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 Spring Forward
y now you have either seen Star

B Wars: The Force Awakens, you

don’t care, or you live under
a rock. This issue gives us our first
glimpse at what makes any film truly
great, and that is a Lego version from
the wonderful TT Games.
Some were dissatisfied with the film
(I, too, found some things to nitpick),
but to me the film ultimately delivered.
Not only did it make great use of the
ANDY McNAMARA beloved original cast, it introduced a
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF new band of heroes and villains that
andy@[Link] I fell in love with immediately. I’m eager
to learn more about them, and more
Read my column or importantly, play them in games.
comment on this letter at For the collectors out there, we have
[Link]/mag two covers, one featuring the villain
or follow @GI_AndyMc Kylo Ren and another with Rey, who
just might be my new favorite Star
Wars character (though Han Solo will
always have a special place in my
scoundrel heart).
After you get your Star Wars fix
(pg. 36), make sure you check out
our Games of Spring feature (pg. 58).
It’s great to see so many outstanding
games landing in the first half of the
year. I for one am dying to play far too
many games on that list.
Finally, you should read Dan Tack’s
opinion on virtual reality (pg. 34). Not
because I agree with it entirely, but
because it is a good counter perspec-
tive on the upcoming VR deluge. I was
a little disappointed by the $599 launch
price tag on the Oculus Rift, but it
doesn’t change my stance that VR is a
visit [Link] daily for the latest and greatest, and follow @gameinformer on Twitter

major part of our gaming future; I will

be jumping in with both feet despite the
cost. But I realize the cost is prohibitive
for many, and I think getting as much
data as you can will help you decide
which side of the fence you fall.
Enjoy the issue.

Cheers,

36
THE WORLD’S #1 VIDEO GAME MAGAZINE

THE WORLD’S #1 VIDEO GAME MAGAZINE

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The Force Awakens has made its mark in the film world by being one
of the biggest movies ever, period. Now it’s time to invade the world of
video games. TT Games is returning to the galaxy far, far away for the
first time since 2011, and we have the exclusive details. by Jeff Cork
4
 14 22 Gamer: The Blind Man Who Beat Ocarina Of Time

18 Occulus Announces Rift Price

58 The Games Of Spring

32 Gear: Figures Roundup 94 30

regulars

»Much8 Feedback
in the same way
»We14takeConnect
multiple looks
»We68gotPreviews
lots of hands-on
»This84month
Reviews
we have
»Think96youGame Over
know Star Wars?
the technology itself is at eSports this month, with The Division recently, our review for the long Take our quiz and see if
divisive, readers wrote as well as VR’s impact a game that has had fans in-development game you can match the quote
in to both complain and on CES 2016. We also excited for since its reveal from the creator of to the correct speaker.
congratulate us on our find out how someone in 2013. We also check Braid, The Witness. Good luck!
in-depth VR coverage. without sight was able to out UFC 2 and take a look We also see how Mario
Readers also review our conquer The Legend of at two exciting Japanese & Luigi fares with a
Fallout review and are Zelda: Ocarina of Time. games, Nier: Automata dash of Paper Mario
still holding out hope for and Gravity Rush 2. thrown in and share our
Kojima’s Silent Hills. Darkest Dungeon and
Resident Evil Zero HD
survival stories.
5 contents
 games index

Adr1ft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Assassin’s Creed
Chronicles: India . . . . . 92
Assassin’s Creed
Chronicles: Russia . . . 59
Badland 2 . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Batteborn . . . . . . . . . . . 67
73 78 Bravely Second . . . . . . . 66
Brutal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Dangerous Golf . . . . . . . 70
Dark Souls III . . . . . . . . 65
Darkest Dungeon . . . . . 89
Dirt Rally . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Division, The . . . . . . 63, 68
Dying Light –
The Following . . . . . . . 60
Far Cry Primal . . . . . . . . 62
Final Fantasy
Explorers. . . . . . . . . . . 90
70 Dangerous Golf Fire Emblem Fates . . . 62
Firewatch . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Flame in the
Flood, The . . . . . . . . . . 59
Gravity Rush 2 . . . . . . . . 72
Hitman . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Homefront:
The Revolution . . . . . . 67
Hyper Light Drifter . . . . 48
Legend of Heroes:
Trails of Cold Steel. . . . 88
Legend of Zelda: Twilight
Princess HD, The . . . . . 63
72 48 Hyper Light Drifter Lego Star Wars:
The Force Awakens . . . 36
Mario & Luigi:
Paper Jam . . . . . . . . . 91
Mighty No. 9 . . . . . . . . . 60
Minecraft: Story Mode
Episode 4 – A Block
and a Hard Place . . . . 92
Mirror’s Edge
Catalyst . . . . . . . . . . . 67
MLB The Show 16 . . . . . 64
Nier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Pillars of Eternity:
88 86 The Witness The White March
Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Plants vs. Zombies:
Garden Warfare 2 . . . . 62
Pokkén Tournament . . . 64
Quantum Break . . . . . . . 65
Ratchet & Clank . . . . . . 65
Resident Evil 0:
HD Remaster. . . . . . . . 87
Song of the Deep. . . . . . 20
Squad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Star Citizen . . . . . . . . . . 78
Star Fox Zero . . . . . . . . 66
89 Stellaris. . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Street Fighter V . . . . 52, 61
Torment:
Tides of Numenera . . . 83
Total War:
Warhammer . . . . . 66, 82
UFC 2 . . . . . . . . . . . 63, 71
Uncharted 4:
A Thief’s End. . . . . . . . 66
Unravel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Walking Dead:
Michonne, The . . . . . . 59
Witness, The . . . . . . . . . 86
52 Street Fighter V 87 XCOM 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

6 contents
feedback

Virtual reality holds exciting new possibilities, but not every-

one is a fan. Readers also share their funniest moments in
games and keep hope alive for an anticipated canceled project.

A Whole New World Virtual Insanity games. It doesn’t belong, and it’s a
Issue 273 might be the best issue I can’t believe you dedicated 50 stupid technology like the Kinect that
of Game Informer I’ve ever read. pages of the latest issue to VR tech. is going to fail.
The cover story on VR is thoroughly Seriously? We all get that a VR world Eric Bahns
researched and well explained. I would be neat, but the reality is that via email
never really took VR seriously until it’s like every other gimmick in video
this issue, and I was pleasantly sur- game history and will be dead in no Gee, we better contact Facebook
prised to find out that it’s not just a time flat. It costs as much as the immediately and let them know they
gimmicky and stupid-looking periph- consoles themselves and there will wasted $2 billion on a dead technol-
eral. You’re taking VR seriously, so I be no real support for it (maybe three ogy. Contrary to what our cantanker-
will too. It must have taken an incred- or four games in the first two years). ous armchair analysts suggest, VR
ible amount of work to compose so It’s like the Kinect or PlayStation Eye is already doing pretty well – Oculus
much information on one subject or countless other add-ons that com- says pre-orders have been consider-
and then make it interesting to read. panies try to make people think they ably better than expected, and that
I’ll admit that I rolled my eyes when need. VR is dead before it gets out over 100 VR games will launch this
I first saw the cover, and almost of the gate in my book. I get it is an year (slightly more than three or
didn’t take the issue into the bath- emerging tech, but don’t waste over four). That said, we’re not trying to
room with me. But I did. So, thanks half of the mag to sell us on some- “sell” anyone on VR; our piece raised
to everyone that contributes to this thing most of us don’t want. numerous issues with the technol-
fine publica tion. Keith Cleaver ogy, and our staff still has its share of
Brandon Lanterman via email skeptics, which you can read more
via email about on page 34.
Please stop wasting paper and trees
We’re glad we qualified as worthy by writing about this stupid VR crap.
bathroom-reading material… Issue 273 was almost a complete
we guess. After countless failed waste. I feel ripped off, as now I have
attempts, technological advances to wait another month for next issue.
and interest have finally made VR I’m hoping you guys leave VR out
viable, which is why we felt an of next month’s issue and actually
in-depth investigation of the tech- report on games like I thought the
nology was a worthy endeavor. magazine was supposed to do. VR
Contact Us However, not all readers agreed or Oculus is not a game, last I knew.
feedback@[Link] with us… Hell, it doesn’t even have to be for
8
 Create-A-Character? Short Answers
I won’t quibble with Andrew Reiner’s To Readers’
score for Fallout 4, but one criticism he Burning
leveled against the game warrants a
Questions:
retort. Reiner suggested that Fallout 4
was weakened by a rushed opening “Ever since the next-gen
narrative, as we get to know little about consoles came out, have
the main character prior to being thrust you ever wished that
into the Commonwealth. In a game like they did not?”
Fallout, this is not a viable criticism; the No.
entire philosophy of such a game is to
allow the player to fully create his or her “Are play-testers being
character through the many choices thorough enough?”
they make. Too much pre-game nar-
rative would influence the player’s Sometimes.
choices, thus violating this underlying
philosophy. In short, the player is sup- “I have received your
posed to create his/her own story, not January 2016 issue
simply walk through a pre-determined around the 14th. Is this
narrative arc. supposed to happen?”
Jamie Phillips
Sure?
via email

We’ll overlook the part where you

presume the authority to decide Best News Tip
which of Reiner’s personal experi- Of The Month:
ences with the game are valid, and “Have you ever wanted
What’s In A Name? entertain your argument. If fully cre- to experience life
As far as P.T./Silent Hills being canceled by Konami goes, ating your own character is Fallout’s through the eyes of a
why don’t they change the names up and make the game philosophical underpinning, then why painfully introverted
with another publisher? It’s not like no one is going to hire force the player into a parental role college girl? Well, here’s
Kojima or want to publish that game; I’m sure the hype from by giving them a spouse and child in your chance.”
it has made it even more valuable now too. Why are people the first place? Bethesda clearly had
a specific, authored narrative in mind
acting like it’s game over – am I missing something? for Fallout 4’s main quest line, but Question
Mike Pike the opening was so abbreviated that Of The Month:
via email Reiner simply didn’t find it effective.
If video game characters
You’re free to ignore the main quest
could run for president,
Silent Hill fans were understandably upset when Konami once you’re out of the vault, but as
who would you vote for
canceled Kojima’s collaboration with director Guillermo far as openings go, Fallout 4 wasn’t
and why?
Bethesda’s strongest.
Del Toro. While the duo could team up for a new horror-
themed project, reusing the same assets or even the same
concept could potentially land them in legal trouble with
Konami. Given that Kojima has already signed on with
Sony to create a new franchise, the outlook for P.T. living
on under a different name seems doubtful. But fear not,
Mike: Fans are already making their own spiritual suc-
cessor to P.T. called Allison Road (shown above), which
may pique your interest – provided Konami doesn’t sue
them, too.

(Left) The force is

gi spy

strong with the crew at

TT Fusion.
(Right) Tim tried his
best to ruin the premiere
of The Force Awakens
by showing up to the
theater dressed as the
Trade Federation’s lamest
Viceroy, Nute Gunray.

PHOTOS FROM THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY

feedback 9
 On Your Mind Get A Grip
I was just reading issue 273, and I
didn’t get far before I saw something
truly disturbing. In the Ugly section of
the G.B.U., people are understandably
upset that Payday 2 has added micro
transactions after the developers said
they wouldn’t. But players are issuing
death threats to the game’s modera-
tors on Steam (i.e., other gamers)?!
Come on people – threatening to kill
someone? That is another human
being; someone’s child, sibling, or even
parent. If just a few of us act like this
then it makes us all look like uncivilized
violent brats. We as gamers can never
be taken seriously if we react so poorly
to what is ultimately an insignificant
little thing. If you truly want to show
your disgust in their business practice,
then simply don’t play the game.
Laugh It Up Corey Christian
In issue 273, we asked readers to share the funniest via email
moment they’ve witnessed in a game. The responses gave
us clear insight into the maturity level of our readers. Well said, Corey. People who
threaten developers and other play-
ers with violence – as well as those
The funniest moment was in MGS 4 when Old Snake meets who make excuses for such bad
Johnny Sasaki for the first time. The way Kojima carried out that behavior – have no place in the
scene with Snake walking in on Johnny having irritable bowel gaming community. If everyone in
syndrome in an oil barrel was flawless. gaming shared your common-sense
Michael Reeves perspective, we’d all have a lot less
VR Fanfare drama and a lot more fun.
VR F-U-fare Once I was playing as Donkey Kong in Smash Bros. Melee,
Gaming’s
and I paused to grab a snack just as my best friend knocked
Greatest Yuks me down. When I looked back at the screen, Donkey Kong
was lying spread-eagle on his back, eyes closed, mouth
Review Score Gripes agape...with the little pink beam sword item sticking straight
Indie Love up out of his crotch. We both utterly lost it and laughed so
“DLC Is hard that we were crying and out of breath. It still makes me
Ruining Gaming!” laugh to this day.
Lee Taggart

I think the most hilarious moment was Mordin singing “I am

the very model of a scientist salarian” in Mass Effect 2. I’ve
never laughed out loud as hard as I did when I heard Mordin
singing for the first time. His follow-up number in Mass
Effect 3 was also fantastic.
EJ Miecielica

(Left) Shea guilted comic

book author Brian Michael
Bendis into taking this
picture by invoking the
“Brian Code.”
(Right) Final Fantasy XV
director Hajime Tabata
(third from right) stopped
by with some fellow
Square Enix folk to see
the vault and discuss
his career. Read the
interview on page 30.

10 feedback
© 2015 Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company. All Rights Reserved. 5, Life Happens in 5, Cobalt, and all affiliated designs are trademarks of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company or its affiliates.
gallery 1
WINNER
1 Ricky Victome
We’re used to Pikachu being adorable, but Blanka (chest hair
and all) deserves just as big of an “Awwwww!”

2 Elizabeth Blackburn
Aerith always has a smile on her face. We’re sure she
has a promising future ahead of her.

3 Sam Biloff
No shoes. No shirt. No star magic.

4 Linnette Rodriquez
Not only is Laura terrifying, she loves photo bombing
her prey.

» 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 or Email to: ReaderArt@[Link]

(Left) Readers Matt

and Natasha Phillips
win the award for Best
Christmas Tree Ever,
thanks to their newly
stoked love for Fallout.
(Right) Andy made
a trip to Frisco, Texas
this month to catch up
with Randy Pitchford
and check out
Gearbox’s new studio

12 feedback
If you’re playing with
cigarettes, you’re
harming your teeth.
Smoking cigarettes can cause serious
gum disease that makes you more likely
to lose your teeth than someone who
doesn’t smoke.

Find out more at [Link]

NOTABLES
18 oculus announces
$599 rift price at ces

22 the blind man who

beat ocarina of time

24 top ten merchants

26 the fascinating world

of league of legends

30 interview: final
fantasy’s new party
leader – hajime tabata

34 opinion: vr is the
future, but the future
isn’t now

14
The Rising Level
Of Competition
With Activision Blizzard acquiring the MLG, the landscape
of competitive gaming is undergoing a sea change

by Matthew Kato

I
ndustry analyst firm SuperData estimates that the eSports industry generates
$748 million in revenue around the world, with the expectation that it’ll in-
crease to $1.9 billion by 2018. With this kind of outlook, it’s no wonder compa-
nies are starting to look into getting a piece of the competitive gaming action.
ESPN has started its own eSports website, Sony has a PlayStation Plus eSports
league, and Elec tronic Arts created its own competitive gaming division to manage
its titles with eSports capabilities. But perhaps the biggest move came from the
company with the most to gain in the space. Activision Blizzard – with series like Call
of Duty, StarCraft, and He roes of the Storm – is hoping to become a big player in
eSports through its acquisition of Major League Gaming (MLG). With the titles, the
resources, and now the infrastructure, Activ ision Blizzard could help spur eSports to
the next level.

SuperData CEO Joost van Dreunen doesn’t merchandise, etc., Sepso wants to generate
think the purchase will pay off immediately for revenue from advertisers. Companies want
Activision Blizzard, but believes in the long- to get their products in front of the eSports
term, foundational value to Activision. “One of audience – which is valued because the view-
the great bottlenecks in the ecosystem is own- ers are typically young and have disposable
ing the infrastructure, the ability to organize, income. From there he says, money can be
host, and digitally broadcast tournaments,” put back into eSports to make it bigger and
van Dreunen says. “Think of it as a music label better. Furthermore, with one of Activision
having acquired a company that specializes in Blizzard’s major shareholders being Chinese
setting up music events and concerts.” company Tencent – who already owns League
Mike Sepso, MLG co-founder and now of Legends’ Riot Games – the MLG could be a
senior vice president at Activision Blizzard part of Activision Blizzard’s plans in the mas-
Media Networks (ABMN), says by acquiring sive Chinese market.
the MLG, Activision Blizzard gains person- MLG, which will retain its name, gets to
nel with experience in eSports, the [Link] survive and grow through the acquisition with
streaming platform, backend tournament and Activision Blizzard’s backing. Last year the
online competition technology, and the name league was in talks with multiple suitors, but a
recognition of the MLG brand. deal didn’t materialize. The Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard wants to utilize the MLG deal was for a rumored $46 million (terms
brand and take eSports to the next level. “We of the deal were not officially disclosed), not
have a big audience, but there’s no value an exorbitant amount. Van Dreunen says the
being derived from it,” says Sepso, who price tag “wasn’t because MLG was raking in
points out that worldwide eSports has fans the money,” and former player Stephen Ellis
as big as your average sport, but is getting writing for eSports Observer characterized
only 10-percent of the revenue per fan as the situation at MLG as a “fire sale of MLG’s
compared to a traditional sport’s fanbase. In- assets.” With Activision Blizzard’s backing,
stead of raising money by going after eSports however, MLG should be strengthened by an
fans themselves through tournament fees, influx of cash.
connect 15
 Sepso says despite the acquisition ABMN strategic grandeur of Bobby Kotick.” a member of Heroes of the Storm eSports team
is not planning any changes in MLG’s current As friendly as this all sounds, in the future COGnitive Gaming. Dolan says that while the
relationships with non-Activision Blizzard there inevitably must be some move to bring general production level of a tournament might
products, and on the flip side, Blizzard games tournaments in-house into the MLG instead of improve, he thinks there is a baseline – in terms
won’t exclusively deal with the MLG. The MLG relying on a third-party to promote their prod- of playing and getting paid, for example – that
currently works with companies like Valve uct. If ABMN’s partnership bolsters the infra- is already in place for eSports.
(Counter-Strike: Global Offensive), Nintendo structure, quality, reach, and newly developed Dolan says he’d like to see small changes
(Super Smash Bros.), Microsoft (Halo 5), Riot business models of the MLG, it only stands to across the board, like quicker payouts and
Games (League of Legends), and more, while reason that ABMN would bring those assets to less latency on streaming platforms (so play-
Blizzard is partnering with the Electronic Sports bear on behalf of games like Call of Duty. ers could converse better with their audience
League (ESL) to support the North American Sepso talks of ABMN’s plans being the kind in real time). The bigger prize – respect and
leg of Heroes of the Storm Global Champi- that benefit any game at MLG and possibly by recognition – could bring personal sponsor-
onship Circuit in 2016. Ironically, the MLG extension all of eSports. He characterizes the ships and other benefits to the players. “I think
received a blow in the fall of last year when period eSports is in right now as that of a major that it is kind of due for the next big, major shift
Activision announced it chose the ESL for the sport that hasn’t had the benefit of decades of that will bump eSports up to the next level and
upcoming Call of Duty World League after experience to work out the kinks yet. Sepso make it a lot more mainstream,” he says. “I feel
partnering with the MLG previously. says he wants to see uniformity in how players like it can rival football, baseball, or basketball.
Van Dreunen believes ABMN when it says are managed by teams and how teams are It could basically become something like that –
they won’t have the MLG serve only Activision structured into leagues, as well as the growth a household name – down the road.”
games in the future. “There is no incentive for of streaming platforms so they can handle what If there’s possibly a negative effect to the
them to go against Valve,” he says. “Remem- one day he hopes will be NFL-caliber, premier growth of competitive gaming, it could be com-
ber that just like the market for traditional monetized content. panies jumping on the bandwagon and saturat-
sports, where football fans will also watch bas- As these grand plans take place, your normal ing the market with inferior eSports product.
ketball games, gamer audiences like many dif- eSports player or viewer won’t experience “Yeah, I’m actually worried about something
ferent types of games. So using this relatively much of a difference for the time being. “Over- like that happening since it happened in the
small acquisition as a resource to spite Valve all, I don’t think it’s too much of an impact on past,” says Dolan, pointing out Electronic Arts’
or its fans seems inconsistent with the usual the player itself,” says Jeffrey “iakona” Dolan, failed Dawngate MOBA. At the moment the
money is concentrated in a few games, and
Dolan believes those games need to grow first
until a larger pool of new ones can be sup-
ported successfully in three to five years.
Whether eSports is ready for it or not, the
mainstream is already calling. Three-time NBA
champion and ex-player Rick Fox has bought
a League of Legends team. Dallas Mavericks
owner and Shark Tank entrepreneur Mark Cu-
ban is eyeing investment in the sport as well.
At the Intel Extreme Masters event last year, he
said, “This is a real sport, and people are going
to figure it out really, really quick.” In April 2014,
Amazon bought popular streaming site Twitch
for close to a billion dollars. Recently ESPN
started up an eSports channel for its website,
and has partnered with the MLG in the past
to broadcast eSports content. These are not
unrelated events, and Activision Blizzard and
the MLG want to be a part of the groundswell
as it continues to build. \
16 connect
 YOU’RE
MEETING
HER DAD.
AND ALL
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GET
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EDGE
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+H·VJRLQJWRUHPHPEHU\RXUIDFHRQHZD\RUDQRWKHU
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©2016 Edgewell.
Oculus
Announces
$599 Rift
Price at CES
Initial Pre-Orders Sell Out For VR
Device Coming In March

by Matthew Kato

O
culus’ vision of virtual reality has would cost “roughly in that [$350] ballpark...
grabbed the imagination of gam- but it’s going to cost more than that.”
ers and is also starting to seep That price tag gets you the headset, an
Hardware Intensive
out into the general public. While Xbox One controller, the Rift tracking sensor,
we’re all excited about the kinds a Rift remote for navigating, and games EVE: Oculus is taking pre-orders for a Rift/PC
of new experiences that will flash before our Valkyrie and Lucky’s Tale. The Rift does not bundle for $1,499 starting this month as
eyes and fill our minds once we put the head- currently come with Oculus’ custom Rift Touch well as partnering with Dell, Asus, and
set on, the big question has always been: motion-input controllers, but if you pre-order Alienware for PCs that are “designed,
How much will it cost? At CES in January, the unit now, a spot will be reserved for you in assembled, and tested with Rift in mind,”
Oculus finally announced the price of the Rift the Touch pre-order line. No price for the Touch according to Oculus. These PCs – minus
retail kit – $599. Many had sticker shock, but has been announced, but it is expected to the Rift – start at $999. Oculus suggests
it’s not a debilitating blow for VR or the unit. come out in the second half of this year. the following recommended PC specs
Regardless of the price, pre-orders for the Industry analysts and financial investment for the Rift, which are not unsubstantial.
first batch of the retail unit sold out within a firm Baird Equity Research believes that the Rift ฀฀฀Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 970 /
half-hour after the announcement. Oculus will target zealous early adopters over the gen- AMD R9 290 equivalent or greater
isn’t saying how many units are contained in eral public, for now. “We expect the installed ฀฀฀Processor: Intel i5-4590 equivalent
this initial wave of headsets, which will start base of high-end VR platform to ramp gradually or greater
shipping on March 28, but the company as- and not penetrate the mass market likely until ฀฀฀Memory: 8GB+ RAM
sured gamers that even if you’re not in this 2017-18 as price-points fall below $400,” reads ฀฀Output: Compatible HDMI 1.3
batch, they won’t run out of Rifts. Instead, their investors note. Baird believes that expect- video output
placing a pre-order now simply means you’ll ing multi-million unit sales in 2016 is optimistic ฀฀Input: Three USB 3.0 ports plus one
get yours in a later shipment (at the time of unless a price drop occurs before the holiday USB 2.0 port
this writing, the company’s website listed a season. Baird thinks that due to the current ฀฀฀Operating System: Windows 7 SP1
June ship date for new orders). price of the Rift, the mobile VR market – like (64-bit) or newer
The VR headset will also be sold in a limited Google Cardboard and Gear VR – will “gain
number at undisclosed brick-and-mortar faster momentum” among consumers.
stores in April, and is shipping to 20 coun- Valve and HTC’s Vive headset lies on the
tries total. Those who pledged money for opposite end of the usability spectrum from
a development kit dur ing the Rift’s original mobile VR offerings, with a suggested space neigh bor hood if not cheaper. Despite the
Kickstarter campaign will get a free Kickstart- requirement of 25 square meters. The Vive was spotlight of CES and a 2016 release, Sony did
er Edition of the unit. On the software end, at CES, boasting an updated headset with a not announce a release date or price for its
Oculus says the headset will be supported by front-facing camera (allowing you to see what’s PlayStation VR headset, which the company
100 games by the end of this year, including in the physical world while still wearing the has said should cost as much as a home
20 exclusives. headset), an improved design of its controllers, console. Whether that’s referring to the PS3’s
The $599 price tag was more than some and better visuals. $600 launch price or the $400 price of the PS4
expected – Oculus founder Palmer Luckey HTC is positioning the Vive as a premium remains to be seen, but it could make all the
apologized if people were taken aback by the product, and it will likely be the most ex- difference in the world.
price, saying that the company mismanaged pensive of the upcoming VR units. The price For more on VR and its upcoming games
the message. Palmer said in a September of Sony’s PlayStation VR headset, on the and products, please read our VR cover story
2015 interview with Road to VR that the unit other hand, should be closer to the Rift’s in is sue #273. \
18 connect
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impulse

