Combat in the White Council was not
combo-based like previous Electronic
Arts action-orientated titles The Two
Towers and Return of the King. Instead,
EA chose a real-time and menu-based
system (the dev team specifically
called out Final Fantasy XII, which had
come out earlier that year) containing
special abilities and charge meters
limiting the usage of some abilities.
Weapons containing slots for increased
stats could be crafted from component
pieces, and all weapons and equip-
ment scaled to your race so everyone
could collect and use the same loot.
Players could not bring their combat
skills to bare against other players
online, but the game contained four- to
six-player co-op online multiplayer.
This aspect of the title contained
quests ranging in duration up from
quick solos to series of linked quests
that spanned several days. We saw a
brief demo of the game’s co-op con-
taining two online players accompa-
nied by a dwarven follower, but the title
classic 93
game over G
Gandalf’s Journey Through Games
andalf is a critical member of The Lord of the Rings cast. He’s powerful, magical, bearded, and
tells people they aren’t allowed to pass at just the right moments. The wise wizard has ap-
peared in nearly every video game based on the Lord of the Rings franchise, but the visual dif-
ferences in his representations go beyond the color of his cloak. Take a look at how he’s evolved over
the years. by Kyle Hilliard

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