Insomniac Sings A Song

Of The Deep
M
any of Insomniac’s best known games are big console exclusives like Ratchet & Clank and Sunset
Overdrive. The veteran development studio’s newest project is cut from a different cloth. Song of
the Deep feels like a traditional independent project and continues to evolve the team’s already
impressive design elasticity.

by Matt Miller

Song of the Deep draws on the explo- are varied and appropriately fantasti- rise from her portrait to express her
ration and gear-gating dynamic that cal. Gameplay sequences combine feelings. At times, the view zooms
first appeared in games like Metroid shooting and combat with a healthy close as Merryn slips out of her sub-
and Castlevania: Symphony of the dose of puzzle solving, all while the marine and explores her surround-
Night, but environment, story, and art maneuverable submarine slips into ings without the steely protection of
set it apart both from those classics hidden crags and dives ever deeper her vessel to ward off attacks, call-
and other recent genre success sto- into the seabed. ing to mind classic adventures like
ries like Axiom Verge and Ori and the Like the games that inspired it, Song Blaster Master.
Blind Forest. Players control 12-year of the Deep embraces the idea of new Insomniac is maintaining creative
old Merryn, a girl from the idyllic powers that slowly unlock access control over its new exploration game,
western Irish seaside of County Clare. to an ever-broadening game world. but the studio is pursuing a distribu-
When her fisherman father disappears Progression is split between core abili- tion partnership with GameStop to
beneath the waves near their cliffside ties discovered through exploration bring the game to market. In addition
home, Merryn builds a submarine and and additional upgrades unlocked to online avenues of purchase on
ventures into the sea, only to discover by trading currency to hungry hermit PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, and
all the mystical stories of monsters and crabs, which in turn improve your sub- Steam, Song of the Deep will also
mermaids she heard from her father marine’s capabilities. A metallic claw be available as a physical release at
are true. lets you fling objects at enemies, pull GameStop. We’ll learn soon enough
From the lilting Irish narrator (Merryn chain rings to open gates, and grab up whether the partnership helps bring
relating her adventure as an adult), lights that might scare off photophobic visibility to Insomniac’s unique title,
to the soulful melodies that accom- creatures. Merryn gathers tyne energy, while simultaneously offering a
pany Merryn’s undersea adventure, a rechargeable mystical energy source, compelling exclusive to the retailer
Song of the Deep goes out of its way that allows her to blast enemies with when Song of the Deep hits later
to emphasize its fantasy storybook torpedo-like projectiles. Sonar uncov- this spring.
qualities. Ten areas await discovery, ers hidden areas, but also expands
from a lost city filled with dangerous outward to blast enemies away. Disclaimer: GameStop is the parent company
automatons to the ruins left behind by As players discover the gaelic- of Game Informer. We were contacted directly
a lost race of merrow. Shipwrecks lit- themed undersea world, Merryn’s by representatives of Insomniac regarding
ter the seafloor. Ancient statues await character development weaves into potential coverage of Song of the Deep. All
reassembly. Titanic sea monsters lurk the narrative. Her face is always vis- opinions in this article are those of the author,
in shadowy caves. The world is myste- ible in a porthole view in the lower left based upon interviews and pre-release footage
rious and the underwater game zones of the screen, and thought bubbles provided by Insomniac
20
 AINB OW.®
OW.
INB
E RA
R
E TH
TH E

S T
ATE
TA
CRE
©2016 Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company.
Skittles and the Upside Down Rainbow and all affiliated designs are trademarks of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company or its affiliates.
gamer
The Blind Man Who Beat
Name:
Terry Garrett
YouTube:

Ocarina Of Time MegaTgarrett

Career:
Software Engineer

A
fter five years of posting videos, Terry Garrett finally triumphed over Location:
Colorado
Ganon, completing his playthrough of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of
Time despite his disability. Using two stereo speakers positioned
at arm’s length and an emulator that allows for save states, he persevered
through the adventure. We caught up with Garrett to learn more about
his achievement.

interview by Brian Shea

Have you been blind since birth? Zelda games, and then I watched my I really like the Oddworld series. I like
I actually had limited sight from birth to friends play Ocarina of Time several to – if I can’t play them myself – at
like age 10, so I know my colors. My times and listened to it. least listen to others play the Mario
first video game systems were the NES games. Of course the new Zelda
and Sega Genesis, so like old Mario How did you learn to navigate a games – I watched my friend play all
games and the Sonic the Hedgehog 3D world? the way through Twilight Princess and I
games – I know what those look like. There’s one game developed spe- so wish I could play that game.
I basically just got a bad set of eyes. I cifically for the blind called Shades of
had to have several surgeries to keep Doom which you’re basically lost in What’s so different about Twilight
the little bit of sight I had left. By age a scientific lab and have to navigate Princess in terms of accessibility?
five I lost my left eye and by age ten I through corridors to find weapons and There are certain challenges in Twilight
lost my right eye due to scar tissue. shoot enemies, but you’re orientat- Princess that would be really hard. In
ing yourself in this 3D environment. I the very beginning, you have to herd
What was the transition like for play- think that I was able to use those skills goats into a barn. That would be really
ing games after you lost your sight? when I go through the 3D world in hard for me.
I had friends who played games and Zelda. It allowed me to orient myself
I would ask questions and ask them better when I heard certain sounds. Now that you’re finished with this
to let me play along to the best of my Ocarina of Time playthrough, are
ability. I had another student at the Were there times you were worried you plotting your next videos?
deaf and blind school I went to who it just wouldn’t be possible? When I finished Ocarina of Time, I
also liked video games and we would There was one particular time in the just wanted to get it finished. I didn’t
just kind of hand-jam the controls to Water Temple that was the hardest. I expect the response I was going to
try to make stuff happen and just have actually had to reach out to my fans to get. I feel like I have to carry on. The
fun with that, but I wanted to do more. learn how to do it. It’s just after getting two major games that shoot out at me
I wanted go back to the classics that I the longshot, you have to drop down from the comments are Majora’s Mask
used to see and figure out what to do. and float down a river with whirlpools and Dark Souls. I have to use save
and at the end you have to longshot states, and sighted people complain
Is there any reason you chose out of the river and shoot an arrow at about the saving aspect of Dark Souls,
Ocarina of Time? an eye. I asked the fans and I got a lot so I might do a one-off video where
When I still had a little bit of sight, I of help. I play it and discover what I can do
loved the original Zelda game. I loved for a little bit. I think next on the list is
the music and gameplay, but I never What are your favorite series to play Majora’s Mask because it’s another
was able to pass it. Unfortunately it for fun? layer of difficulty. I also haven’t played
doesn’t have enough accessibility Unfortunately with newer games get- through that game or heard anyone
for me to go back and try it now. So ting more and more advanced, the else play it either, so it’s a totally new
that just kindled the fire for my love of accessibility actually gets worse. adventure for me. \
22 connect
 g.b.u.
The Good
ROCKSTAR

THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY

North leader Leslie Benzies has
left the Grand Theft Auto studio
after 17 years with the com-
pany. Benzies produced Grand
Theft Auto III, was instrumen-
tal in the company through Red
Dead Redemption and GTA V,
and was inducted into the
Academy of Interactive Arts and
Sciences hall of fame along with
Rockstar founders Dan and Sam
Houser in 2014. Benzies left
the company after being on an
extended sabbatical.

HOME consoles are far from dead. According to

the latest NPD sales numbers for the holiday
season, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are beating the pace set by
Quotable

their predecessors by 47 percent. On the software side, December “Message to Xbox

2015 was the best sales month this generation, and the number- One or Microsoft
one selling game for 2015 was Call of Duty: Black Ops III – which
or whoever the
came out in the beginning of November.
The Bad f---. Y’all f---ing

servers f---ing

whack, man.
The Ugly

Y’all going to

make me switch

to PlayStation if

y’all don’t hurry

up and get this

s--- fixed. Is it

that difficult to

play somebody

online? What the

f--- is you doing

Bill Gates? Fix

your s---, man!”

SHENMUE III’S crowdfunding saga takes another turn for the ugly.
Developer Ys Net polled its Kickstarter community to deter-
mine if late-to-the-game PayPal backers should get the same rewards for giving money to the project. The
majority (over 40 percent) voted that either choice was fine with them – a polling option which in and
of itself is a useless designation – and the second-highest voting block said they wanted to make the
Kickstarter rewards available on PayPal. Regardless, Ys Net decided to make the rewards exclusive. This
angered those who voted for the measure, and as some pointed out, could potentially prevent people on – Snoop Dogg
PayPal from giving needed money to the project. Furthermore, it’s been discovered that the voting method voices his frustra-
itself wasn’t secure, allowing for non-backers to vote. tion via Instagram

connect 23
 top ten Merchants
by Kyle Hilliard

Tom Nook
Animal Crossing
The recurring Tom Nook owns your Animal Crossing soul
(until you pay it off) and runs the local shop. In a game
all about collecting a trading stuff, Nook is a consistent
presence and someone you get to know well.

Merchant Ravio
Resident Evil 4 The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
The hooded merchant of Resident Evil 4 continues to be among the game’s biggest Ravio takes over your house, doesn’t pay rent, and sells
mysteries even a decade after release. How he gets his stock or why he helps Leon you the stuff a roommate should loan to you for free. He
is unknown, but his gravelly voice sticks in the head of everyone who has ever spent has an undeniable charm, though, and plays a surpris-
time with Resident Evil 4. ingly important role in A Link Between Worlds’ plot.

Phil Cassidy The Circus Of Values Xûr

Grand Theft Auto BioShock Destiny
Cassidy may never have served in the military, but Reading the words “Circus of Values” instantly plays Destiny’s Xûr sells exotic items – but he has a day
he is the go-to heavy arms dealer who also makes the vending machine’s familiar vocalization (provided by job. He only appears on weekends, making his stock
homemade “boomshine” so volatile, he accidentally director Ken Levine) in the head of every BioShock player. particularly desirable. His items come and go in a matter
blew off his arm with it. He’s not in every GTA, but is a It is the most charismatic vending machine ever created. of hours, making him a destination for weekend warriors.
memorable personality whenever he appears.

Rusty Tem Shop The Guardian Of Metal Drebin

Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball Undertale Brütal Legend Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Rusty is a sad old dog with more pup- The Tem shop is notable in Undertale as Inspired by, modeled after, and per- Drebin is notable in the Metal Gear
pies than he can handle who runs a shop the only store in the game willing to buy formed by Ozzy Osbourne, The Guardian universe as being the only person in the
selling baseball minigames. Haggling his items from you, which is odd consider- of Metal is the keeper of timeless secrets series willing to give Snake exactly what
real dollar prices down always leads to ing its clerk is saving for college. They who doesn’t engage directly in demon he needs when he needs it. No secrets.
humorous dialogue about his family and get very excited about even the most combat. Instead he provides vehicle No hidden agendas. Just a pet monkey
donut obsession. mundane transactions. upgrades – if you can prove yourself. and instant access to any gun. \
24 connect
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 The Fascinating World Of
League Of Legends
We break down what makes the game While eSports have been around
interesting as a spectator, highlight what in various forms since the incep-
you should pay attention to, and celebrate tion of video games and compe-
the best eSports athletes currently playing tition, the rise of the Multiplayer
Online Battle Arena (MOBA)
genre on the PC scene in recent years has catapulted competitive video
by Daniel Tack

games into massive spectator sports capable of taking over traditional

sports arenas.
Riot Games’ League of Legends is arguably the frontrunner of the
movement, with sports-style leagues, giant prize pools, and tremen-
dous viewer participation and engagement that extends to the creation
of fantasy leagues like the NFL. With League of Legends selling out
venues like the Staples Center and commanding prize pools in the mil-
lions, it begs the question – if you’re not already into eSports, League
of Legends, or other similar genre offerings, why should you care?

26
connect 27
 I Don’t Play League,
So Why Should I Watch?
Even if the prospect of diving into
League of Legends or other competi-
tive games is daunting, it’s possible
to enjoy the spectacle and sport of
it without ever touching a mouse. A
rousing competitive League match is
on par with any major sporting event,
infused with energy, personality, and
power plays.
No two League of Legends games
are alike, and each has a ton of
interesting moments for viewers to
enjoy – from exciting character bans
and metagame shifts to “big plays”
where a team breaks away with a
game-changing team-kill.
Viewership continues to steadily
rise, which is why major media orga-
nizations like ESPN are getting into
the space.

Can You Break Down The Basics? The League of Legends World Championship
The concept of League of Legends
is simple, but the interactions and
complexity that occur during a match that he or she takes on during a into the lanes when skirmishes occur,
as it evolves are where the magic game, much like a quarterback or a turning the tide with superior numbers
happens. At the core, it’s a game of point guard in traditional sports. For and picking up kills. Other players
two teams of five players seeking to instance, an AD (Attack Damage) carry often take up more set positions in
break into the opposing base and (because they “carry” the team in the the three lanes during the early game
destroy it. Before a match, players late game if given room to develop) and eventually come together in the
choose their champion from a roster will often look for protection in the middle and late game, but there are
of more than 100 characters. Each early game from a support character always exceptions to traditional play.
has unique skills, opening up a lot of as they grow. After they level up and That’s where exciting ambushes
strategic depth for team composition. obtain some items, they become ca- and other strategies make the game
Players are assisted by A.I. minions pable of dishing out massive punish- dynamic and interesting game
that constantly push the defensive ment. A jungler may opt to stay out of after game.
towers within three lanes that lead the lanes entirely, taking on non-player
to the base. Players collect experi- foes in the jungle sections of the map What Should I Pay Attention
ence and gold and grow in power, for gold and experience – allowing the To During A Match?
obtaining new abilities and items as rest of the team to get better experi- Watching players carefully put togeth-
they slay minions and players on the ence from the lanes, since they won’t er their ultimate team compositions
other team. be sharing. These characters are also during the drafting and ban phase can
Each player has a specialized role often looking for opportunities to dive be even more exciting than the game
itself, especially when you watch a
player’s favorite champion get banned
or watch some of the crazy picks
come out of the woodwork. When
TEAMS TO WATCH one of your favorite players snags a
While players are traded and move around in traditional sports, the eSports world is often completely unexpected champion,
much faster paced with its shifts. Entire teams can be formed and dissolved in a year’s time, that’s when you know it’s going to be
and players are constantly finding new homes where their skills as carries, mids, and supports a wild ride.
can be best used for the all-important five-person stack. Win a major tournament? You could The teams often feign at each other
be somewhere else just a few weeks later. Lose one? Your entire team could be on the bench. in the early game, leading up to the
It’s crazy out there. That said, some teams have found some consistency performing at the game-defining “big plays” that leave
highest level. entire teams destroyed and bases
broken. But this isn’t always the case,
Origen (EU LCS) – 2015 worlds semifinalists. SKTelecom T1 (LCK) – The reigning World and that’s part of the fun. Games are
Team owner xPeke actually benched himself Champions boast one of the best players in often wildly different depending on the
to add a better player to the team roster. the world, Faker, and are the ones to watch teams playing and champions being
going into the next year. used, so they can turn into aggressive
Flash Wolves (LMS) – This Taiwanese team bloodbaths or calculated cat-and-
has a wealth of talent in its youthful roster. Cloud9 (NA LCS) – If you’re looking for in- mouse waiting games.
Be sure to check out 18-year-old Maple in your-face play and team compositions that However the match gets there,
action, widely considered to be the best break the mold, Cloud9 is the one to watch. If inevitably the action turns to the
Taiwanese mid-player. you’re a viewer, that combination makes for 5v5 team fights. This is when both
an amazing spectacle and exciting moments. teams bring it all to the table in epic,
TSM (NA LCS) – A classic North American game-defining battles. Watching all
favorite, TSM is looking great with the the champion abilities sync up and
ac qui sition of Doublelift from CLG. execute at the professional level is an
awesome sight to behold, as five play-
ers work together in tandem to pull off
28
 THE LEGENDS OF LEAGUE OF LEGENDS
Whether it’s on a daily stream watching one of these guys “knock around a few balls” or during a
major competitive event, these players are masters of their craft. Keep an eye on them if you want
to see the world’s best in action.

APHROMOO DOUBLELIFT FAKER

Full Name: Zaqueri Black Name: Yiliang Peng ฀ ฀
Team: Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) Team: Team SoloMid (TSM) ฀ ฀ ฀
Age: 23 Age: 22 ฀
Nation: United States Nation: United States Nation: South Korea
Position: Support ฀ ฀ Position: Mid

Achievments Achievements Achievements

฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀฀ ฀ ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ one of only three people to win two
฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ participant World Championships
฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀฀ ฀
Quick Facts ฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
Quick Facts ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ Year, Best League of Legends Player,
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ years with the team, he switched to and Most Popular player
enormous following as a streamer. NALCS rival Team SoloMid (TSM).
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ Quick Facts
Support role and joined CLG. member of the player community and ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ has openly discussed his opinions League of Legends player in the world.
considered to be the strongest duo about his own skills and opposing ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ players in the past. game style and incredibly deep pool
once referred to their partnership as ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
players in NA LCS Regular Season of his matches with all but 3 of
฀ ฀ those champions.

perfect timing and precision. Interest- Where Can I Watch These

ingly enough, watching the big-ticket Tournaments?
games and how players handle the You can watch major events happen-
wide variety of situations thrown at ing in League of Legends almost all
them is one of the best ways to start year round on [Link], Twitch,
learning League of Legends if you are YouTube, and even at huge live ven-
interested in playing. ues. Past world championships have
“League is a very difficult game taken place at the Staples Center
to learn; I don’t want to sugarcoat in Los Angeles, Sangam Stadium in
that,” says League of Legends design Seoul, and the Mercedes-Benz Arena
director Greg Street. “We are very in Berlin.
protective of the core League audi- The road to the 2016 champion-
ence, and while we’d love to make ships is a long one, with regional
the game easier to learn, we aren’t tournaments in North America,
willing to sacrifice the depth available Europe, and Asia. You can catch
to League players in the name of ac- season games going on all year as
cessibility. Likewise, League requires teams accumulate points and prepare
a time commitment. You don’t need to for the big show. The dates change
play games every single day, but you from year to year, but you can safely
will eventually need to play a lot of expect the World Championship fes-
games if you want to understand why tivities to begin sometime in the fall,
Teams of five display amazing skill and synergy
players stick with it.” as they have in previous years. \
connect 29
 photo: Crystal Liepa
interview

Final Fantasy’s
New Party Leader
The name wasn’t the only thing that changed when Final Fantasy Versus XIII became Final
Fantasy XV. Hajime Tabata also took over as the new director, bringing a level of transparency to
the development process unlike any previous Final Fantasy title. We spoke to Tabata about his
influences, how he balances expectations, and the value of communicating with the fans.

How did you get into game industry just happened to be the it and thought “It would be great if I
development? first job I got accepted for! It’s a little could create games.” Or – at that
When I was coming out of college embarrassing, but it’s true. time I was eating noodles every day
and looking for my first job, I wanted I was living alone at the time, and I since I was a student – I also had a
to work for a company that dealt with had the Super Nintendo in my room. I thought about creating something
something that I was accustomed had The Legend of Zelda in the con- better that I could eat. Otherwise,
to as a college student. The gaming sole plugged in, and I was looking at I love documentaries and I used to
30
 what their concerns were.
interview by Joe Juba We’re very confident about the infor-
mation we intend to push out after CAREER
our upcoming March event, and I feel HIGHLIGHTS
watch them a lot, and the Japanese This follows from my answer about the like the phase will be shifting from
broadcast station NHK does a lot of development structure, because BD 2 direct communication to more major 1994
that style of programming, so I wanted functions as an independent studio, information updates. Of course, the Tabata graduates from
to look into working for them. So, it like all of the other BDs. So, I honestly team is still planning to engage with Teikyo University where
was basically things in my room at the don’t know much about what’s going the community, and will not suddenly he studies economics
time that gave me inspiration. Game on with the Final Fantasy VII discus- cancel the community initiatives like 1994
development is the first one that sions, and the other BDs don’t know the Active Time Report. Tabata gets his first
came through. much about XV. game industry job at
It’s not just as simple as “The You released the Episode Duscae Tecmo. Captain Tsubasa
Legend of Zelda was in my con- This is your first time directing a demo, and then updated it a few V, a soccer game for
sole.” There is more history to where numbered Final Fantasy. What kind months later based on feed- SNES, is the first title he
the notion came from...but it’s a of advice did you get from other back. That’s really uncommon. works on
fun excuse. directors who had handled the Would you ever do that again with 2004
main entries? another project? After spending time
What games can you single out as It wasn’t necessarily from past direc- I don’t envision doing something simi- working freelance,
being influential for you? tors, but the biggest thing that gave lar again. Episode Duscae was the Tabata joins Square. His
As a consumer, the ones I was influ- me strength was getting the support first time we were mastering some- first project with the
enced the most by were simulation of the team members and their push thing that was open-world, an action/ company is the mobile
games, like the ones Koei was cre- to let me do things as I pleased. RPG that included a special feature – game Before Crisis: Final
ating. But as a developer the most A lot people who worked on past Noctis’ warp strike. So, we did kind Fantasy VII
influential was Civilization. I liked titles – our “veteran” staff – advised of struggle a bit in terms of mastering 2007
simulations already, and Civilization that boldly following my vision is what that type of game. We couldn’t do Tabata directs the
really hit me in the core. Also, Ocarina would be best for this title. That kind everything we wanted to do. We dis- PSP title Crisis Core:
of Time – I was really impressed by the of push is what enabled me to what cussed it as a team and decided to Final Fantasy VII,
open environment of that game. That I’m doing. go the step further and address the which expands on the
was the first time I was experiencing a features we couldn’t when we first characters and story of
virtual world, by heart and even physi- Producers and directors of games released the demo. We wanted to Final Fantasy VII. The
cally. The kind of personal experience I tend to get most of the attention. Is push that through for ourselves, but game releases in Japan,
got playing that game connects to the there anyone who works on Final also in appreciation for the fans who and a North American
kind of experience we want to build Fantasy that doesn’t get the credit had waited for so long. release follows in 2008
with Final Fantasy XV. they deserve? 2011
It’s not one person in particular, but Fans expect to see certain things Another spin-off, Final
Square Enix has reorganized its in- in terms of the position on the team, in Final Fantasy, from Chocobos Fantasy Type-0, is
ternal development structure in the there is one that is as important as the to summons. With the inclusion of Tabata’s next game. It
last few years. How different is the director and producer. We call them so many familiar elements, what releases in Japan on
process, and how does it change project managers in our structure; they do you do to ensure players are PSP, but this version of
your approach? handle everything from managing the still surprised? the game does not come
We’re not limited to being a develop- budget to negotiating with external It’s not a specific list of things we to North America
ment team within a larger structure. partners to dealing with internal mat- do, it’s more of an experiential thing. 2012
Business Division 2, which I head, is ters. The reason that the director is Bringing these “experiential surprises” Internally, Square Enix
a team that was built around creating able to focus on the development is what we focus on to differentiate it. shifts direction on Final
Final Fantasy XV – not just limited to and the producer on the business For example, in Final Fantasy XV, the Fantasy Versus XIII, and
working with in-house development side of things is because the project open-world aspect and continuing on Tabata is appointed the
teams, but also working with inter- managers are there, but because a journey through a vast land. Or, with co-director of the now-
national partners and collaborations. it is essentially more of a support summons, we try to bring them in as renamed Final Fantasy
It’s an all-encompassing studio that role, they don’t get the spotlight we though they really inhabit that environ- XV (working alongside
allows us to make our own decisions believe they should get. I’m always ment, which connects to the charac- original director
in order to make a project a success. wondering if there’s a way to get them ters and other elements. And those Tetsuya Nomura)
We have our producers, our manag- more attention. two examples are things that we had 2014
ers, the development team – all these set as a backbone early in develop- Square Enix restructures
different functionalities that encom- When Final Fantasy XV was still ment, because we also had to develop the company’s
pass a studio. called Final Fantasy Versus XIII, the technology. development process
Often, a development team within a fans rarely heard anything about and organization, and
larger organization will dismantle when its development. When you took We see many RPG elements – like Tabata is made the head
they finish creating a game. Since over, you made an effort to be more rich stories and character growth – of the newly created
we’re functioning as an independent communicative about its progress. across games of all sorts today. Business Division 2, as
studio, we’re now able to look at the How do you think that approach has well as sole director of
What do you think RPGs as a dedi-
Final Fantasy XV
medium- and long-term goals within been working? cated genre can deliver that the
the team…Similar to independent stu- In relation to our core fans, I believe hybridizations don’t? 2015
dios like Naughty Dog, we’re able to there has been some level of results Using Final Fantasy XV as an Final Fantasy Type-0
be a continuously functioning studio. that have come about from that example, I think it’s that time spent HD releases in North
endeavor. The direct approach isn’t with your comrades and building America, a remastered
You directed Crisis Core, which necessarily promotion...it’s more that relationship. Players will kind of version of the original
expanded a lot on the universe of about visibility. It wasn’t about major grow themselves as they take this for PS4, Xbox One, and
Final Fantasy VII. With Final Fantasy information updates. Leading up to journey with the party, so when you PC. Tabata and his team
VII Remake in the works, have you this point, we believed that we needed also release (and later
reach the end of the game, you are
update) a playable demo
been consulted by that team about to create an environment where our synchronized with the character and
of Final Fantasy XV
integrating those ideas into the new consumers could be vocal about what feel the same satisfaction from
entitled Episode Duscae
vision for that universe? they were feeling positive about or the experience. \
connect 31
 Standing Tall
Rounding Up The Best Video Game Figures

2
Ganon’s
Puppet Zelda
After Ganon corrupts Zelda
in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight
Princess, the would-be queen turns
her menacing stare on Link. This re-
creation from First 4 Figures stands
15 inches tall, is cast in high-quality
polystone, and is hand-painted.
$349 | [Link]

1
Metal Gear Solid V:
The Phantom Pain
Venom Snake
We’ve been bitten by Square Enix’s line of Play Arts

6
Rise Of The Tomb
Kai figures, but we don’t want the anti-venom. This Raider Lara Croft
version of Snake features new joint structures that allow for Geared up to survive a
smooth articulation at the elbows, knees, neck, ankles, and harsh Siberian winter, an army of
shoulders. A flexible resin maintains a natural look while allow- undead soldiers, or a fall down a
ing for a wider range of motion. Snake comes packaged with 120-foot waterfall, this 10-inch
interchangeable head, hands, and weapons parts. Fulton yours version of Lara from Square Enix’s
back to Mother Base before he sneaks away. line of Play Arts Kai figures comes
$120 | [Link] with a bow, arrows, knife, handgun,
ice axe, and interchangeable hands.
$139 | [Link]

by Ben Reeves

32
 THE ART OF
Amaterasu STAR WARS: THE

3
The Elder Scrolls Kratos On Throne
From Okami
The only animal who can
terrify the forest with a brush-
stroke, Amaterasu is the fierce
4 Skyrim Nord
Nords are natural-born
warriors built to withstand the
frozen wilds of Skyrim, and this
5 After brutally defeating the
ancient Greek gods, Kratos
takes a seat as the newest mem-
ber of the pantheon. This giant
FORCE AWAKENS
This art book gives fans
a behind-the-scenes
tour through Lucasfilm’s
art departments, chron-
goddess of the sun. This gorgeous 19-inch statue from Gaming Heads statue from Gaming Heads isn’t icles the creation of
12-inch statue from First 4 Figures will stand head-and-shoulders for those with limited shelf space; The Force Awakens’
features her howling majestically above your other figures. the tip of Kratos’ throne stands 29 new worlds and char-
acters, and includes
at the constellations. $329 | [Link] inches high. interviews with the
$349 | [Link] $479 | [Link] film’s creative leads.
$40.00
[Link]

PHOENIX IV:
THE HISTORY OF
THE VIDEO GAME
INDUSTRY BY
LEONARD HERMAN
Leonard Herman’s
comprehensive look at
the video game industry
and its technological
innovations is the
perfect resource material
for gamers. The first
update since 2001,
this edition includes
everything from Sony’s
PS3 to Microsoft’s Kinect
to Nintendo’s Amiibos.
$24.95
[Link]

SHERLOCK: THE
ABOMINABLE BRIDE
Fans have to wait a
little longer for the
return of Steven Moffat
Warcraft Bishoujo Bloodborne

7 8 9
and Mark Gatiss’
dizzyingly clever fourth
Gul’Dan Tali’Zorah Hunter season of Sherlock, but
Based on Legendary Pictures’ Kotobukiya has been doing Carefully recreating the this holiday special
upcoming film directed by Duncan artful interpretations of some of our hunter from the cover of From about a ghost bride that
Media Shelf

Jones (Moon, Source Code), this favorite female heroines for years, Software’s Lovecraft-laden action haunts the streets of
fan-favorite orc shaman essen- but we’re glad they finally turned title, Gecco’s 12-inch statue dons Victorian London is a
tially made a deal with the devil to an eye toward Mass Effect for this the iconic Hunter Set while holding great appetizer.
increase his power, but he’ll also nine-inch rendition of Tali complete a Saw Cleaver in one hand and a $17.99
look great on your desk. with Quarian Reegar Carbine. Hunter Blunderbuss in the other. [Link]

$599 | [Link] $79.99 | [Link] $299 | [Link]

connect 33
opinion
VR Is The Future,
But The Future Isn’t Now
by Daniel Tack, PC Editor

irtual reality promises to take gaming to new heights, offering unpar- It May Be A Virtual Reality,

V alleled experiences and worlds that we’ve only been able to dream
about. This isn’t the first time bold new technology has come into the
gaming world, and despite genuine enthusiasm for the potential of the
platforms, there are serious factors that could keep the VR flight from
taking off. While I firmly believe that VR is the future of gaming, upcoming offerings
face significant hurdles to becoming the experience that redefines the medium.
But The Physical Issues Are Real
Even if you don’t suffer a bout of nau-
sea during a virtual reality session
(something the newer models are im-
proving), there’s still the question about
long-term sessions and long-term use
of the technology. It’s easy to sit on the
The Price Is Simply Too High couch and blast away for hours on end
Everyone is talking about the Rift’s $599 price tag that Oculus announced earlier with a non-VR title, but we don’t know
this year, and with good reason. When the same figure was dropped for the PS3 if the same can be said for immersion
years ago, the gaming world was stunned, and that price tag still commands an in virtual worlds. It’s unfathomable to
eyebrow raise today. Factor in that the Oculus doesn’t come with the new touch me to consider using the upcoming
controllers that you’ll probably also want to acquire, and the need for a mid-to-high models for even an hour or two, much
end PC, and this technology is ultra-expensive right now. It’s far beyond the means less a marathon gaming session.
of the average consumer, and certainly out of range for the gamer who can only This could limit what genres and
grab a few titles a year for his or her preferred platform. styles of games are viable VR fare. Will
Considering 63 percent of Americans are a paycheck away from financial ruin, the platform be limited to snack-ses-
upcoming VR tech is essentially limited to enthusiasts and early adopters for now. sion “experimental, exploratory” expe-
As with all technology we can expect the price to go down as the years go by, but riences, eschewing many of gaming’s
if VR flutters out of favor with publishers, developers, and consumers before then, most popular genres? Everyone wants
we could see it dropping off the radar yet again, only to be revived years down the that epic, full-scale VR MMORPG,
road when pricing is more reasonable for the average gamer. but is the technology ready to make
that happen?
Promotion Is A Puzzle
VR has a marketing hurdle that’s especially difficult to overcome when combined Final Thoughts And The Future
with the price tag – there’s no way to get an idea how it looks and plays without I truly believe that VR is the future for
strapping a set to your head. Stage demos are awkward beyond belief and don’t games and gaming – but I don’t be-
convey the gameplay or experience in any meaningful way. Whether this is solved lieve that future is now. The technol-
by in-store demos or some other marketing method, it’s hard for consumers to ogy needs significant iteration and
justify dropping a huge chunk of change without knowing what they’re getting. improvement before it can become the
widely adopted game-changer the in-
Publishers And Developers May Be Reticent To Pave The Way dustry wants to bring new experiences
While there are potentially solid games out there that I’ve had the chance to ex- to the living room and beyond. I’m cer-
perience myself like EVE: Valkyrie, one of the big questions for VR is where are tainly not saying that VR is “dead on
the games? Where are the system sellers? If they’re out there, I sure haven’t seen arrival” or anything so hyperbolic, but
them. Will developers and publishers take the risks to commit resources toward I do believe that the high price com-
VR in this early stage when things are still in flux? This creates a dire chicken/egg bined with the other factors mentioned
situation; if no one gets on board early to make those defining experiences that above is creating a difficult environ-
will blow people away and move units, will anyone ever do it? ment for the technology to survive and
Someone needs to step up and prove that big games, big IPs, and genre-defin- thrive today.
ing experiences can live on the new tech before others will be willing to wade into
unproven waters. The question right now is who will take that risk and allocate The views and opinions expressed in this column are
those resources? We can push the potential of the technology all we want, but it strictly those of the author and not necessarily those
needs system sellers to make it happen. of Game Informer

34 connect
 timeline
08 The Division

01 Far Cry Primal

11.1 Hitman

25

29 MLB The Show 16

15 UFC 2 18
2016

Kirkman talking about The Walking of these films today. Allegiant, the final
Dead video games. installment in the Divergent trilogy,

March 14 GDC 2016

This three-day expo is the show all
shows how teenagers with sick parkour
skills can save the planet.

01 New Releases 04.2 TV Premieres aspiring game developers should go 18.2 New Releases
› Far Cry Primal (PC) March’s television slate begins today to for recruiting purposes. GDC is also › Pokkén Tournament (Wii U)
› Heavy Rain (PS4) with the return of Netflix’s House of chock full with game reveals, hands-on
› The Witch and the Hundred Knight: Cards, and rolls into March 8’s Agents sessions with new titles, and the annual 22 New Releases
Revival Edition (PS4) of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC, March 18’s Choice Awards show. › Lichdom: Battlemage (PS4, Xbox One)
› Mortal Kombat XL (PS4, Xbox One) Daredevil on Netflix, and March 30’s › Stranger of Sword City (Vita)
new show The Path, which is Hulu’s look 15.1 Too Many Cons
02 DC Turns 50 at life inside a religious cult starring Today welcomes three different gaming- 25.1 New Releases
A good number of DC’s ongoing comic Aaron Paul and Michelle Monaghan. related conventions: WonderCon 2016 in › Hyrule Warriors: Legends (3DS)
series reach their 50th issues. Among Aanheim, California, Sakura-Con 2016 in
them are Batman (a story that wel- 08 New Releases Seattle, Washington, and Insomnia57 in 25.2 Batman v Superman:
comes back Bruce Wayne as the Bat), › The Division (PS4, Xbox One, PC) Birmingham, England. Dawn Of Justice
Superman, Action Comics, Aquaman, Comic fans are holding their breaths,
Batgirl, Catwoman, The Flash and oth- 11.1 New Releases 15.2 New Releases hoping that DC and director Zack Snyder
ers. Each ships with standard and vari- › Hitman (PS4, Xbox One, PC) › UFC 2 (PS4, Xbox One) don’t screw up today’s theatrical release,
ant polybagged editions. › Samurai Warriors 4: Empires Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
11.2 SXSW Gaming Expo (PS4, PS3, Vita) Ben Affleck as Batman is worrisome.
04.1 Zootopia Last year’s South by Southwest gaming Seeing Lex Luthor with hair is worrisome.
For years, Pixar was the king of the conference didn’t offer much in terms of 18.1 Allegiant Heck, just Superman being Superman
CGI motion-picture world, but Disney announcements or entertainment on the From Katniss Everdeen to Harry Potter, is worrisome. Chant with us: Please
has impressed of late with films like show floor, but featured a fair number of theatergoers love watching teenage kids don’t suck. Please don’t suck. Please
Tangled and Frozen. The studio’s next panels and talks from key video game save the world as the adults stand by don’t suck.
film, Zootopia, opens in theaters today, talent. The show looks to be repeating and do nothing. Next to zombies and
and introduces us to the concept of a this pattern this year with numerous superheroes, this is the movie concept 29 New Releases
mammal metropolis. Animals of every panels taking center stage across the people seem to like the most these › MLB The Show 16 (PS4, PS3)
variety live like human beings. show’s five days, including Robert days. Theaters welcome another one › Nights of Azure (PS4) \
connect 35
 he

RC E
O
F is Ca l l i n g

TT Fusion takes on the biggest franchise around

with Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens

by Jeff Cork

36
 S
» Platform
PlayStation 4
before and after
฀ ฀฀ ฀ ฀ Star Wars: The Force Awakens smashed box-office records weeks
฀฀ ฀ ฀ appreciation for
฀ ฀฀ ฀฀ ฀฀ its release, showing audiences still have a great deal of love and
smashi ng of their
» Style the franchise. In a few months, players will be able to do a little
epic story
own as they play through a slightly less serious version of the film’s
1 or 2-Player Action
» Publisher at Lego Star Wars:
฀ ฀ ฀ courtesy of TT Games. This month, we take an exclusive look
project yet.
» Developer The Force Awakens and see why it’s TT Fusion’s most ambitious
฀ ฀
» Release
June 28

cover story 37
Star Wars and
TT Games are
closely intertwined.
More than a decade ago, developer Traveller’s Tales assem- fun with, and where we were so successful before,” says
bled Lego Star Wars: The Videogame, a whimsical retelling of Jonathan Smith, head of production and strategic direction
the prequel trilogy. Fans loved seeing Star Wars interpreted at TT Games. “It is certainly an honor and a privilege to be
with Lego bricks, and the studio soon went all-in on Lego doing so.”
games. Since then, TT Games has produced Lego games That enthusiasm is clear at TT Fusion’s offices in Wilmslow,
based on some of the biggest film and literary franchises England. Visit nearly any games studio and you’re bound to
around, including Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, spot cubicles decorated with Lego creations and assorted
and more. Star Wars memorabilia. Those cultural touchstones are pres-
Five years have passed since the last Lego Star Wars ent here, as is the excitement (and occasional mentions of
game, Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, and TT Games disbelief) that these fans are actually able to work in the
was eager to return to the franchise that put the company worlds they love so much. Even better than playing in The
on the star map. “We don’t take anything for granted, but Force Awakens’ world, the team is helping to fill in several
at the same time perhaps there is a sense of destiny about gaps in fan knowledge thanks to a variety of tantalizing
returning to that wonderful universe that we had so much side content.
38
 Poe Dameron is a great pilot, but
perhaps you can show him up

Nostalgia Play Game director Jamie Eden moves Chewbacca and a pre-
Part of The Force Awakens’ appeal is it shows something we general Princess Leia around the forest floor, and it’s a sharp
haven’t seen much of in recent Star Wars media: a begin- reminder of just how much the games have improved over
ning. We’re not in a world that’s populated by masters and the past decade. “It’s hard not to make comparisons to the
experts; as the film’s title suggests, the force is returning early Star Wars games,” Taylor says. “One of the big things
after being dormant for some time. That departure from is obviously we’ve got lots more going on these days with
prequel-era content gave the creative team at TT Fusion the hardware, so you have lots of enemies on screen and
some fuel to shift the focus away from past lightsaber-heavy background activity.”
Star Wars games and come up with some interesting new In this case, the background activity includes stormtroop-
systems to supplement the brick-smashing co-op action. ers off in the distance, marauding AT-STs, and plenty of red
“When we find out what we’re working on, we’re not going blaster bolts whizzing around among the trees. Chewie and
to reinvent the wheel, because it’s a good wheel – we don’t her worshipfulness aren’t the type to stand back and watch;
need to,” says Mike Taylor, head of design at TT Fusion. the pair takes on swarms of the white-armored baddies.
Every property has its own unique components baked into Familiar moments punctuate the action, such as seeing an
it, and the key is finding those and transforming them into Ewok vainly try to grab one of the bipedal vehicle’s feet or
interesting gameplay elements. “The easy reference in another swoop down in a glider. So far, it seems like a nicer-
Jurassic World is that you’ve got dinosaurs to play around looking version of a battle I’ve participated in before.
with, so we hooked into the core cool features of the new The first big wrinkle occurs when the duo comes across
IPs. In The Force Awakens, the Force is awakening, and a small pile of bouncing bricks, a sight that’s bound to be
that’s a really good area to use. It makes the game different, familiar to people who have played any of the previous
which is good, because we’re not exactly the same as the 20-plus Lego games. This time around, TT Fusion is taking
other Star Wars games. It’s more focused on the blaster a slightly different approach to the interaction. Instead of
battles and this really cool new set of interesting characters having players simply transform those piles into the finished
to work with.” product – whether it’s a machine to defeat enemies, a vehi-
Unlike past Lego Star Wars games – and most of TT cle to solve a puzzle, or something silly – they have to do
Games’ work in general – which have bundled together sev- something new: make a decision.
eral films or TV seasons, The Force Awakens is
built around a single movie. If you’re a fan of The
Force Awakens, you know that it’s loaded to the
gills with interesting action sequences and areas
ripe for gameplay. To further supplement the Expect moments of levity throughout, even as the
game, TT Fusion is adding several meaty side game deals with the film's more shocking moments
stories and additional content not seen in the
movie. I get a sense of that, as well as a look at
some of the new systems, in the first gameplay
demo, which is centered on Return of the Jedi.
I’m an anomaly among Star Wars fans, in
that Jedi is my favorite entry in the series. Even
though George Lucas’ incessant CGI fiddling
practically ruins moments such as Jabba’s
palace (make that song stop!) and the Sarlacc
pit, I think it’s the most evenly paced and inter-
esting film in the bunch. Yes, even after factoring
in the Ewoks. Still it’s strange that my first look at
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set on the
familiar forest moon of Endor. TT Games has its
reasons, though. “That’s an action-packed level,
and we thought it would be nice to revisit where
we left the films all those years ago,” Taylor says.
cover story 39
 More Ways To Build
As Eden approaches the bricks, the ghostly out-
lines of two creations appear, showing the pos-
sible building options. TT Fusion is calling this
deviation from tradition the multibuild.
In this situation, players have to somehow
travel over a ledge to continue on. Unfortunately,
it’s too high for a traditional jump. Players can
choose to build an object that appears on either
side of the screen. Building the option to the right
creates a trampoline, which grants access to a
hidden minikit. After collecting the item, Chewie
drops back down and smashes the bouncy cre-
ation. It reverts back to its raw components,
which are then used to create a trampoline on
the left that allows players to continue on.
“This is an example of a very simple one,”
Taylor says. “Obviously, it’s optional – you
don’t have to build the one to the right. We’ve
got some examples coming up where it’s more
puzzle based, where you actually have to think
about what to build first in order to complete
a puzzle.”
Our heroes advance, with Leia pausing to use
her grappling hook to free a net-bound Wicket.
The Ewok’s tiny size allows him to crawl into tiny
spaces, in this case a Lego nook under a tree
that leads to a bounty of buildable bricks. These
can be used to build a ladder or climbable wall
surface, one of which leads to another minikit.
Forgoing the collectible, Chewie heads into the
trees to set up a log trap that takes out the AT-ST
by simultaneously smashing it from both sides.
Moving past the AT-ST’s smoldering legs, our
group enters a section that highlights yet another
new gameplay element. “Obviously you’ve seen
the film, and the Force has awakened and there aren’t hun- kid-friendly and a bit more just for fun.” One obvious way is
dreds of characters Force-pushing themselves around – it’s how headshots aren’t rewarded with gore – this is a Lego
quite low key,” Taylor says. “There’s more of an empha- game, after all – but with funny animations such as the
sis on blaster battles, so we’ve put a lot of effort into that target’s helmet getting knocked backward and the wearer
side of things.” What this means is, for the first time in a staggering out of sight. “The idea is that in some of these
Lego game, players can participate in what amounts to a sections there will be enemies that are entrenched and you
cover-based shooter. can’t get because they’re just poking their head over the top
Han and Chewie crouch behind logs as a variety of storm- or they’re shielded so you have to use your abilities in certain
troopers and speeder-bike pilots line the edge of the forest. circumstances to take out the guys and progress.”
The pair pick off the Imperial goons one by one, popping Eden finishes up the battle, and moves his group of heroes
up and taking their shots when it’s safe and retreating when forward. I can’t help but grimace as he coolly passes up
things get hairy. every spinning Lego stud in favor of progression. Is he some
“There’s the danger that people might associate that type kind of emotionless droid? “It’s still really hard to go past
of gameplay with headshots and quite adult-type game- them,” he says with a laugh when I point it out. “I’m trying
play,” Taylor says. “We had to look at ways to make that my best now.”

Enjoy this moment while you can, guys

40
 TT GAMES,
BRICK BY BRICK

When you’re talking about Lego

video games, several names swirl
around. While TT Games, Traveller’s
Tales, and TT Fusion have more than
a few consonants in common, they’re
not interchangeable. Put simply, TT
Games is the overarching company
under which Traveller’s Tales and
TT Fusion develop their games.
Those two studios share some
resources, including QA, technology
and engine teams, and a cutscene
department. Traveller’s Tales is
based in Knuftsford, England, and
was founded in 1989. TT Fusion, a
few miles away in Wilmslow, was
formerly named Embryonic before
TT Games acquired it in 2007. Later
that year, Warner Bros. Interactive
purchased TT Games.

Space battles have been a Star Wars

staple from the beginning, and there
are plenty of them in the game

New Friends, Old Enemies

Ahead, Wicket has to push a box, but he
isn’t strong enough to pull it off. Fortunately,
Ewoks are social animals, and the charac-
ter takes advantage of his command ability
to recruit some buddies. With several furry
friends trailing behind him, they push the box
over the edge and celebrate their triumph
with a victory dance. Wicket isn’t the only
character with the ability; Captain Phasma is
at least one other character that Taylor says
can recruit helpers, though in her case it’s
likely that her underlings won’t be as cute.
These bricks offer several new possibili-
ties, including some that we won’t be able
to take advantage of quite yet. One builds a
panel that can only be operated by an astro-
mech droid, such as R2-D2 or BB-8. Looking
around, we spot R2, but he’s trapped under-
neath a fallen log. Another multibuild option
creates a path to a minikit. The final option The Endor level lets players
is the most effective one we spy, creating see what Han, Leia, Chewie, and
Luke were like in their prime
a smaller version of an AT-ST. Han mounts
the vehicle and destroys the log, freeing our
hapless droid hero. Now that R2 is here,
he’s added to the roster and operates a
newly built mechanical lift that lets the group
advance using a hacking minigame based on the spinning outcome of one of the builds in a single playthrough. Players
rotors that R2 typically interfaces with. who return to the level in freeplay are encouraged to try the
After hijacking another AT-ST, Han and company blast other option to see what that does. Eden decides to build
through a horde of stormtroopers, clearing a path through a hat dispenser – a callback from the early Lego Star Wars
some Lego brambles and opening up bridge access by games – which lets him dupe the guards inside into open-
destroying bags of rocks being used as counterweights. ing the building’s door. “The other option is a projector that
At the shield generator, players are given yet another multi- plays A New Hope, and attracts the enemies out of the base
build opportunity, but this one’s slightly different from the because they want to watch the film,” Taylor says.
ones we’ve seen before. Some of these builds are perma- These multibuilds are fun to see in action, but according to
nent, like the builds of the past, so you can only see the Marin Palmer, TT Fusion’s head of Lego integration, they’ve
cover story 41
 also been tricky to implement. “It was always a challenge lightning attacks and hurls the foul leader into the abyss.
in previous games – in this game it’s double the challenge, Looking back at the older version of this fight from Traveller’s
because you have to make multiple things out of the pieces Tales’ original trilogy game, it’s clear that the Lego games
and they have to have different functionalities, they have to have become far more sophisticated. Where the previous
look different,” he says. “We want people to feel like they battle featured sections of building and force manipulation
can make multiple things out of the same pile of bricks.” that killed the overall pacing, this incarnation is much more
Because of the team’s commitment to authenticity, none of exciting to watch. It doesn’t hurt that Palpatine sticks around
the builds in the game are fudged, either. If you see some- for the battle instead of fleeing at regular intervals like he
thing built from Lego elements in the game, you can build it did before.
in real-world Lego – no cheats are allowed. The familiar helmet-removal scene takes place, though
The demo then jumps to the Death Star II, where Luke has there’s a funny new twist. When Luke removes it, young
confronted Emperor Palpatine in a play to get his father to Anakin’s smiling head is revealed. Luke looks dismayed and
convert to the light side. Luke hands Darth Vader a childish shakes Vader’s helmet, whereupon the more familiar Humpty
crayon drawing he made of his father in an attempt to show Dumpty-style visage drops out. After a quick Lego head
that he senses there’s still good in him. Darth considers the swap the scene continues.
drawing for a few moments, wiping at his eyes with his little The level concludes with players steering the Millennium
minifigure hand. Rather than have Luke and Vader battle one Falcon inside the newly exposed Death Star. The interior
another, their initial battle is shown in a cutscene. That way, gives players room to fly with greater freedom than seen
two players can team up against before in a Lego game. “Previously in Star Wars games you
the emperor. sort of flew in one plane and you pressed a button to go
Palpatine is perched in his throne, down to another plane, but now it’s sort of free-roaming
cackling at the Skywalkers. He flight where you want to fly, and it’s feeling good,” Taylor
LEGO STAR WARS: repels their lightsaber attacks, but says. After taking out the core and its various shielding ele-
THE FORCE AWAKENS the duo can use their Force abili- ments with photon torpedoes, our heroes escape just as the
ties on some nearby decorative base explodes. Among the wreckage is a stormtrooper in a
BY THE NUMBERS elements. One pinches Palpatine’s bathtub, his rubber ducky floating away. Luke passes by in
head and spins him around; another an Imperial shuttle moments later and tries to grab the toy,
grabs his legs and shakes him. but it’s just out of reach.
Levels, Including Other phases of the battle include The sequence ends with a celebratory scene in the Ewok
Force Awakens building miniature TIE fighters and village, and a funny bit including a character crashing the
and Additional Content X-wings to attack Palpatine. They ending with Yoda and Obi Wan’s force apparitions. Going
throw explosive tanks to penetrate back to Endor might not be the most interesting part of
18 a shield of swirling debris. It builds the game for superfans, but it’s certainly a great refresher
to a button-mashing standoff where on what our heroes were up to before we catch up with
Vader endures repeated Force them again.
Hub Worlds

5
(Jakku, Takodana Castle, Starkiller
Base, D’Qar, The Millennium Falcon)

Characters

More than
200
Vehicles

More than
40,
including spacecraft
and microfighters

42
 Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens features
new cover-based blaster battles, seen here

The Force, Awakened Taylor says. “We’ve invented planet names and character
An incredible wall of secrecy was erected around The Force names and concepted these things and we’re helping to
Awakens before its release, and it extended to TT Games. create canon and backstory for the events of The Force
Even though the creative team had access to much of the Awakens, so it’s really exciting.”
story (after entering a specially secured room with video Players access this additional story content by collecting
surveillance in TT Fusion’s offices), several key elements gold bricks scattered in levels and in the five hub worlds.
were kept under wraps. While it’s disappointing that the If you played Lego Marvel Super Heroes and unlocked
Lego game wasn’t available at launch – that honor went to the Deadpool levels, you have a sense of the flow. As you
the Disney Infinity 3.0 Force Awakens playset – TT Fusion’s wander around the hub, you may notice special character
creative team had the benefit of seeing the film during interactions that provide opportunities to hear their stories
development, allowing them to create the most authentic via gameplay flashbacks. Players who aren’t interested in
adaptation possible – bananas, rubber duckies, and sight these additional stories can simply mainline the film mis-
gags notwithstanding. sions. However, new missions are available to be unlocked
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens features 10 levels after completing every two levels in the game. TT Games is
based on the film. In addition, there are six so-called bridge cagey when it comes to specifics, and it’s likely that we’d get
levels, the Endor level we saw in the demo, and an epilogue dropped into a Rancor pit if we said too much. For now, we
level based on the film’s final moments. Those bridge levels can say players get to play through the backstory explain-
are especially intriguing, and they’re the fruit of a close work- ing the origins of C-3PO’s red arm, and also follow Han and
ing relationship with LucasFilm. “As a massive Star Wars Chewie as they hunt down their vicious Rathtar cargo, a.k.a.
fan, that’s one of the most exciting things about the game,” those hungry mouths with the tentacles.

Han, Finn, and Chewie have to infiltrate

Starkiller Base to lower the weapon's shields

cover story 43
 Sand Brawlers Falcon that’s instantly recognizable.
Jakku is home to several key moments in The Force This segment switches between on-rails sections, where
Awakens, which makes it a perfect place to continue our Rey has to navigate the wreckage and other obstacles
demo. As much fun as it was to catch up with Chewie and while dealing with First Order TIE Fighters, and more open
Han, I’m eager to see new sights – sights that include, as I arena-style areas, where the objective is to destroy a specific
soon discover, a reunion with Chewie and Han. number of the pesky ships. The battle (and demo) concludes
We start right in the thick of things, with Rey piloting the with a chase through the abandoned star destroyer.
Millennium Falcon around the familiar site of a crashed Next, we take a look at some gameplay from the game’s
star destroyer. It was a memorable part of the trailers, and beginning, where pilot Poe Dameron and his trusty astro-
TT Fusion was inspired by the same footage fans drooled mech BB-8 are in Lor Sen Tekka’s village after retrieving
over. “In the trailer there are obviously iconic camera shots, some crucial intel. Their presence has alerted the villainous
and there are a lot of cool shots in the film that we try to First Order. “Poe being the hero, he can’t leave the villagers
replicate – weaving, tilt – and we try to get that in wher- on their own, so he’s going to help them out,” Eden says.
ever possible,” says game director Jamie Eden. Sure The duo doesn’t have much time, so they get to work.
enough, there’s a moment where the in-game camera rises The spherical droid can roll on special pads, which allow
off the sandy surface with the ship and stalls alongside the players to manipulate objects. In this case, it brings down a
resistance terminal that, after completing a
simple letter-matching hacking minigame,
gives villagers access to weapons to
defend themselves.
Moving on, Poe uses his grappling hook
TT Fusion says it's improved
the flight controls, which is a to pull more parts down for another mul-
welcome change from past games tibuild. One option creates a catapult to
launch BB-8 up, where he can use a crane
control to open another weapons store-
house. BB-8 is a really fun-looking charac-
ter, and it seems as though he’ll be equally
fun in the game. The droid is speedy, and he
can knock enemies down – perhaps making
up for his comparatively weak offensive
arsenal. Also, his resemblance to a ball
wasn’t lost on the designers at TT Fusion.
He’s used to great effect in optional activi-
ties like knocking down vases arranged like
bowling pins or hopping into a launcher to
make a basketball shot.
The final cache opens up with help from a
hapless Gonk droid, who after a little prod-
ding from our round friend, knocks a box
open by tumbling down upon it.
44
 TACKLING THE TOUGH STUFF

TT Games has worked on games that have In The Force Awakens, we’re introduced death. If you’ve seen the movie, you know the
mature themes and situations in the past, so to Kylo Ren and his furious temper early on one. “I think we’ll try to make it as funny as we
adapting the events featured in Star Wars: The as he tries to intimidate Lor Sen Tekka about can,” Gray says, “and you don’t know what’s in
Force Awakens isn’t completely new territory. Luke Skywalker’s location. Needless to say, store. Darth Maul falls down a pit in the end of
We spoke with one of the game’s two cutscene it ends badly for Lor Sen Tekka, and we learn The Phantom Menace, but in The Clone Wars
leads, Phil Gray, to learn more about the art that Ren’s lightsaber is indeed functional. In he comes back with robot legs.”
of working with potentially disturbing subject the game, it’s a moment played for laughs, Gray says that moment was originally in the
matter and adapting it to Lego. Note: This fea- as Ren’s saber blinks out and the character mid-section of a level, which sucked away
ture contains several Force Awakens spoilers. repeatedly hits the weapon like it’s a flashlight some of its impact. “Now, it’s the end of a
“When we have to show characters dying or that’s running low on battery power. level, so you do something and it’s the end of
being injured – quite traumatic events – and “That cutscene, is the first time you see Kylo the level, so it gives it more of a, ‘Oh, that’s
in previous games there’s been a few, where Ren,” Gray says. “Who is this guy? It’s balanc- just happened,’ sort of status rather than,
you go, ‘How are we going to do that?’ That’s ing that he’s quite an intimidating baddie, and ‘Right now you’ve got to go and blow up this.’
actually quite a nice springboard for the then what can we do? All Jedi make their own So the design team decided to incorporate
creative process,” Gray says. ”We’ve become lightsabers, so he’s made his. In the story he that, which was a nice way of developing
aware of that over the years, so we have this hasn’t finished his training because he’s killed the story.”
feeling that we know what is suitable.” He all of them and Luke’s gone. …That’s the The team had access to the screenplay in
cites Jurassic Park as a good example of their point, he can’t use it as it’s meant to, so he various forms, but Gray said that seeing the
approach. If you recall the first film, a lawyer is Force chokes him away, which means that [Lor finished film generated new opportunities for
chomped by a hungry T-Rex. In Lego Jurassic Sen Tekka] can then turn up later on in another gags that they might not have otherwise con-
World, the dinosaur’s mouth opens, revealing cutscene, which is different from the film – sidered. “There’s a bit where they’re just about
the minifigure safely inside its mouth, brush- alive and sort of floating past the camera. That to take off and they’re all getting ready, and
ing the creature’s teeth. One of the goals is helps the idea that he’s not dead – we didn’t Finn’s loading up the explosives, and there’s
to keep the body count to zero, or as close kill him. That helps with the way the Lego just a shot of Snap [Wexley] drilling into his
as possible. games work, because when you die in a Lego X-wing,” Gray says. “Like there isn’t enough
Boromir’s sacrifice in The Fellowship of the game you don’t really die, and you can collect ground crew or he doesn’t trust the ground
Ring was another tricky one. Gray recalls a the characters.” crew. Like he’s going, ‘You know what? I’m
long e-mail chain about that death. “There was Gray says part of the reason the humor going to put a shelf there.’ Or he’s got a hook
this big list; ‘No to this one, yes to a chicken, in the Lego games works is because the to hang his helmet on. But he’s just there drill-
yes to a banana.’ That’s sort of why some characters aren’t necessarily in on the joke. ing into the back of his X-wing. And I thought
things tend to come back, because they’re “He thinks he’s Kylo Ren, it’s not like, ‘Hey is if we did that, we’d get comments back going,
safe objects. We know that a banana’s not this some kind of crazy video game? Look to ‘Why is he drilling into his X-wing?’ So we
going to upset anybody, or a chicken or a pig, camera, wink.’” have to get that in. It’s like they were on set
because they tend to be quite safe.” Then there’s the matter of the film’s biggest that day and they said, ‘Just look busy.’”

Poe’s help doesn’t come a moment too soon. Phasma and The excited stormtroopers run out of the dome and collect
her First Order stormtroopers descend from their shuttles the food – with one even taking off his helmet to collect the
and begin fighting the newly armed villagers. One hesitates kernels. Poe seizes upon this lack of judgment and beats
for a moment, and a furious lady throws fruit at him. That them all up.
character, the stormtrooper designated FN-2187, ends up “I prefer my description of the droid,” adds Mike Taylor, TT
marked with a juicy green splat in his helmet – a decid- Fusion’s head of design. “Mine is a crab assassination droid,
edly G-rated version of what happens in the film to visually which sounds a bit cooler. It starts spinning, burrows down
separate Finn from his more mayhem-minded compatriots. into the ground.” From there, it grabs the flametrooper from
Poe and BB-8 work to escape the carnage, entering below, and pulls them out of sight. “It’s sort of Jaws-like,”
another cover-shooting section. TIE Fighters scream over- Taylor says.
head during the fight, which ends after Poe blasts a conve- The last puzzle we encounter involves getting past – you
niently placed explosive barrel to take out an attacker seated guessed it – more fire. This time, it’s a massive wall of flame
in a mounted turret. Lego flames fan out in the aftermath, but that a mere bucket of water won’t extinguish. Fortunately,
they’re quickly doused. BB-8 is here to the rescue. He’s able to maneuver a
Ahead, we learn fire seems to be a go-to play for the First freshly built water tank – complete with swimming gold-
Order. A dome-shaped energy shield protects several stor- fish – over the obstacle and douse it with a huge splash.
mtroopers, including one who’s gleefully spraying out a jet of Problem solved.
flame. Smashing a few objects (while remaining at a respect- For our heroes, unfortunately, their troubles are just begin-
ful distance from the attacker) provides Poe and BB-8 a ning. After giving BB-8 some valuable information, Poe is
pair of multibuild options. “The options are to either build taken into custody by Finn. Plenty of Lego humor is inter-
a mining spider droid or to build something tasty for them spersed in those final moments, including Kylo Ren’s trou-
to come out and enjoy,” Eden says. He decides to take the bles with a malfunctioning lightsaber, and Captain Phasma’s
more comical route. Poe builds a familiar looking giant red weapons check, which turns up the detail that Finn has been
and white container, which is hit by the flames. It’s popcorn! supposedly menacing the villagers with…a banana.
cover story 45
 Reunited nabbed from the Millennium Falcon.
In our final demo, we skip ahead to a section set on Starkiller That little touch, based on what might otherwise be a
Base. This snowy area is home to the First Order’s powerful throwaway line of dialogue from the movie, shows TT
weapon, as well as one of the film’s most shocking moments Fusion’s attention to detail. “We’ve tried to be as close
(that shall remain undescribed here). as we possibly can,” Taylor says. “Right from the start we
This icy level features Han, Finn, and Chewie as they try broke down – based on what we were aware of – sections
to lower the defenses around the base. Han definitely looks and went through it with LucasFilm and they signed off on
older than he did in the Endor level, but Chewie looks nearly it. As more information became available, we’ve updated
identical. Is he combing in some Wookiee Just for Men into them and made changes and tried to make it as close
his pelt every night? as possible.”
At this point in the story, Finn has a lightsaber in his pos- Chewie didn’t necessarily build a mini snowspeeder out of
session, which he can use to slice open a wall to get parts bricks to distract a huge turret in the film, but you have to
to build an ice-melting cannon. A few First Order droids take a certain amount of liberties in a Lego game.
hover around, but they’re no match for our team’s combined Han scans the area using his quadnoculars, exposing a
firepower. “That’s one of the things we worked quite closely weak spot hidden in a wall that Chewie can blast apart with
with Lucas on,” Eden says. “We needed some sort of drone a thermal detonator. We learned a little more about Han’s
droid-type NPC for this area, and they supplied us with these sidekick in the new movie – and just what he’s been pack-
guys in this location that could be used.” ing all along. “One of the things we’re trying to get now is
It’s frigid out, and the characters leave adorable little you’ve seen how Chewie’s bowcaster works in the new
square footprints behind them in the snow. Even though film, it’s memorable and distinct from the way that blaster
you might think the snowtroopers are accustomed to work- fire works,” Eden says. “It’s throwing people across the
ing in such conditions, a multibuild snow blower confuses rooms and [has] lots of big impacts. There’s a lot of blaster
several of them to the point of walking off the edge of a variety in the new film in comparison to the old ones, and
cliff. Another multibuild shows a more complicated puzzle. again that’s something we’re trying to get – that they all feel
Players have to juggle three different builds to keep a ball of slightly different.”
energy travelling through a network of pipes. It’s somewhat Variations aside, blasters generally have the same effect
similar to what TT Games’ contemporaries at Rocksteady on stormtroopers – they knock them apart in glorious show-
did with a few Riddler Trophies in Batman: Arkham Knight. ers of plastic limbs and collectable Lego studs. When the
The group continues to advance along the base’s group clears out the area near the security door, it’s Finn’s
edge, keeping a low profile (thanks to an area-specific chance to shine. He’s a trained sanitation engineer for the
set of sneaking animations) and doing their best to avoid First Order, which means he has a little know-how when it
enemies. Some pipes break along the way, and Finn comes to opening special terminals. Once inside, it’s time
has to sneak past the toxic gas using a familiar mask he to chase down a chrome-domed villain.

The game is focused on The Force Awakens

content, but there are side stories - including
a level based on Return of the Jedi highlights

46
Shields Down
Captain Phasma is inside the base itself,
but she’s beyond an energy field. Trouble
is, you need to get past a security detail to
gain access to the area. Fortunately, it’s only
a hat away. Finn splits from the group and
works his way across a narrow plank, even-
tually wandering into a spa area where some
Stormtroopers are taking a relaxing bath in
the Jacuzzi pool – while still wearing their
helmets. Finn beats them all up (building
up his combat multiplier and earning bonus
studs in the process) and builds a helmet
dispenser once the coast is clear.
Once through the gate, it’s nearly time to
confront Phasma. That is, after breaking up
an impromptu soccer game. Seriously do
those guys do any work? We’re treated with
another blaster battle, where Eden switches
between Han and Chewie to get the best
view of his opponents. Some guys are
hidden behind cover from vantage points,
so being alert pays off. Some enemies are
now able to build defenses of their own, too,
so recognizing which ones are likely to assemble a turret and paraphrase what Taylor said earlier, there’s no sense in over-
defeating them before they get the chance is a great way to hauling everything if you’re starting with a strong foundation.
keep your minifigs intact. That’s not to say that the Lego games are in danger of grow-
Han uses a grapple point to activate a bridge, but it’s ing stagnant. The multibuilds offer a subtle but meaningful
quickly filled with baddies. He scans it with his quadnoculars tweak to one of the game’s most common interactions, and
to take it out with another thermal detonator – with a little the cover-based blaster battles provide another opportunity
help from Chewie. to further capture the exciting and explosive moments from
Once the area is cleared, it’s time to take on Captain the film.
Phasma herself. The group surprises her while she’s seated The past few months have been big for TT Games, with
and messing around on her cell phone. This boss section the release of Lego Dimensions, Lego Jurassic World, and
is a blaster battle, and cover isn’t completely safe. She can the recent release of Lego Marvel’s Avengers. That’s clearly
fire missiles which show up as crosshairs on the ground. not lost on the company’s head of production and strate-
Hunker down near one too long, and you’ll take a hit. She gic direction, Jonathan Smith. “That gives us really good
jumps around a fair bit, making it tricky to keep crosshairs momentum to return to – from a Lego point of view – our
where they need to be. Eventually, her chair transforms into first love of Star Wars and build on all the technology we’ve
a missile-launching turret. In short, it’s definitely the most developed, all the expertise, all the novel game-design sys-
exciting thing we’ve seen from the character, and a vast tems, and features that the teams have built in the inter-
improvement from the clunkier Lego Star Wars battles of vening 10 years to tell a new story that’s tied to, oh did I
yore. Our team ultimately prevails (of course), and after low- mention, the most successful movie of all time,” he says.
ering the shields Phasma is, appropriately enough, dropped “That’s pretty exciting, to say the least.” \
into a garbage can.
From what we saw over the course of our visit to TT Be sure to visit [Link]/forceawakens throughout the month for exclusive
Fusion, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens is shaping up video interviews with the game’s creative team, extensive behind-the-scenes infor-
to be a nicely refined version of a familiar style of game. To mation, and much more

Starkiller Base can get pretty chilly; it's a good

thing Chewie's keeping track of Han's coat

cover story 47
 The
Mysterious
Drifter
Hyper Light Drifter’s world demands attention,
all without a single word of dialogue

by Kyle Hilliard
48
 Hyper Light Drifter has no spoken dialogue or written
story. A few lines of text appear during the opening mo-
ments to discuss small mechanics, but that’s the last time
you see any words. The way currency works is not im-
mediately apparent, because there are no numbers. You
have to test your weapons and upgrades because no tu-
torial explains their function.
“The main motivation is we want to be subtle and im-
plicit,” Hyper Light Drifter’s creator Alex Preston says,
“Being explicit can ruin the mystery, or you can’t make the
story quite your own.” Everything in Hyper Light Drifter is
explained through animation and imagery, and everything
is learned through player intuition and experimentation.
The result is a narrative led by emotion rather than trans-
parent facts, and gameplay built on discovery instead
of tutorial.

From the beginning, Hyper Light Drifter the screen fills with red pixels, a shadowy
presents a world of mystery and intrigue. The creature, perhaps the same one seen in the
Drifter, the player character, is seen standing aforementioned opening, attacks and every-
amid a collection of dead bodies. A shadowy thing goes black before he wakes in a house
creature attacks and the scene shifts as he surrounded by computer equipment.
finds himself in front of gigantic humanoid, Leaving the home reveals a town, and a
possibly robotic titans who shatter before device that heals and serves as a platform
him. It’s unclear if this sequence is a peek at for fast-travel. Anthropomorphic animals and
the history or future of this world, or if it’s a alien creatures mill about, and a few have
dream. When I finally get control of the Drifter, stands set up to sell items, but I don’t have
I only take a few steps before he hunches any money. Guards stand by the town’s exits,
over in pain, coughing as the screen fills but do nothing to prevent my departure, so I
with red pixels. Thankfully a health pack is point the Drifter east.
nearby, and one of the few tutorials instructs My exploring leads me to a flooded area
me how to pick it up and use it. The Drifter where I rely on the Drifter’s blink ability to
is suffering from some kind of sickness, but move above the water between platforms. It
it does little to debilitate his movement and doesn’t take long to develop a rhythm and
combat abilities. speed allowing me to navigate the terrain
The Drifter can blink from one position to quickly. What appears to be a man near the
another. I zip around the combat field as I area’s entrance shows me an image of a
encounter my first enemy – a small goblin- large intimidating frog creature, which is then
like creature who takes exactly three hits to marked on my map as a destination.
dispatch. Combat is fluid, and though I have I pass a sword the size of a building collect-
the mobility advantage, the goblin can dole ing moss and foliage from presumed years of
out damage quickly if I don’t stay on my abandonment. My first thought is this weapon
» Platform toes. Battles are thoughtful and fast, without must have belonged to the titans I saw earlier,
฀ ฀฀ ฀ ฀ getting overwhelming and even the smallest but it’s just part of the environment. There’s
฀ ฀฀ enemy poses a threat. no indicator of its history outside of my own
The blink ability quickly proves to be much assumptions. Whatever the case may be,
» Style
฀ more than a combat mechanic, as I use it to it was clearly dropped on the bridge that
move across chasms and between platforms. leads to my destination, so I have to find a
» Publisher Blink has no limit to how much I can use it, way around. I discover a temple nearby, and
฀
and it quickly becomes my main mode of inside a number of white-tailed creatures take
» Developer movement, even when there are no obstacles refuge. One shows me a series of images of
฀ requiring its use. their people getting sick and dying – at least
» Release The Drifter makes his way outside, but that’s how I interpret it. It can’t be a coinci-
the mysterious plague grips him again. As dence that my Drifter also has an illness…

feature 49
 After exploring the wider area, tracking compared to the Drifter. I carefully walk up to asked about the Hyper Light Drifter’s origins.
down keys to open locked doors, taking on the titan and stand on its hand, which offers The game has been in development in some
new enemies as well as the goblins I’ve now me a view of the nearby landscape as well as capacity between Preston and engineer and
developed a strategy for, I collect four en- a better look at the full titan. Seeing more of designer Beau Blyth since 2011, but became
cased diamond-like objects. These allow me the creature fills me with a surprising sense a full-time project after launching a successful
to make my way to the area initially marked of dread. I don’t know what these titans are Kickstarter in 2013.
on my map to meet a frog boss. or why they seem to have collapsed without The game raised over $600,000 despite no
The frog wastes no time on an introduction warning, but I am intrigued and eager to one on its team having any particular notable
and immediately starts throwing explosive learn more about the Drifter’s mysterious, video game development experience and
bottles at me. I can stun him by causing imposing world. its pitch video (much like the game itself)
strange plants to detonate under his feet. I re- featuring no voices or explanations of goals.
try the fight many times, and finally eliminate Making The Mystery Instead, the video just showed a prototype
the boss. The Drifter has one more bout with “I’m sure every kid has their dream game of the game in action. “I think our video was
his sickness, reminding me of his delicate they want to make. Or they have ideas about really good,” Blyth says. “Just showing the
situation. I then head back to the village to games they want to make. This is one of game. Not us pleading, ‘Please help us make
purchase upgrades for my blink ability, as well those that stuck around,” Preston says when this!’ We were just like, ‘This is what it is.’”
as a move allowing me to take out multiple
enemies in one quick stylish slice.
This is just the first of four areas surround-
ing the central town hub. North is my next
destination. Snowy mountains greet me along The Lessons Of Zelda
with another character who shows me a new A common point of reference for Hyper Light Drifter is the Legend of Zelda. It’s a game Heart Machine
boss and marks their location on my map. called out in its Kickstarter pitch and one you will inevitably think about while playing the game. Pres-
This one looks more human than animal, but ton, however, uses Nintendo’s classic series for more than just what it does right. “Even the bad Zelda
I won’t know more until I meet it in person. stuff taught me about things I don’t want to do,” says Hyperlight Drifter creator Alex Preston.
As I make way up the mountains, a new fly- Hyper Light Drifter has an overhead perspective, sword combat, and abundant points of discov-
ing enemy that requires careful timing to hit ery, but you won’t find puzzles (a Zelda mainstay) in the traditional sense. Both Preston and Blyth
gives me trouble. I preserve and soon find agree the game is more inspired by the concept of Zelda than Zelda itself, calling out the complete
a locked door at the mountain peak, forcing lack of hand-holding and allure of discovery from the original 1985 game as a big design motivator.
me to head back down the mountain along a “Skyward Sword was a rigid pile of misery,” Preston jokes, lamenting the continuous backtracking and
new path. excessive tutorials.
As I take my first steps in the new direction, Preston likes Zelda. “I might not sound like it right now, but I do,” he assures. “Ocarina is still one of
the soundtrack (from Disasterpeace of Fez my favorite games of all time and I can still go back and play it, but the things I take from it are both
and It Follows fame) swells and the camera the negative and positive. I feel very strongly about it because I embrace it so much and it was such a
pans to show a gigantic dead titan. His arm formative experience,” Preston says. “I’m very critical of it because of the way it has informed me over
grips the side of the mountain as though it the years.”
died while attempting the climb. The creature,
or perhaps robot, is the size of a skyscraper

50
 Hyper Light
Drifter•s
List O f Don•ts
Early in development, Heart Machine’s
small development team sat at a table and
wrote out a list of things it hated in video
games that it wanted to make sure didn’t
make it into the final product. This isn’t the
full list, but some of the stand-outs:
฀฀ ฀
฀฀ ฀
Hyper Light Drifter is a science-fiction game on the team, trained as traditional artists, ฀฀
that avoids the supernatural. Technology and taught themselves pixel art through the ฀฀ ฀
pervades the landscape with abandoned course of development. Preston also points ฀฀ ฀
machinery dotting each environment, and to the films of Studio Ghibli. “Nausicaä of ฀฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
enemies use guns and weapons, despite their the Valley of the Wind is the biggest one for one large enemy
fantastic character design. “Everything we put me,“ Preston says. “Aesthetically, it is very ฀฀ ฀ ฀
into the game is grounded in some scientific grand and touching in a way, and it resonated ฀฀ ฀
fact, or scientific fiction that we’re interested with me forever.” The inspiration is clear in ฀฀
in. Nothing in there is like, ’Yeah, he just the game, as its mysterious world is one
squirts a beam out because he is a magical that clearly has a strained relationship with
bird!’ even though it might seem like it.” abandoned technology.
Its pixelated art style is common in the Through the course of our discussion, Heart Heart Machine realizes that upon release,
indie world. “Really any art style – and it is Machine emphasized the importance of se- Hyper Light’s figurative silence might be a
an art style ultimately – or aesthetic has a crets and discovery in Hyper Light Drifter. The point of contention for players, but it trusts its
challenge,” Preston says. “I don’t think there desire for mystery influences every aspect audience, and hopes a community will build
is any less of a challenge with pixel art than of the game, perhaps most prominently in around the game to solve its mysteries and
there is with high-res or 3D stuff if you want to its insistence on avoiding text and dialogue. intentionally ambiguous mechanics. “It has to
make it look good and make it your own.” “Writing can kind of destroy the mystery, be an expectation of any game maker these
One of the ways Hyper Light Drifter stands which we have a lot of,” Blyth says. “You days – the Internet exists.” Preston says.
out aesthetically from similar games is in don’t want to just say everything.” Preston Even though Hyper Light Drifter looks like a
part thanks to the history of the game’s goes so far as to call the process of explain- classic game, it was a game funded on the
artists, and its non-video game inspira- ing a story and gameplay mechanics without promise of its future as opposed to the history
tions. “There are a lot of bad-looking pixel text as miserable. “We’re not allowed to be of its creators. After spending time with the
art games out there, and I hope ours is not,” lazy,” Blyth says, “It’s been a challenge and game, it’s safe to say Heart Machine’s trust
Preston says. He, as well as the other artists it’s bet ter for it.” is founded. \

These giant monoliths, like this one seen in the north,

hide electronics and computer technology once activated

feature 51
 » Platform
฀ ฀฀
» Style
1 or 2-Player Fighting
(2-Player Online)
» Publisher

» Developer
฀
» Release
February 16

W WAR O R L D
RIO R S RE D I F FERE
N T TH AN YO U THI NK

S TI S MO
CA
L IAR
V ' S FAMI
FIGH TER
ET
STRE

Iconic characters like Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li are the faces of Street Fighter, but the series has always included a
diverse cast of outlandish characters. We spoke with producer Yoshinori Ono about the process of crafting the com-
batants and making familiar faces feel fresh again for the newest entry in the legendary fighting series.
BY BRIAN SHEA
52
Here Come Some New Challengers purpose for these characters,” Ono says. “I too weak compared to the other fighters, that
The way a fighting game plays is of utmost im- wanted them to go out of their way to make sure character won’t get used, or players will be-
portance, but with hardcore players pouring they did that.” come so frustrated that they’ll stop playing the
thousands of hours into gaining an intimate fa- For example, Vega (Claw) is still an acrobatic, game altogether.
miliarity with their favorite characters, the roster aerial assault-style character, but his inputs have “No character has value as a combat tool if he
carries undeniable weight. This makes imple- been switched up to play more into his style. or she is too strong or too weak. Except maybe
menting a well-rounded cast of fighters essen- Dhalsim has also received some big changes Dan [laughs],” Ono says. “When balancing char-
tial. The Street Fighter series excels at this, con- including a revamp of his iconic Yoga Fire move, acters, we don’t think to ourselves, ‘This charac-
sistently delivering games full of characters with while Zangief has been given new throws to ter is powerful in the story, so let’s balance him
diverse abilities, looks, and personalities. help him restrict his opponents even more to be super powerful.’”
This is largely thanks to Street Fighter’s abil- than before. An example he gives is Sagat in vanilla Street
ity to introduce compelling new combatants Even with the notion of intentionally changing Fighter IV. The massive “Emperor of Muay Thai”
regularly. Though the classic fighters will always up legacy characters, Ono paid close attention was perhaps the most powerful character in the
receive more love and attention from the fan- to the process to ensure that the DNA of these game, but fans seemed to be more forgiving of
base, the new challengers breathe fresh life into characters remained intact in a way that was that fact due to his standing as a formidable
the franchise. recognizable to the passionate fan base. “The character in the story. Sagat was eventually bal-
According to Ono, the process of introducing way that the character attacks, the way that anced out to be fairer for competition.
a new character can be a difficult and stress- you play with them, the DNA of the character – When Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
ful one, with fears that the new faces won’t fit I made sure to tell them to keep that 100-per- launched in 2010, Yun was viewed as over-
in with the rest of the roster, or that they’ll feel cent intact,” he says. “Even though the char- powered. Though he wasn’t as overpowered as
wrong for the game. However, the team has a acters may have changed, they still have stuff Sagat in the original Street Fighter IV, the player
long pedigree of successful over-the-top char- that you’re used to. If you look at Ken, we made feedback was louder than it was with Sagat. “I
acters to fall back on, which galvanizes the team sure to keep his attacks and made sure that he suspect the criticism of Yun was so much higher
when brainstorming new ideas. has a playstyle where he’s constantly attacking that on some subconscious level, people were
“We could be scared of new and different and rushing down the opponent. Or with Chun- thinking, ‘Sagat’s the Emperor of Muay Thai – of
things, but at Street Fighter we have kind of a Li where she has a lot of kick moves, but also course he’s powerful. But Yun’s just some young
tradition of having really outlandish charac- capable in air-to-air combat sort of situations. punk,’” Ono says.
ters suddenly appear,” he says. “That’s actu- It’s how we’re resetting and how we’re having Shortly after these criticisms surfaced, the
ally something that we go for because those are people approach it a little bit differently.” team released a balance update that addressed
most of the characters that really end up sticking Because of where the story falls in the series’ the issues. Going forward, Ono says that the
with people and they end up falling in love with. timeline, Street Fighter IV’s original roster relied team has kept these lessons in their minds while
In the long run, those are the characters that end heavily on the characters appearing in Street working on Street Fighter V. “We want to ensure
up having a lot of longevity and more of a chance Fighter II. Appearing later on the timeline, Street that we don’t have another situation like we did
of sticking around in the series.” Fighter V’s launch stable pulls from a more di- with Sagat and Yun, so we’re working really hard
Street Fighter is popular all across the globe, verse pool. Several characters from Street to provide a very balanced game with SFV,”
and the team often looks at underrepresented Fighter II’s roster appear, but Street Fighter V’s he says.
regions when creating a new character. From roster also pulls in multiple fighters who made Listening to player feedback has proven cru-
there, the characters are crafted to ensure they their debuts in the Alpha trilogy, as well as Birdie, cial to the team, which is why Capcom and
have significance in the story. The example who appeared in the original Street Fighter, but Dimps have been getting Street Fighter V in
Ono gives is the Korean character Juri, who skipped the Street Fighter II series. the hands of as many players as possible prior
made her introduction in Super Street Fighter to launch through expos and beta tests. “We
IV. Juri is the first Korean character to appear The Balancing Act have always poised ourselves to listen to every-
in the series, and the intention was to represent Once the characters are implemented into the one’s feedback,” Ono says. “That stance has
the many fighting game fans in Korea through roster, they must be balanced to play well. Hav- not changed with SFV, where we’ve been con-
this character. ing an overpowered character is problematic as tinuously conducting beta tests and collecting
In Street Fighter V, the team approached the online matches become flooded with that char- user feedback."
new characters with these same ideas. Each acter and players who spam his or her most “Unfortunately, we can’t listen to each and ev-
of the four new characters – Necalli, Rashid, effective moves. ery user’s opinion. One user might say we should
Laura, and F.A.N.G – were created to appeal to Part of this balancing act is having charac- make shoryukens stronger. Another will say we
the worldwide player base either through their ters that are accessible through movesets that should make shoryukens weaker. It’s impossible
origin or new fighting style. Necalli and F.A.N.G’s are easier to input, but those characters also to honor both of these requests at the same
origins are unknown, but each of them uses a have drawbacks in other areas. In that regard, time. But, we always read player feedback, then
unique fighting style. Laura is the first character the team must be careful as to not nuke a make the appropriate decisions to the best of
to employ Brazilian jiu-jitsu tactics, while Rashid character’s abilities too much. If a character is our ability.”
is an acrobatic character who also happens to
be the first in the main series to hail from the
Middle East.

Familiar Foes With New Twists

New characters can inject a feeling of fresh-
ness to a fighting game, but it wouldn’t feel like
Street Fighter without the franchise mainstays. More returning characters are coming to Street Fighter V’s roster by way of downloadable content.
With Street Fighter V, several fan favorites are The decision was made that players will never need to buy a new disc-based product or upgrade
represented, including Ryu, Chun-Li, Ken, M. pack in order to avoid using Street Fighter IV’s disc-based update methods.
Bison (Dictator), and Cammy. These names “We’re trying to match users’ lifestyles and where the culture is heading,” says series producer
are familiar to longtime players, but Capcom Yoshinori Ono. “That’s what we’re really trying to accomplish with the service model approach.”
and Dimps worked to make the experience of When the characters release, players have the option to earn characters in-game rather than
controlling some of those fighters different from buy them through accomplishing certain goals. So far, Capcom has revealed Balrog (Boxer), Guile,
past games. Alex, Ibuki, Urien, and Juri.
“We have characters coming back like Chun-
Li, Ken, and even Cammy changed some, but
we made sure to have at least one thing – I told
the team I want one thing that they change on
feature 53
 C R A F TI N G TH E
COMBATANTS
With 16 playable characters at launch, Street Fighter V features a good mix of classic characters and new
challengers. We asked Ono to explain how he and the team designed each of Street Fighter V’s launch characters.

RYU CHUN-LI
“When it comes to his visual design, the “She was the first character we cre-
gi, headband, and gloves are indispens- ated, alongside Ryu (of course we’ve
able. Of course, we did try more drastic been continually adjusting them both
redesigns, but it starts to miss the point throughout the development process).
when you go so far that someone seeing Chun-Li is a character who’s changed
it for the first time doesn’t even recognize quite a bit from one installment to
the character as Ryu. So, while we did the next, but I think we’ve always
make little tweaks here and there like preserved the fact that she’s a speedy
giving more weight and thickness to character who inflicts lots of hits.
his gi and upgrading the graphics, we We kept that in mind for this install-
decided to stick with his existing design. ment when creating her moves
Ryu’s evolution has been more internal.” and systems.”

Dhalsim
“As with past titles, Dhalsim has been tricky to balance. He either ends up ridiculously strong, or ridiculously weak. After lots of
trial and error, we made it so his Yoga Fire launches in a parabolic arc. For a horizontal approach, he’s got his fierce punch and
roundhouse. His fighting style entails attacking while simultaneously distracting the opponent with Yoga Fires from above. From the
opponent’s standpoint, Dhalsim moves at an easily observable speed, so you just have to stay calm and his tricks can be overcome.
Aside from the big change mentioned above, we’ve made plenty of little tweaks and I think achieved just the right balance.”

NASH RASHID
“What we originally envisioned for Nash (in “With Rashid, we were going for a
SFV) was a killer, hell-bent on revenge… character who would provide contrast
a cold assassin with no memories other with Ryu. He is loose and lax in gen-
than those of his own death. His critical eral, but buckles down when the time
art, sonic move, and other moves were comes to get serious. He’s also a child
designed with the above concept in mind, of the modern age, and has a penchant
and we never strayed from that.” for all the latest gadgets.”

Necalli
“The original concept was a shocking character who craved battle with mighty opponents, and who would actually eat those he
defeated. It eventually occurred to us that a flesh-eating character might not be suitable for a Teen-rated game, so we changed him
into a devourer of souls. To give him an animal-like quality, we designed his hair to resemble snakes or octopus tentacles. It’s also
reflected in his battle style, where he attacks with his claws and intimidates the opponent with roars. He’s an incredibly untamed
character. We wanted to use the beautiful culture of South America as groundwork and sculpt it into some kind of a human form.”

54
 vega (Claw)
M. Bison (Dictator) “The core concept for Vega was to do away with the
“For SFV, we’ve updated his animations to preserve tendency to just spam crouching medium punch at the
that ‘boss-like’ quality. You’ll notice he has a very mid to long range. We also envisioned him as an aerial
imposing walk with his arms crossed. Application combat specialist. We didn’t think charge commands
of his normal Psycho Crusher overlapped with that were a great fit for aerial special moves, so we changed
of the Double Knee Press – predominantly used for his inputs. We also wanted to create more disparity in
chip damage on wakeup, which wasn’t very ‘boss- his attack style depending on whether or not he has the
like’ at all, so we got rid of it.” claw equipped.”

CAMMY KARIN
“Cammy was originally envisioned to be an extreme “No matter what we do, Rekka moves always end up
in-fighter. Thanks to her thrusting attack after activating being powerful (dive-kicks, too). We’ve made them only
V-Trigger, we’ve made her into a character who can available with the V-Trigger active, creating a sort of ebb
deal huge damage in a short amount of time. We’ve and flow to her offense. We’d intended for Karin to be
also changed her aerial mobility by way of the Cannon a technical character from the very beginning. She’s a
Strike and EX Cannon Strike so that she’s more capable popular character that garners a lot of interest, but she
of unleashing surprise attacks.” requires some practice to master.”

BIRDIE ken
“From a design standpoint, his chain was always what “We wanted to turn Ken into a character completely
stood out about him, so we felt we should increase distinct from Ryu. His initial design had him in a modi-
the number of attacks that use it. We’ve added moves fied gi. There are even design drafts out there depicting
that prioritize moving the opponent over Birdie’s own him in a suit, but he is a fighter, first and foremost,
mobility, making him come off as more of a reactive so we decided to stick with the gi but evolve it. Ken
character. But in actuality, his V-Skill also makes him is a clever, skillful type, so he’s able to absorb new
adept at offensive maneuvers.” influences from a variety of sources, such as taking on
new training. We equipped him with some new training
wear and a fighting style that puts a unique twist on
Gouken’s teachings.”

F.A.N.G
“We were going for a character with a deceptive, dirty
fighting style. It was decided in the very beginning that R. Mika
he would possess reach second only to Dhalsim. We
toyed with the idea of having him use some kind of “We focused on trying to make her feel more like a
concealed weapon, but we needed to keep him distinct pro wrestler. Street Fighter V has more characters
from Vega, so we ended up going with the poison con- categorized as grapplers than previous entries, but we
cept. F.A.N.G is also integral to the game’s story.” aimed to give each one their own distinct style. For
Mika, we created lots of different ways for her to set up
throw opportunities.”

Laura
“We received a request from our South American team ZANGIEF
to craft a new Brazilian fighter. Around that time, we had
also decided that one of the new characters would be “Our first thought was to get rid of Banishing Flat.
a woman. For Laura, we’d wanted to create a fighting The concept in SFV takes it back to the original Street
style consisting of a combination of linking moves and Fighter II, where it was all about seeking powerful throw
striking moves, so Brazilian jiu-jitsu made for a good opportunities. In light of that, we’ve implemented some
fit, given the character’s nationality. She boasts good new ways for Zangief to get in close and endure oppo-
forward and backward mobility, and close observers will nents’ attacks. By implementing an aerial anti-air throw,
note that she employs suri-ashi (feet shuffling).” we’ve made Zangief more able to restrict opponents’
movements (and make them very aware of that).” \

feature 55
 Say hello to the friendly faces of PowerUp Rewards.

Michaeline / AK
What is your all-time favorite game and why?
I would have to say my most favorite game series is the Mass Effect trilogy. It is a fantastic
blend of a 3rd person shooter and an RPG, which are genres I really enjoy. I absolutely love the
characters and the interactions the game creates with those [Link] ability to create
your own hero and choose how they interact with the game’s environment is the coolest thing
ever. Every time a customer is looking for a great series I almost always recommend Mass Effect.

What impact on gaming do you see Virtual Reality having?

Virtual reality is going to make playing games a lot easier and also allow for different ways
to be able to play a game.

In your opinion, what role will indie games play in the future?
Indie games offer a unique, memorable, and fun gaming experience for everyone, there
are so many cool ones out there, my favorites are Don’t Starve and Braid. I believe indie
games will be around in the future.

Are you a collector?

I collect POP! Vinyl figures, amiibos, Magic The Gathering trading cards, and other random
plushes and figurines. The biggest things in my collection are the collector’s editions of all
three Mass Effect games, My Halo 3 and Halo 5 collector’s edition, and my 21inch statue of
ASSOCIATE SPOTLIGHT Garrus from Mass Effect.

Hugo Rodriguez / AK
What is your all-time favorite game and why?
My all-time favorite video game has to be The Last of Us from Naughty Dog. It has
been so much fun diving into those worlds and instantly loving all the characters.
When I started playing The Last of Us, I was surprised to immediately love the
characters and how they developed over time in a post-apocalyptic world. To this
day, I haven’t felt that same adrenaline rush in any other game.

What new game are you most excited for and why?
I’m looking forward to King of Fighters 14 and Street Fighter 5.

What’s in your console right now?

Right now, there’s Destiny in my Destiny themed PS4. There’s Splatoon in my Wii
U, there’s The Witcher 3 in my Xbox One, Dragons Crown in my PS Vita, and Fire
Emblem: Awakening for my Nintendo 3DS.

Which Virtual Reality device are you most excited for?

Definitely the Oculus Rift. It sounds like it’ll be very versatile. I haven’t had a
chance to try it though. MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
 ME R SAFF
by G M E I N F O 

Not so long ago, almost all the best games in any given year
would launch just before the holidays, only to be followed by
a long drought. While the final months of each year are still
flooded with great games, in recent years some publishers have
steered clear of the holiday deluge and moved the release of
some compelling games into the first half of the following year.
Following this trend, 2016 is no exception to the new paradigm.
Here are some of the most exciting games on the way to your
screen as the winter winds to a close and spring gets set to arrive.

58
 The Flame In The Flood
February Xbox One · PC

T
he Molasses Flood developers have quite the resume, with
games like BioShock and Halo 2. This is not a science-fiction
shooter tale, however, as it follows a character named Scout
and her dog Aesop as they try to survive while traveling down a river, ex-
ploring the surroundings, and collecting supplies as permadeath looms
around every corner.

The Walking Dead:

Michonne
February PS4 · Xbox One · PS3 · Xbox 360 · PC · Mac · Vita · iOS

T
elltale returns to the popular Walking Dead license with this
three-episode miniseries starring the sword-wielding Michonne.
The story is set during a previously unexplored period in the
comics, and has Michonne confronting threats in the present while
struggling with her past. With no concrete info about the series’ third
season yet, this adventure helps The Walking Dead fans get their fix.

Assassin’s Creed
Chronicles: Russia
February 9 PS4 · Xbox One · Vita · PC

T
he final installment of this Mark of the Ninja-inspired spin-off
of Assassin’s Creed is coming this February, with Chronicles:
Russia letting players step into the boots of assassin Nikolai
Orelov. Nikolai’s story about completing one last mission for The Brother-
hood before leaving the order to start a new life with his family could
prove to be one of the most interesting tales to emerge from the series.

XCOM 2
February 5 PC · Mac

N early 20 years after the alien invasion, players command a

rebel force bent on undermining Earth’s new overlords at
every turn. From a mobile base, players deploy squads of
agents, ambush a host of deadly aliens, and research new weapons
and talents that include everything from sniper rifles to psychic op-
eratives. True to its pedigree, XCOM 2 looks to offer a series of deep
strategic battles that will test your critical thinking as well as your
determination. Signing up for this war is practically suicide, but what
else would you expect from XCOM?

feature 59
 Mighty No. 9
February 9 PS4 · Xbox One · Wii U · PS3 · Xbox 360 · Vita · 3DS · PC

M ega Man co-creator Keiji Inafune is hard at work with his

team at Comcept and side-scrolling veterans Inti Creates on
a spiritual successor to Capcom’s M.I.A. Blue Bomber. The
2.5D action-platformer features everything we love from the NES-era
classics: elemental bosses with weapons you can steal and turn on
them, demanding difficulty, and an adorably cartoony art style.

Dying Light –
The Following
February 9 PS4 · Xbox One · PC

T
echland’s first-person, open-world zombie adventure is get-
ting a huge expansion. The vast, zombie-riddled countryside
of The Following DLC is larger than all of the core game’s land
combined, leaving players with fewer means of vertical safety. Thank-
fully players have a buggy that can be customized with flamethrowers,
electric blasts, and other wonderful toys via its unique skill tree.

Firewatch
February 9 PS4 · PC

C
ampo Santo’s debut game puts you in the shoes of Henry, a
troubled man who takes a job as a fire lookout to gain some
perspective. Henry’s only form of communication is through
walkie talkie to his supervisor, Delilah. Together they deal with every-
thing from drunken kids to suspicious figures, getting to know each
other and growing through the experience. Your job? Explore and
make choices.

60
 Unravel
February 9 PS4 · Xbox One · PC

L ook out, woolly Yoshi – there’s a new yarn-based protagonist

in town. Yarny stole the stage at EA’s E3 2015 press confer-
ence, thanks to Unravel’s clever mix of traditional platform-
ing and physics-based puzzles. Yarny uses his own string to lasso,
swing, and slingshot his way through gorgeous environments, while
simultaneously weaving a deeper symbolic narrative about the bonds
between people.

Pillars Of Eternity:
The White March Part 2
February 16 PC

I
f you missed out on one of the best RPGs of 2015, now is
your chance to catch up. The second and final part of The
White March expansion releases in February, so you can now
embrace the full scope of the epic adventure. A new barbarian com-
panion and a higher level cap should appeal to veteran players, but
we’re especially curious about the new “story time” mode, which gives
players tools to confront the narrative at a faster pace.

Street Fighter V
February 16 PS4 · PC

W
ith the next entry in the lauded fighting franchise, Capcom and
Dimps are introducing a flurry of new ideas, including cross-
platform online play, DLC characters you can choose to either
pay for with real-life money or earn in-game, and V-Skills, V-Reversals,
and V-Triggers to spice up the combat. Street Fighter V delivers 16
playable characters at launch, which you can read all about on p. 52.

feature 61
 Plants Vs. Zombies
Garden Warfare 2
February 23 PS4 · Xbox One · PC

S
ome players might not be able to see their lawns in February
thanks to snow, but that won’t stop them from being able to
defend them. PopCap’s shooter spinoff is coming back, with
new character classes and maps, including a low-gravity moon base.
The plants are taking the fight to the zombies, and players can gain an
edge by grabbing a split-screen partner or transplanting heroes from
the first Garden Warfare.

Fire Emblem Fates

February 19 3DS

F
ire Emblem Awakening proved this long-running strategy/
RPG series still had plenty of new ideas. The next entry is
going even bigger, releasing two different versions: Conquest
and Birthright. Each version focuses on the same characters, but puts
you on different sides of the war, either Kingdoms of Hoshida (where
you were born) or Nohr (your adopted home). Which will you choose?

Far Cry Primal

February 23 (PS4, Xbox One), March 1 (PC) PS4 · Xbox One · PC

T
he Far Cry series has always placed a premium on hunting
down (and in most cases being hunted by) the local wild-
life, but Far Cry Primal takes things a step further. Set in the
Mesolithic period, Far Cry Primal trades in modern-day firepower for
spears, clubs, and bows. The good news? You can now tame the
deadly animals to fight by your side as you build up and manage your
own prehistoric tribe.

62
 The Division
March 8 PS4 · Xbox One · PC

F
rom the moment Ubisoft debuted a moody, scripted demo of
The Division at E3 2013, gamers have been curious about this
online multiplayer shooter. Like Destiny before it, this third-
person shooter seamlessly blends single-player content, cooperative
experiences, and competitive multiplayer into one persistent world.
Merging a post-apocalyptic Tom Clancy clandestine military scenario
with RPG upgrade systems and loot drops sounds promising, but the
game still has several unknowns at this point. To read more, check out
our preview on p. 68.

The Legend Of Zelda:

Twilight Princess HD
March 4 Wii U

T
wilight Princess is the next classic Zelda title to be revisit-
ed on a new platform, and it’s coming with more than just
a high-definition visual overhaul. The game features Amiibo
functionality and releases alongside a Wolf Link figure, which Nintendo
says carries data over to the brand new Zelda scheduled to release
later in 2016.

Hitman
March 11 PS4 · Xbox One · PC

I
O Interactive threw Hitman fans for a loop when it announced
the newest installment of the series would be released
in stages, but aside from the episodic format, everything
about Agent 47’s latest assassination spree sounds on target. Great-
ly expanded locations, more creative kill options, and hundreds of
unique non-player characters in each level aim to deliver 47’s greatest
adventure yet.

UFC 2
March 15 PS4 · Xbox One

T
wo years after a solid debut effort, EA Sports is stepping back
in the Octagon with UFC 2. With new grappling and submis-
sion mechanics, as well as improved knockout physics, EA
Sports hopes to make the action more authentic than ever before. EA
is also promising the biggest roster ever seen in a fight sport game, as
well as more depth in the modes offered. Read more on p. 71.

feature 63
 MLB The Show 16
March 29 PS4 · PS3

Y
ou often hear athletes say that it felt like time slowed to a
crawl when they made a remarkable play. Using a new fea-
ture called ShowTime, Sony’s annual baseball franchise is
homing in on this aspect of the game, allowing players more time to
make diving stops, or crack a game-winning home run. Road to the
Show mode is updated with new unlockable perks and a stream-
lined menu system that allows players to play an entire series without
returning to the main menu.

Pokkén Tournament
March 18 Wii U

T
he Pokémon series has traditionally been about two charac-
ters squaring off in combat, so bringing gameplay from the
Tekken series to create a Pokémon fighting game should be
a match made in heaven. With a roster comprised of iconic Pokémon
like Pikachu, Charizard, and Mewtwo and more accessible gameplay
than Tekken’s usual offerings, Pokkén Tournament could be a great
addition to the Wii U’s catalog.

Adr1ft
March 28 (PC), TBA (PS4, Xbox One) PS4 · Xbox One · PC

A
dr1ft has you exploring the wreckage and beauty of space.
As an amnesiac astronaut whose ship has crashed, you
float in zero gravity searching to find answers and oxygen
tanks before you run out of breath. Along the way, you discover the
lives of crew members; their stories offer both beautiful and tragic
revelations about life.

Dirt Rally
April 5 PS4 · Xbox One · PC

D
irt Rally was the best racing title last year due to its relentless
challenge and the car handling rising to the occasion. Now
console/PC retail owners will get to experience the game in
all its frenzied glory. It’s been updated since its Steam release, and at
the time of this writing Codemasters hasn’t released any details, but
we expect those courses/cars to be included in this release.

64
 Dark Souls III
April 12 PS4 · Xbox One · PC

H
idetaka Miyazaki returns to the Dark Souls series for the third
entry in the dark fantasy world. What we’ve seen so far feels a
lot like the original title in the series, with challenging bosses,
surprising shortcuts, and plenty of player freedom and choice as they
determine how to tackle the punishing but beautiful world. With a few
new features and mechanics being added to the core gameplay, we’re
expecting another powerful entry for the fantastic franchise.

Quantum Break
April 5 Xbox One

R
emedy Entertainment doesn’t shy away from complicated
stories, and Quantum Break’s time-traveling narrative is
more involved than traditional games thanks to a live-action
television-inspired show, which will break up the action and fill in some
narrative gaps. Players control Jack Joyce, the bystander of a failed
time travel experiment who gains extraordinary time-manipulation
powers and must then use them to stop an evil corporation from
destroying time completely.

Ratchet & Clank

April 12 PS4

T
his reimagining of the first game in the classic sci-fi platformer
series is also an adaptation of the full feature film being released
almost three weeks after the game. Looking like a gorgeous,
playable Pixar cartoon, the reboot maintains the trademark, wacky
humor of the original, with weaponry capable of turning the eponymous
duo’s foes into helpless, bouncing pixelated versions of themselves.

feature 65
 Star Fox Zero
April 21 Wii U

W
ith Star Fox Zero, Nintendo aims to recapture the magic of
Star Fox 64 while modernizing the formula at every turn. Us-
ing the screen on the Wii U GamePad, players can get better
views of the action and aim more precisely. You also have control of a
fresh stable of vehicles that add various new mechanics into the mix,
including a slow hovering vehicle designed specifically for stealth.

Bravely Second:
End Layer
April 1 5 3DS

B
ravely Default was one of the most talked about role-playing
games of 2012, delivering a great blend of nostalgia and in-
novation. Its sequel, Bravely Second, takes place two years
later and is poised to be even better. Square Enix is out to right the first
game’s wrongs, such as the repetitive content. Expect returning char-
acters, new jobs and abilities, and more of its fantastic battle system.

Uncharted 4:
A Thief’s End
April 26 PS4

N
o one nails jaw-dropping set-piece encounters quite like
Naughty Dog, and early demos have offered ample evidence
of the explosive action in Nathan Drake’s new adventure.
Stellar visuals, harrowing traversal and shooting gameplay, pithy
dialogue, and a robust new multiplayer mode should make this the
defining exclusive for Sony in the first half of 2016.

Total War: Warhammer

April 28 PC

T
he Total War titles have always provided plenty of settlement
claiming and large-scale battles that are breathtaking to be-
hold, but Creative Assembly is finally taking things far away
from the historically driven series by exploring the fantasy world of
Warhammer. Things that would never fly in ancient Rome, like magic
and ogres, take center stage in this new look on massive battles.
Check out more on p. 82.

66
 Battleborn
May 3 PS4 · Xbox One · PC

B
est known for the Borderlands series, Gearbox is combining
its knack for first-person action with a huge cast of colorful
characters vying for control of the last star in the universe.
Players square off against each other in team-based battles as a high-
flying elf huntress armed with a bow, a gentlemen robo-sniper, and
myriad other galactic misfits. A four-player co-op campaign rounds
out the gonzo sci-fi package.

Homefront:
The Revolution
May 17 PS4 · Xbox One · PC

A
fter a tumultuous development that includes switching pub-
lishers and dev studios a couple times, in May the revolution
will finally begin. This first-person shooter bears the Home-
front name, but has transformed into a new experience thanks to the
new open-world setting. Taking place four years after the Greater
Korean Republic’s invasion of America, a small band of Philadel-
phian resistance fighters must scavenge for supplies and slowly chip
away at the invaders’ power structure using hit-and-fade tactics.

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

May 24 PS4 · Xbox One · PC

F
ans have waited a long time for a new outing with Faith, the
free-running heroine of the city of Glass. Catalyst is a pre-
quel story about her early days of climbing and leaping along
rooftops. DICE is implementing an open-world structure, along with a
refined approach to traversal and martial arts takedowns, but the core
parkour action remains the centerpiece.

feature 67
 The Division
Taking Tom Clancy in a new direction
» Platform f there’s one thing we can take away of how all of these piece coalesce. rule of thumb for decades of Rainbow
PlayStation 4
฀ ฀฀
» Style
Online Multiplayer
I from the first couple years of the
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One era, it’s
that major publishers are more risk
Unlike Destiny, the only other game
to date that has set up shop in this
new shooter space, The Division didn’t
Six and Ghost Recon games has been
deadly gunplay; if you shoot someone
in the head, they die in a timely fashion.
averse than ever before. Given the forget its narrative. From the open- Not in The Division. Cleaving more
Shooter
giant expenditures required to make ing cinematic to the completion of closely to a traditional role-playing
» Publisher and market blockbuster games, fewer your objectives as one of the civilian game or the fantastical firefights of
Ubisoft
seem willing to bet on new ideas, as operatives hoping to restore order games like Borderlands and Destiny,
» Developer evidenced by the smaller number to New York City after it’s hit with a enemies in The Division are bullet
Massive Entertainment/
of new game properties coming catastrophic epidemic, The Division sponges. Some go down with less
Red Storm
out of the Electronic Arts (Titanfall), keeps its story moving forward. Players resistance, but others are heavily
» Release Activision (Destiny), and Take-Two explore where this virus came from armed and require concentrated fire
March 3
(Evolve, Battleborn) camps. Ubisoft, and if it has a potential antidote while to neutralize. This requires consider-
however, is swimming against that meeting a colorful cast of characters. able suspension of disbelief when the
tide with Watch Dogs, For Honor, and From the crazy-eyed convict lead- enemy shooting at you is a garbage
The Division. The latter is by far the ing the prisoners who escaped from man from the Bronx instead of an alien
biggest gamble, with the potential for Rikers to the former waste manage- or supernatural being.
the biggest payoff. ment servicemen hell bent on burning When I ask Massive lead game
Since its debut in 2013, we’ve had the sickness out of the city and killing designer Mathias Karlson why they
more questions than answers about everyone who stands in their way, you are straying from the Clancy roots in
this ambitious attempt to blend single- get a clear sense of Manhattan’s new this fashion, he explains. “If I decide to
player campaigns, cooperative experi- fractured reality. work really hard to be a team member
ences, and competitive play into one Before they set out on the mission to that forgoes my medical and healing
harmonious package. But now that The take back New York City, Tom Clancy capabilities to go for damage, how
Division is rounding into shape, Ubisoft fans must take a leap of faith with does that work if it doesn’t matter
stopped by to give us a hands-on tour developer Massive Entertainment. The because whatever I do it’s one shot
68
 The PC Difference
PC owners shouldn’t be
worried about receiving
a dumbed down port of
a console game with The
Division. Red Storm is
handling the respon-
sibilities of bringing
the game to PC, and in
doing so is adding many
enhancements not found
on the PS4 and Xbox
One like user interface
customization, multi-
monitor support, and an
unlocked framerate.

one kill?” he asks. “At the end of the

day, we are an RPG first, so that’s why
we did what we did.”
Karlson isn’t lying; after playing the
game for several hours it’s clear that
role-playing is the true heart of The
Division. One of your first jobs in the
game is to establish a base of opera-
tion. Like the headquarters in XCOM,
the players have several ways they
can upgrade their base, which in turn
grants upgrades to your character. By
completing missions throughout the
city you can strengthen the medical,
technical, and security functionality. is a winner-take-all area with its own wouldn’t be tense,” Karlson says. “The
Doing so levels up your character and ranking system. How high your rank is thing is, we have so many systems
grants you access to a bevy of new determines which loot crates you can in place to try to make sure it doesn’t
skills, talents, and perks. Since The open, and as you move north in the devolve into a total grief fest.”
Division is a class-less experience, region the A.I. enemies get progres- Walking away from our day spent
you can swap out skills on the fly as sively harder. Once you find your fill of with The Division, I’m intrigued to play
you see fit. This allows your fire squad loot, you must try to extract it to your more. The narrative, open world, and
of up to four people to reconfigure as base for decontamination before using skill trees have me eager to keep fight-
each situation dictates. it. Here your job gets tricky because ing, but one major question mark still
While exploring the now desolate players can go rogue, killing other hovers like a specter over Ubisoft’s
streets of New York, brave players can operatives and keeping their hard- risky endeavor – end game. Massive
venture into the dangerous streets of earned spoils for themselves. Time wouldn’t share its plans with us other
the Dark Zone. This free-for-all space is will tell if players will embrace this type than to say there are PvE opportunities
where you can scavenge for epic loot, of experience, but it’s certainly unlike outside of the Dark Zone, but giving
but getting it out of the region may any other multiplayer experience on players incentive to stick around once
prove difficult. consoles today. they wrap up the narrative and hit the
The Division has no competitive mul- “It’s an incredibly tense experience, level cap will be key to The Division’s
tiplayer modes. Instead, the Dark Zone and if it wasn’t potentially frustrating it success. » Matt Bertz
previews 69
 Dangerous Golf
A crash course in chaos
» Platform
D
angerous Golf is, in fact, not a but during the Smashbreaker you have do you deal with having more than
PlayStation 4 golf game. Golf doesn’t have to keep in mind the hole location. You one ball? All these factors add replay-
฀ ฀฀ ฀
gas stations that blow up or don’t necessarily need to get close to ability and challenge, and as the game
» Style balls that teleport. Nor does it inspire it for the putt, because you can rack progresses you revisit holes with new
1 to 8-Player Action that lizard part of your brain that up a lot of money by performing a trick tools at your disposal and the ability
(8-Player Online)
wants to destroy everything in sight shot before it goes in the hole. Whether to smash objects that were previously
» Publisher and cackle at the carnage. Leave it you’re across the room and want to unbreakable. Competitive and co-op
Three Fields
to Three Fields Entertainment – the bounce off the walls to get into the play (including online and couch co-op)
Entertainment
people who twistedly conceived the hole, or if you’re inches away and turn also add texture, although the devel-
» Developer Burnout series as the founders of around, bonk it off your TV screen, and oper isn’t ready to talk about that yet.
Three Fields
Entertainment Criterion Games (Alex Ward and Fiona eventually make your way into the hole, Comparisons to Burnout’s Crash
Sperry) – to take the basic concept the further you travel the better the mode are natural, but Three Fields
» Release of putting a ball in a hole and make it multiplier. Miss, however, and you lose co-founder Alex Ward isn’t living in the
Spring
about reveling in the destruction you half your score for the hole. Bonuses past. “We don’t look back at the stuff
create along the way. are applied for things like turning your we did with nostalgia, we look back
There aren’t any swing meters, clubs, back to the hole for a shot, whether with a view of taking it to that next
or out of bounds areas in Dangerous you splattered anything on the camera level,” he says. That’s not just the phi-
Golf. Push the analog stick to start or wall, and other feats you’ll have losophy the 10-person team is taking
your first shot, aiming at the areas you to discover. toward this downloadable title – who
can smash up the most stuff or com- The levels take place in locations have put their life savings on the line
plete an objective like hitting a certain like a gas station, palace, kitchen, and for this endeavor – it’s a real risk. “You
number of objects, and let it fly. If you castle, with multiple holes using differ- have to feel free enough, as the game
cause enough damage, you earn a ent configurations. Variety is endemic makers, to be able to try anything,”
Smashbreaker. Now your ball is on fire, in travelling through multiple rooms to Ward says. “There were times in the
and as you steer it around the room get to the flag, hitting certain objects development when we’ve stopped
(including gas, brake, and slow-mo but not others, having to keep the ball and gone, ‘Are we doing enough? This
functions) it becomes more powerful, off the floor, or not even being able to is the one chance we get to do this.
bowling over everything in its path. see the flag at all. What if you could What can we do?’” We’ll find out if it’s
You wouldn’t think there is much transport the ball across the hole? Or enough later this spring.
strategy to smashing things to bits, there were vehicles involved? How » Matthew Kato

70 previews
UFC 2
Going for the knockout
» Platform
F
ollowing a decent debut outing feedback to let you know why your continually improve them using cards
in 2014, EA Sports is lining up for inputs are unsuccessful, and introduces purchased with in-game currency. PlayStation 4
Xbox One
a second bout as the carrier of standing submissions and submission Unlike traditional Ultimate Team modes,
the UFC brand. This time around, a chaining to add more depth. in which you build teams of actual pro- » Style
host of new changes hope to improve Also revamped from last year are the fessional players, UFC 2’s version gives 1 or 2-Player Fighting
(2-Player Online)
upon some of the weaker areas of the knockout physics. These new physics you cards to upgrade created fighters,
last game. aim to make satisfying K.O.s look and delivering a markedly different experi- » Publisher
EA Sports
While the graphics in UFC 2 are feel more authentic, and stand out as ence. To earn currency, you compete
noticeably enhanced, the first thing fans director Brian Hayes’ favorite addition with other created fighters online or » Developer
EA Canada
of the last game should take note of this year. “I’ve been playing the game against A.I. opponents locally. As your
is the improved grappling and ground now for months in development and I fighters level up individually, your team » Release
mechanics. The previous game was still see knockouts that blow me away levels up as well. March 15
almost turn-based in how the two fight- with the physics system,” he says. Those wanting a more traditional
ers interacted with one another. If one “No matter what game mode you’re single-player experience can still put
fighter entered into an animation or playing and whether you’re an offline a created fighter through the paces in
movement, that fighter would complete career mode kind of player or an online the single-player offline career mode.
the animation uninterrupted before the competitive player, these knockouts are Deeper training camps and better dif-
other fighter could make their move. going to be a big win for everybody.” ferentiation between opponents has
With UFC 2, fighters act independent of The new Ultimate Team mode, which the team hopeful that the career mode
each other, leading to a more dynamic is borrowed from other series like can deliver a more varied experience. In
experience. In addition, the new Madden and FIFA, gives you the abil- addition, EA Sports has tried to shake
grappling system gives better visual ity to build a team of five fighters and up the linearity of the mode by provid-
ing more meaningful choices through
your fighter’s ascent through the ranks
of the UFC.
The fighter creation tools are receiv-
ing an added boost as well. You can
now do advanced face sculpting and
customization using a huge number of
tattoo layers.
If UFC 2 can deliver on all of the
promises, it could be the mixed martial
arts title fans have been craving for
years. With revamped grapple mechan-
ics and an improved emphasis on
replayability, the game has us hopeful
that the result will be more of a knock-
out than a split decision victory. But
with so many improvements promised,
it remains to be seen if EA Sports can
The submission and grapple systems have deliver on all fronts. » Brian Shea
received significant revamps to feel better

A More
Massive Roster
Though the UFC 2 roster
hasn’t been finalized,
the team is promising
more than 250 fighters
at launch. Those who
pre-order the game also
receive legendary MMA
fighters Bas Rutten and
Kazushi Sakuraba, and
boxing legend Mike
Tyson. Director Brian
Hayes says that more ac-
tive UFC fighters will be
added through free roster
updates, while fighters
not currently fighting in
The new knockout physics aim to the UFC could be added
make every K.O. look more authentic
through DLC.
previews 71
 Gravity Rush 2
Upping the ante on a new platform
» Platform
T
he Gravity Rush 2 announce- Gravity Rush 2 still has Kat at the The open world contains a bustling
PlayStation 4 ment seemed to come out of helm and picks up shortly after its floating city with tons of missions
» Style nowhere at last year’s TGS. The predecessor. The story begins with for Kat to take on. Developers have
1-Player Action original game performed well critically fellow gravity-shifter Raven and police described the new locale as giving off
» Publisher but was Vita-exclusive, which didn’t officer Syd assisting Kat in investigat- a vibe you’d get from visiting South
Sony Computer exactly garner it a large fan base con- ing strange gravitational waves occur- America or Southeast Asia. The
Entertainment sidering the handheld’s install base ring all over Hekseville, but soon Kat tropical destination is inviting with
» Developer never really took off. However, Sony is snatched up by a gravity storm and sunny skies, palm trees, and tables
Sony Computer didn’t allow the wrong platform to taken to a remote mining village. Raven with umbrellas.
Entertainment
prevent it from seeing Gravity Rush’s plays a bigger role in this game, fight- While not much has been revealed
» Release larger potential, and the follow-up ing alongside Kat in her journey. The outside of a few trailers, the physics-
TBA is taking the series to new heights two are no longer at odds and have based action offers new gravity styles
with an open-world adventure on developed a friendship since the first (Lunar and Jupiter) for players to
the PlayStation 4. This means bigger game. However, it still hasn’t been experiment with and unlock different
environments, more physics effects, revealed what forces Kat and Raven combat maneuvers. Lunar style makes
and the opportunity to craft a larger into battle or what major conflict they Kat lighter, allowing her to move faster,
narrative around them. face outside of the gravity storm. while Jupiter style makes her heavier
and slower, but also makes her stron-
ger to take on tougher foes. It appears
you can switch between styles quickly,
providing you different movesets. For
instance, when in Jupiter style Kat has
a powerful attack that can target mul-
tiple enemies. As Kat uses her different
gravity styles, the destructible parts of
the environment break apart, adding
to the chaos. In addition, the game
also has tag-team battles with Kat and
Raven, where the A.I. takes control of
the latter.
Much of Gravity Rush 2 still remains
a mystery, but one thing is certain: This
is Gravity Rush on a much larger level.
it will be interesting to see how it fares
as an open-world adventure. Sony
launches Gravity Rush Remastered this
month to get PS4 users up to speed
with Kat’s journey, and it has already
been confirmed that Gravity Rush 2 will
not appear on Vita.
» Kimberley Wallace
72 previews
Nier: Automata
An exciting revival
hen the original Nier launched female android doesn’t have much in YoRHa No. 2 also has a pod device » Platform
W back in 2010, it quickly
became a cult hit, captivat-
ing gamers with its mature story-
the way of emotions and is more level-
headed than anything else. Including
2B, the game has three playable char-
that travels with her, which can attack
from afar while she takes care of
enemies up close. She can also use
PlayStation 4
» Style
1-Player Action/
Role-Playing
line and fun action-based combat. acters, but no concrete information it to glide around environments, and
Unfortunately, that same year, its on the other leads has been revealed the developers have already dropped » Publisher
developer Cavia shuttered its doors. yet. True to form, Automata features hints that you can ride some of the Square Enix
Between that unfortunate turn of multiple endings. animals roaming the land, such as » Developer
events and the game’s niche appeal, We don’t know much in the way of boar and deer. The trailer also show- Platinum Games
the door seemed to close on any gameplay yet. The first combat trailer cases that while the Nier world is more » Release
further games in the universe... debuted at Paris Games Week, show- technologically advanced since we 2016
until Square Enix surprised fans by ing Platinum’s hand in the action. last saw it, it still has a similar look
announcing a new game at this past Battling is what you’d expect from the and feel to the original, especially the
E3. Nier: Automata brings back the developer: fast-paced and combo- ruins you explore. The somber tone
masterminds from the original – heavy with beautiful animations. It also shines through.
series creator Taro Yoko, producer still captures the essence of the original Right now, no concrete release date
Yosuke Saito, and composer Keiichi with a bevy of cool swords, but the has been announced and we’ve still
Okabe – but it’s also adding the action looks faster, smoother, and more seen little of the game, but it sure is
power of Platinum Games, best chaotic, requiring you to make use of exciting see a new Nier entry become a
known for its stylish flair in Bayonetta the dodge button. reality. » Kimberley Wallace
and Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance.
This collaboration seems to hit all the
right notes.
Automata shares only minor con-
nections with its predecessor; it’s set
in the same world, but in a different
era. Expect some returning characters,
such as Emil and references to the
Drakengard and Nier universe, but
beyond that Automata has its own
self-contained storyline. After being
invaded by a mysterious machine
army, humanity has fled to the Moon
as its new safe haven, but is ready to
take back earth by sending an elite
android army to take care of business.
The main character is YoRHa No. 2
Model B, called ‘2B’ for short. This
previews 73
 Brutal
More than a nostalgia grab
» Platform rutal turned more than a few fantasy to its core, letting you select a game from the very beginning with no
PlayStation 4
» Style
1 to 4-Player Action
B heads when it was introduced at
PSX last year, and it’s not hard
to see why. The dungeon-crawling
class that has its own unique abilities
(warrior, mage, amazon, ranger) and
fight your way across the game, with
upgrades once a player dies, but that
the developer would also be incor-
porating “classic ASCII features” to
» Publisher roguelike’s gorgeous retro aesthetic is enemies literally bursting into red, wet add some twists. In addition to craft-
Sony Computer derived from text-heavy ASCII games, explosions upon death, until a final ing weapons, players can hunt down
Entertainment like Empire and Dwarf Fortress, but confrontation with a massive dragon. enhancements to make those weapons
» Developer Brutal does more than just use that For those who yearn for more Gauntlet- are even more powerful and potion
Stormcloud Games visual style for the sake of eyecandy. style experiences, Stormcloud is even recipes for concoctions to be used
» Release In a playful and amusing twist on developing a local multiplayer compo- against enemies. Wood also mentions
Summer crafting, Stormcloud Games has also nent that will allow a party of four to a leveling-up system for characters’
developed a system where players take on its labyrinth of terror. armor but didn’t go into the specifics of
can build unique weapons out of col- When I ask Stormcloud producer that particular system.
lectible ASCII letters they discover Richard Wood how they plan to make I haven’t gotten my hands on Brutal
throughout each dungeon. Brutal stand out in a sea of roguelikes, yet but I’m eagerly looking forward
At the start of each session, a player he says, “The obvious thing is our art to some time with it. Though it faces
is dropped into the first dungeon with style. We’ve taken that original ASCII plenty of competition in its genre,
only their fists and a torch, requiring rogue-like look and tried to blend it Stormcloud is trying to take a classic
them to search the environment for with 3D models and make something concept and making it feel fresh again
breakable objects and treasure chests look unique but also semi-modern.” with features designed to keep players
that contain crafting materials for items Wood says Brutal has the sort of returning to its dungeons to vanquish
that will raise their odds of surviving the gameplay elements one expects from foes and unearth treasures.
game’s 23 levels. Brutal is old-school a roguelike, including restarting the » Javy Gwaltney

Enemies explode upon death, splash- Your weapons in Brutal are literally
ing the room in comedic levels of blood assembled with ASCII letters

74 previews
 In a realm on the brink of war, you must make a choice.
Stand with Nohr, the kingdom where you were raised. Or join
Hoshido, the people you were born to. No matter which side
KDV\RXUOR\DOW\WKHGLIÏFXOWGHFLVLRQVKDYHMXVWEHJXQ Blood or bond? Your choice is only the beginning.
Animated Blood
Fantasy Violence
Suggestive Themes
 Blood or bond? Your choice is only the beginning.

Whether you remain with Nohr or join Hoshido, your skills will be put to the
test as you protect your family from a terrible fate. An army of knights,
archers, and mages looks to you for expert command against terrible foes
across unforgiving terrain. But you won’t have to face the danger alone.

Animated Blood
Fantasy Violence
Suggestive Themes
© 2015-2016 Nintendo / INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS. Purchase downloadable content
Nintendo 3DS is a trademark of Nintendo. © 2016 Nintendo. to expand your adventure.
Partner your allies to support each other in combat and forge deep
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must choose between them. Will your loyalty lie in blood or bond?

Fire Emblem Fates Edition

Available Feb. 19 , 2016
3
New Nintendo DS XL now available.
Games and system sold separately. ÏUHHPEOHPIDWHVQLQWHQGRFRP
 Star Citizen
Zeroing in on sci-fi nirvana, but still light years away
» Platform
D
eveloper Cloud Imperium Games
PC is raking in the credits with a
» Style crowd-funded PC game, Star
Online Citizen, which aims to transport would-
Multiplayer Action be space explorers to the stars. I didn’t
» Publisher grow up playing complicated flight
Cloud Imperium Games sims or galactic dogfighting games like
» Developer X-Wing, but I wasn’t going to let my
Cloud Imperium Games lack of expertise stop me from trying
out Star Citizen.
» Release I dove into Star Citizen’s most recent
2016
Alpha 2.0 update completely divorced
from the ins and outs of its storied,
sometimes controversial crowd-
funding development that’s now over
the $100 million mark. This latest pre-
release build begins to stitch together
the game’s disparate features, namely
space flight, first-person shooting,
and spacewalks.
Even at this rough state of develop-
ment, Star Citizen allows players to
freely explore uncharted sectors of
space. Walking through the futuristic
halls of a space station, entering a as it floats off into the void. Outside, I and delivering a volley of deadly mis-
depressurization chamber, and hop- enjoyed inspecting inactive satellites siles is as easy as clicking a single
ping in your very own Aurora starship for an entrance, hunting down an inter- button. I was turning pesky fighters
before making the jump to lightspeed active panel within, and getting them into space junk in no time. Star Citizen
feels more empowering than other back online. At this point in develop- is already a gorgeous game, and the
games of its ilk. For instance, in Rebel ment, fixing comm arrays is one of only visuals shine when an enemy ship
Galaxy players are mostly captive a few tasks you can do in the online explodes with a colorful blast.
inside their cockpits for the entire Universe Mode that makes it actually I carved out several fun hours explor-
game, and Elite Dangerous doesn’t feel like a game. ing the stars despite the unfinished
support on-foot exploration yet. Floating outside the safety of your game’s consistent crashes, lacking
The experience is even more armed craft is enough to make you feel in-game guidance, and general buggi-
enchanting when you power down vulnerable, but the anxiety really kicks ness. Star Citizen shows great poten-
your ship and leap outside for an in when radio chatter announces that tial to deliver our sci-fi dreams, but
impromptu EVA (extravehicular activ- enemy ships are flying in. Navigating has a long ways to go. Unless you’re
ity). Make sure your ship has absolutely three-dimensional space can be initially a diehard space jockey I recommend
zero momentum, though, or you’ll be intimidating, but I quickly acclimated to waiting until Cloud Imperium Games
using your EVA suit’s weak thrusters the basics. Each weapon has unique builds out its promising fuselage with
to idiotically chase down your ship targeting reticles for leading your shots, more robust features. » Tim Turi

Universe mode allows players to interact with one

another online, but the odds of finding a crew to join up
with vary depending on activity in pre-release servers

78 previews
This is
your world.
Make it real.
Enjoy your favorite video
games in a more hands-on
way with some epic loot.
Collect. Show it off. Win.
 Squad
Projecting reality into modern shooters

» Platform
M
ore than 10 years ago, a group
PC of ambitious modders banded
» Style together to create a Battlefield 2
100-Player conversion that made the combat
Online Shooter more realistic and increased the
» Publisher focus on teamwork. Dubbed Project
Offworld Industries Reality, this fresh approach to fire-
» Developer fights became so popular it eventually
Offworld Industries became a standalone game. With a
» Release dearth of realistic shooters on the
2017 current market, many of those same
(Early Access Now) developers are getting the band back
together for a new Kickstarter funded
project called Squad.
This spiritual successor to Project
Reality is trying to find a sweet spot
between the hardcore simulation-
focused Arma series and more Medics can drag incapacitated soliders
entertainment-oriented shooters like to safety and patch them up
Battlefield. Squad’s firefights don’t
take place at 800 meters or in close When you finally reach a hotzone, well equipped and healthy. If the
quarters combat where an enemy is it can be disorienting. Most of the enemy overruns your FOB, your supply
around every corner. Instead, your firefights I experienced in Squad were line will be cut. Using the built-in VOIP
squad sets out on a large map (typi- medium to long range, which means is critical to coordinating these efforts.
cally four square kilometers) and must you don’t always know where the fire Squad is currently in early access,
move strategically through the valleys, is coming from. This adds a nice bit and developer Offworld still has a
mountains, and forests en route to the of tension while moving through open long list of tasks to complete before
objective. “The backbone of the entire expanses and makes it essential that the game is fully featured. Planned
game is the pacing of combat,” says you watch for tracer fire. It takes a additions include introducing weapon
lead map designer Chris Greig. “Those while to get used to the weapon ballis- customization, integrating stat tracking,
periods where you just walk with tics – don’t expect to immediately start and adding vehicles ranging from tanks
the squad and shoot the s--- before sniping enemies at range – so you have and APCs to an array of choppers.
you get into an engagement are very to be patient while learning the ropes. When the game is feature complete,
intentional. They are an integral part Given this hot-and-cold rhythm to Greig says it should have five game
of the Squad experience. Everything combat, soldiers have other jobs to modes and at least nine maps. The
gets calm, you relax, and then the first complete while moving toward the studio plans to release the SDK soon
bullet goes off and the grenade comes objective as well. Squad leaders con- so the community can start making its
in and then it’s 10 minutes of hell. And trol the placement of respawn points, own maps as well.
if you survive it you regroup and heal and base building tools allow teams Offworld hopes to have Squad ready
everybody up and resume your con- to establish forward operating bases for retail deployment in 18 months. If
versation.” Whether this is fun or not (FOBs), complete with offensive and you don’t want to wait that long, you
ultimately comes down to if you enjoy defensive fortifications. These supply can check it out now on Steam early
the company you are keeping. hubs are key to keeping your soldiers access. » Matt Bertz
80 previews
 wants to combat the ennui that can » Platform
occur in the genre, where a player can ฀฀
attain “can’t really lose” status, turn- » Style
ing the game into a meaningless cycle ฀ ฀
of turns. Epic events can occur in the ฀
game that can turn everything on its » Publisher
head in a heartbeat, from a mass alien ฀
invasion to other catastrophic, game- » Developer
altering events that require all players ฀
to keep on their toes for the entirety » Release
of the game, not just until they enter a 2016
comfortable win state path.
Variety is paramount toward other
aspects of the game as well, including
research. Players are given random
sets of options to work toward instead
of specific trees, which incentivizes
branching off and trying new things,

Stellaris especially as rare options weave their

way in. You can still play the way you
want, but the game definitely chal-
Grand strategy in space lenges you as you go by presenting
risk-reward scenarios that might make
you delve outside your wheelhouse for

W
hen you mix some of the phi- is playing with concepts that don’t powerful perks.
losophies behind epic grand often find their way into the traditional By focusing on keeping things fresh
strategy titles like Paradox’s 4X space. from game-to-game and dealing with
Crusader Kings II and the modern day The early game is designed to be huge galaxies designed to support up
space 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, the most familiar for strategy play- to 32 players in multiplayer, Stellaris
eXterminate), you end up with some- ers – you find new planets to colonize, is taking the resurging PC genre to
thing like Stellaris. While it’s still very conduct research, discover artifacts, uncharted stars with a bit of Paradox’s
much a galactic battle for dominance and perhaps bandy about with an early signature flair. We’re excited to experi-
in an unexplored galaxy where you’ll military strategy. Things diverge sig- ence the genre with some additional
be playing in the style of your choice nificantly in the middle and late game, skill-based variance when it hits some-
toward eventual victory, Paradox where anything can happen. Paradox time in 2016. » Daniel Tack

800.226.7625 | [Link]/gameinformer

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gain the skill set and knowledge needed to pursue a career
involving the design, computer languages, or art and animation
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Our grads have worked on projects such as Destiny, Titanfall,

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8QLYHUVLW\%RXOHYDUGȏWinter Park, FL Student work by: John Rogeles & George Stoll
previews 81
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To review consumer disclosures, please visit [Link]/gedt. k)XOO6DLO//&
 Total War: Warhammer
Magic meets massive warfare
» Platform
C
reative Assembly’s Total War titles as they line up siege-equipment, and Orc Shaman’s Foot of Gork destroying
฀฀ ฀ are well known for combining seeing flying units like dragons come everything in their path.
» Style turn-based strategy and real-time to life in the Total War series for the first All of these new features and unit
฀ ฀ battles that field swarms of troops and time is awesome. styles join the standard elements of
฀ siege weapons. Until now, these titles Along with wild unit types enter- the franchise, including city-building,
» Publisher have always had some sort of rooted ing the fray, actual magic is coming diplomacy, resource management,
historical anchor and played within to the series as well. These powerful unit production, and campaign maps.
the confines of the associated warfare
» Developer technology. In short, there were rules
abilities are often controlled by frag- I’m excited to see what bringing core
฀ ile spellcasters but have significant fantasy to the more historically-rooted
and reality at the core of the experi-
» Release battle-altering impact, like the Celestial Total War series does for the game.
ence. That all goes out the window with
฀
the upcoming Total War: Warhammer,
Wizard’s Comet of Casandora or an » Daniel Tack
where the series tackles magic and
mayhem within the same classic struc-
tures that lend themselves to huge,
epic battles between massive forces on
the battlefield.
Total War: Warhammer features four
playable factions each with their own
special units and powers: Empire,
Greenskins, Dwarfs, and Vampire
Counts. Warhammer fans will undoubt-
edly delight to see many mechanics
interpreted for use here, such as the
Greenskin “Waaagh” rallying and
frenzying the troops, but players new
to the universe shouldn’t have any
trouble finding a favorite.
The new styles of units alone make
the title a significant shift away from
barbarian hordes and Roman soldiers –
everything from giant ogres, spiders,
steam tanks, and demigryphs are fair
game. Watching these units face off
in combat on the battlefield is frankly
far more interesting than watching
Romans hack each other to pieces

฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀

82 previews
Torment: Tides Of Numenera
Old time rock and roll
» Platform
T
orment: Tides Of Numenera is with the game, my concerns have creeping monstrosities while searching
a very particular kind of game. mostly evaporated. for a way to regain control of their PC
There’s a good deal of hype Numenera is beautifully presented, consciousness. During this process, » Style
behind the isometric RPG given it’s a with gorgeous backgrounds and you’re answering questions that help 1-Player Role-Playing
spiritual successor to the acclaimed entrancing prose that makes reading create your character in a way that’s » Publisher
Planescape: Torment, a classic RPG through the numerous text-heavy por- genuinely exciting. InXile Entertainment
that cracked our Top 200 Games of tions a joy. In an opening that cribs hard Whether the game can retain that » Developer
All Time list. Still, I was concerned that from Inception, your character awak- momentum and sense of wonder for InXile Entertainment
Numenera’s fidelity to its predeces- ens in a mysterious, crystalized limbo the rest of the journey is a question that » Release
sor, an RPG from 1999, might result and has to strand together memories won’t be answered until after release 2016
in something that would be a chore to to escape, eventually emerging into but, for now, Numenera feels like it’s on
play through. Having spent two hours another dimension where they fend off the right trajectory. » Javy Gwaltney
 GAME THEOF
MONTH
86 The Witness
Drawing lines on a grid might seem simple, but
The Witness demonstrates how complex and
rewarding it can be. The latest puzzle game from
Jonathan Blow (Braid), The Witness is a series of
fascinating and entertaining challenges that make
your mind work in new ways. With hundreds of
brilliant puzzles to push your limits, this is one
of the most polished and clever puzzle games
in years. Singling out one release is always hard
(especially with the great Darkest Dungeon in this
issue), but The Witness inches ahead to get the
nod as our Game of the Month.

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
That one person still complaining about most outstanding
6 games receiving this score, many will be left
yearning for a more rewarding game experience.
1 Episode VII spoilers. GAME THE
OF
MONTH game in the issue

84 reviews For more information on the age classification ratings in our reviews, head to [Link]/ratings
HOW FAR WILL YOU TAKE IT

With spacious cargo capacity* and standard All-Wheel Drive wit h int ell igence (AWD-i).
Prototype shown with options. Production model may vary. *Cargo and load capacity limited by weight and distribution. ©2015 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
 The Witness
Creating complexity from simplicity

9.25 GAME THE

OF
MONTH GOLD

he most memorable puzzle games

Style 1-Player Puzzle Publisher Thekla Inc.
Developer Thekla Inc. Release January 26 Rating E

T
฀ ฀
take root in your mind and keep
» Concept you thinking. From imagining
Explore an island and
solve a staggering array blue and orange portals around your
of fascinating puzzles office to seeing tetrominoes as you
» Graphics try to sleep, playing around with fun
Colorful surroundings puzzle concepts doesn’t always stop
and interesting when you put down the controller. Like
structures make each the genre greats, The Witness has the
zone uniquely beautiful same ability to infiltrate your perception
» Sound and draw you in. The core mechanic is
The soundtrack is deviously simple, but it paves the way
sparse and the voice
for brain-bending puzzles and cascad-
recordings are few, so
you’re mainly hearing ing “a-ha” moments that are among the
ambient sound effects best games can offer. Each new twist and surprise left me im- You may need to draw things on paper,
» Playability As the lone person on an island full pressed, and I only got more absorbed play with cut-out shapes, or take some
Though the puzzles are of ruins and mysterious devices, your as I uncovered more. notes. By the end of my playthrough,
complicated, your tools basic goal is drawing lines. The gor- Fans of Blow’s previous game, the array of dots, lines, grids, and other
for solving them and geous open world serves primarily as a Braid, might be surprised to find some doodles on my desk made me look like
navigating the world are delivery method for hundreds of moni- notable similarities in The Witness. a crazed conspiracy theorist. I relished
simple and accessible
tors displaying grids, and you need The format is different, but it relies on the opportunity to work for the solu-
» Entertainment to trace paths from the designated the same principle of gradually build- tions, because the effort makes victory
Fun and inventive
starting points to the ending points. Of ing a vocabulary, and then challenging that much sweeter. If I encountered a
challenges wait around
every corner. If you want course, you can’t just scribble anything; what players think they know about puzzle that was too hard or compli-
something more than your line’s exact path is important, and how the pieces function and interact cated, I just walked away and returned
a barrage of thoughtful is the basis for an unbelievable amount with each other. It doesn’t repeat the to it later. You can move between the
puzzles (like a story), you of diversity and creativity within this same idea over and over; most puzzles zones freely, and you don’t need to
should look elsewhere
straightforward structure. Symbols on are organized into groups that feature clear all of them to reach the end-game
» Replay Value the grid require you to outline particular variations on a theme, but each one puzzles, so you can almost always
Moderately high shapes. Physical objects obscure your in the sequence adds a new layer to make progress somewhere.
view. Your surroundings might provide constantly push your thinking in differ- If you jump between areas, you don’t
necessary clues. The grid and symbols ent directions. This approach is perfect, need to worry about jumbling the plot.
communicate the necessary informa- since it allows players to experience a The Witness isn’t a story-forward title,
tion clearly, and the satisfaction that bunch of smaller victories as they prog- though the state of the island poses
comes from identifying the trick and ress toward clearing an entire zone. some implicit questions. These aren’t
then arriving at the right solution is When you do reach the final puzzles addressed during a normal playthrough,
immense and frequent. in a sequence, don’t expect an easy which is my only major complaint. The
Because figuring out the requirements win and a pat on the back. One of air of mystery invites speculation, but
and their obstacles is part of the fun, my favorite parts of The Witness is its the world is practically barren on the
I won’t spoil much about the forms the refusal to treat players like idiots. The narrative front. Why are you on the
puzzles take – but put aside any con- only hand-holding that happens is the island? Who set up all the monitors?
cerns that they might feel too similar. gradual progression from the “teach- Why is everything in ruins? Puzzle
Developer Jonathan Blow and the team ing puzzles” to the more complex and games don’t need an involved plot, but
at Thekla have created an astonishing full-blown applications of the concepts. The Witness’ atmosphere plants the
variety of elegant and polished prob- You don’t have a magic hint button to seeds of a story that doesn’t grow. You
lems incorporating elements like colors, nudge you in the right direction, so if you can find some answers in certain voice
shadows, and spatial manipulation. hit a tough puzzle, you’re on your own. recordings, but they are few and well-
hidden – facts that make the ending
particularly strange and anticlimactic.
The opaque world might be disap-
pointing for some players, but The
Witness is about a different kind of
discovery. It steers your mind in uncon-
ventional directions, and makes you
feel clever as you build on your knowl-
edge and uncover new layers about the
game’s language and logic. Even when
I wasn’t playing it, I was thinking about
puzzles that had me stumped. Some
puzzles are tough, but all of them are
fair, and the fun of solving them is only
topped by seeing what awaits you on
the next series of monitors. » Joe Juba
86 reviews
Resident Evil Zero HD Remaster
A harrowing prequel adventure worth revisiting

SILVER

he smoldering, destroyed heli-

Style 1-Player Action Publisher Capcom Developer Capcom Release January 19 Rating M

when controlling both characters with Besides her red, glowing eyes and
8.5 ฀ ฀ ฀

T copter of the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo

Team is one of the first sights to
behold in the first Resident Evil. Jill
both sticks at once. The more agile
characters don’t completely break the
balance of the game, either, as sloppy
villainous outfit, Rebecca plays the
same as in the main game. Wesker
takes Billy’s place, including in-engine
฀ ฀
» Concept
฀ ฀

Give this GameCube

Valentine, Chris Redfield, and the rest play will get you chewed up by zombies cutscenes where he syncs up with prequel the same
of the Alpha Team crew have little time or swallowed whole by mutant frogs. Billy’s original voice acting and anima- treatment as last year’s
to investigate what happened to their The original 1996 Resident Evil kicked tions. Seeing Wesker implemented into excellent Resident Evil
lost compatriots before they’re forced off an early series tradition of magically some cutscenes is a goofy bonus, but HD Remaster
to flee into a nearby mansion to avoid interconnected storage boxes. Before the real meat of is in finally controlling » Graphics
becoming puppy chow. Resident Evil settling on that design decision, creator the series’ big bad guy in a core story- Resident Evil Zero’s pre-
rendered backgrounds
Zero, set a day before the infamous Shinji Mikami experimented with not line. Wesker can dash around environ-
and disgustingly detailed
Mansion Incident, explores the jour- having them connected, and instead ments as comically high speeds, juking monsters look great with
ney of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team medic tasking players with schlepping all their past enemies with ease. Controlling the new coat of polish
Rebecca Chambers and an unlikely guns and items around the game with such a nimble character within a game » Sound
ally through Umbrella’s nasty facili- them. Resident Evil Zero returns to that designed with cautious, meticulous Everything from the
ties. Capcom has given this prequel concept, but instead removes all the play in mind is bizarre at first. Wesker’s ragged zombie moans
the same treatment as last year’s HD boxes entirely, allowing players to leave Death Stare ability breaks the game’s to the satisfying clack of
update of the excellent Resident Evil items anywhere on the map. While it’s difficulty in a delightfully absurd way, shells being loaded into
your shotgun sound great
GameCube remake, complete with initially liberating to quickly toss out allowing him to charge up a laser-eye
more accessible control options. your knife or an unwanted ink ribbon, attack that blasts out enough power » Playability
The updated control
Resident Evil Zero is the last hardcore the system can become tedious. Trying to pop off every zombie’s head in the
scheme does wonders,
survival horror entry in the series, before to angle your character just right to entire room. Imagine Tetsuo’s bloody but the clunky inventory
the juggernaut Resident Evil 4 sparked pick up an item can be tricky, espe- hospital hallway scene from Akira and management is showing
a dramatic paradigm shift away from cially if the new, optional zoomed-in you’re on the right track. The absurd its age
the demanding resource management, widescreen mode cuts an item you’re new mode is a fun power-trip victory » Entertainment
complex puzzles, and fixed camera looking for out of the shot. Additionally, lap for longtime fans. A skillfully crafted example
angles. Rebecca teams up with fugitive nearly as much time is spent swapping This HD remaster of Resident Evil Zero of bygone horror games
Billy Coen as they explore a runaway ammo and items between characters is an easy recommendation for anyone that still holds up today
luxury train, abandoned Umbrella as exploring the creepy environments, who enjoyed the original GameCube » Replay Value
Training Facility, and other appropriately which can hurt the pacing of the game. release and has enough patience to Moderately high
ominous locales that tie into the early If you survive Rebecca and Billy’s navigate the sometimes tedious inven-
RE games in fun ways. Controlling both journey through the carcasses of tory management. New fans of the clas-
Rebecca and Billy, sometimes simul- Umbrella’s treacherous past, you’ll sic survival horror formula that came on
taneously, is a unique departure from unlock Wesker Mode. This new feature, board following last year’s Resident Evil
the standard formula. The new control not included in the original GameCube HD Remaster shouldn’t expect as tight
scheme – which eschews awkward release, allows fans to play through the of an experience, but one that’s deserv-
“tank controls” in favor of characters entirety of Resident Evil Zero’s story ing of its place in the core franchise and
moving in the direction of the analog as the super-powered Wesker (circa fleshes out Umbrella’s troubled history
stick – works wonders here, especially RE 5) and a mind-controlled Rebecca. with dramatic flair. » Tim Turi
reviews 87
 Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel
Intriguing personalities and tense battles make school a blast

8.5 SILVER Style 1-Player Role-Playing Publisher Xseed Games Developer Nihon Falcom Release December 22 Rating T

M
฀ ฀ any traditional role-playing
games get a bad rap for taking
» Concept too long to let you experience
Spend a year at Thors
Military Academy to the best they have to offer. Whether it’s
discover the dangers poor pacing, tutorial-heavy introduc-
of political warfare tions, or a repetitious structure, the entry
» Graphics barrier can be difficult to overcome. With
The graphics are dated Cold Steel, I was eager to jump back
and a few framerate into combat and exploration throughout
hiccups occur, but that the entire journey. Every component is
doesn’t distract from
the experience due to so well-done and wonderfully paced
the vibrant world and that no part outstays its welcome.
interesting people that Trails of Cold Steel puts you in the
accompany it shoes of Rean Schwarzer, a seem-
» Sound ingly normal guy starting his first day at
The music and voice Thors Military Academy. The gameplay
performances are capitalizes on its academic setting; you
fantastic, enhancing spending much time on either. Field trips
take written and combat exams, social- I always looked forward to free time
every moment from
intense battles to ize with classmates, and go on field because it allowed me to see a differ- are more exciting because they usually
classmate chatter trips. All of the school activities fold well ent side to my classmate allies. They take you to one of your classmate’s
into all of the other systems, creating all have secrets and personal issues hometowns, allowing you to see the
» Playability
Trails of Cold Steel has an entertaining loop that makes the to confront, and exploring these in different life they’ve led from others.
a solid learning curve, game hard to put down. It immerses greater depth was one of my favorite The combat features one of my favor-
but it also leaves plenty you in student life, while also giving parts of the game. ite traditional battle systems to date. You
to figure out through you worthwhile reasons to engage When you’re not socializing or run- can have four characters on the field at
experimentation
with it. For instance, socializing with ning errands, you’re fighting through a once, and can sub in any of your two
» Entertainment your classmates grants you bonuses in mysterious schoolhouse or traveling to supports during any turn. The turn order
With fun combat, is listed in the corner, but randomly cer-
battle and doing extra tasks for student new lands to confront bigger baddies.
interesting twists, and a
cool social system, Trails council gives you beneficial items. The dungeon-crawling is broken up in tain bonuses (and later penalties) can be
of Cold Steel is one of my The characters and story start off a clever way, only making you tackle granted, guaranteeing a critical attack or
favorite recent RPGs generic, but learning more about the a few floors at once (usually three). restoring health, crafts, or magic. Order
» Replay Value different personalities and the world Same goes for your field trips; you’re can be influenced by upping your speed,
Moderate reveal many intriguing threads. Rean only assigned a few quests and usu- casting time, or canceling opponent
is in the first class to not segregate ally one or two of them are required to attacks with an unbalance move. So
noble and lowborn students, and the proceed in the main story. Even if you much strategy goes into battle, which
tension is palpable from his first day. hit a difficulty wall, you have an out with makes every victory rewarding.
The narrative explores these social an option to start the battle over with Placement and movement is also
divisions and the betrayal and sacrifice weakened enemies. important. You can move combatants
that come with politics, reminiscent of Unfortunately, some of the fetch out of the area of an oncoming magi-
a Suikoden game, and the communica- quests (especially the optional ones) cal attack; placing them in different
tion system allows you to build relation- are a bore and the old school isn’t that areas on the battlefield ensures no
ships, similar to Persona’s social links. intriguing to explore, but you’re not enemy attack can target more than
one at a time, but limits your ability to
cast group buffs. Linking characters
to build relationships grants bonuses,
like them blocking attacks or healing
you in a time of need.
All of these systems don’t even
factor in the customization. All class-
mates have basic skills that they learn
as they level up, but you can equip
orbs that provide abilities and bonuses
on your party members. I reveled in
having this much control over building
my group and giving them the skills
I felt benefited them.
Trails of Cold Steel may not turn the
genre on its head, but it does almost
everything well. Xseed has already
confirmed the next game in the trilogy
is coming to North America, and after
this delightful entry, I’m on board to see
the next move. » Kimberley Wallace
88 reviews
 9.25฀ ฀
» Concept
Assemble various teams
of unique characters to
battle against against
deadly dungeons and
bosses in stylized turn-
based combat
» Graphics
The stylish look is one
all its own and works
incredibly well with
the dire themes and
environments
» Sound
The narration – done by
Wayne June of Lovecraft
audiobook fame – is stun-
ning and makes the game
feel like turning the pages

Darkest Dungeon of a Cthulhu nightmare

» Playability
The game is unforgivingly
difficult, making it perfect
Aphotic, atmospheric, and awesome for those looking for
a dungeon-crawling
challenge. Easily frustrated
players will have a tough
Style 1-Player Role-Playing Publisher Red Hook Studios Developer Red Hook Studios Release January 19 Rating NA
GOLD time adapting to the
gameplay

espair overtakes you as your

» Entertainment

D
With perseverance, you can even the to a crawling chaos. Depending on the While the game can
houndmaster misses an all- odds against the nightmares ahead. dungeon run, your heroes may come feel grindy at times and
important attack on an enemy The game strikes a brilliant balance back with diseases, maladies, or stress losing a critical team
fusilier, the lighter of the brigand’s mas- most of the time, constantly testing that should be taken care within the permanently is soul
sive boss cannon. The cannon is going the player to weigh resources and hamlet before sending them out to crushing, taking down
big bosses, collecting
to fire this turn, and there’s nothing left risks, but training a fresh team after a venture again, making the construction treasure, and restoring the
you can do to stop it. While your leper massive loss can be time consuming of many different teams a necessity so fallen hamlet to glory is
and bounty hunter land the finishing and punishing. This too, can be an some can adventure while others rest. challenging and fun
blows on the massive machine, your important lesson: In Darkest Dungeon, Darkest Dungeon boasts plenty of » Replay Value
plague doctor and houndmaster fail discretion is often the better part of substance and style, but if you’re averse High
to survive the encounter, joining the valor, and while mechanics make cow- to crushing difficulty it may prove to
legions of the dead that occupy the ardice costly, it’s far better than losing a be too frustrating to be palatable. The
hamlet’s graveyard. Dead champions team to the grave forever. Your hamlet uncompromising difficulty and challenge
never return, but their memory will will continue to improve even if your will be attractive to some, but could put
haunt you through all the battles and characters continue to head toward the off players looking for a simple crawler
dungeons yet to come. grave, as most standard dungeon runs where you can outlevel or outgear con-
Tremendous highs and tumultuous offer resources to help you upgrade tent, and the sometimes grindy nature of
lows combine in the Lovecraft-inspired, your facilities. It’s an important and recouping losses can take its toll.
turn-based dungeon-crawler Darkest satisfying mechanic that gives some Darkest Dungeon is an incredible take
Dungeon. You’re always one hit point sense of progression even in the face of on the classic dungeon crawl. The game
or one mind sliver away from complete overwhelming odds. brings Lovecraftian lore to new heights
collapse as you explore winding halls Darkest Dungeon tweaks the tradi- with cool classes, powerful narration,
of ruins, warrens, coves, and the titu- tional task of managing character hit stylish art, and addictive gameplay
lar Darkest Dungeon itself. Featuring points by adding another element called that will keep you crawling back to
permadeath, procedurally generated stress. Darkness, enemy attacks, criti- battle slithering monstrosities even as
levels, and some aspects of perma- cal strikes, and watching comrades fall your favorite heroes become corpses.
nent progression as the player builds can all cause despair. A full stress bar » Daniel Tack
up the decrepit hamlet into a bustling gives the hero a chance for greatness
economy, the game is ultimately about in the face of terror, but the more likely
finding combinations of curious glory outcome is a serious malady such as
seekers and treasure hunters and masochistic or antagonistic tendencies,
putting them to work against swarms which could lead your characters to
of deadly and debilitating monsters. injure themselves, become unrespon-
This dread ensemble is a pleasure to sive to your orders, or chastise the
manage down to the finest details. With rest of the team into deep depression.
14 different classes to choose from, Managing these two resources along
each with many unique abilities, weap- with light sources, provisions, and other
ons to customize, skills to upgrade, supply items as you traverse the depths
quirks to manage, and diseases and makes for an insightful lesson in risk-
afflictions to cure, you’re always man- management, and it feels wonderfully sat- Massive monsters and pelagic night-
mares await players in the cove
aging something. isfying when you deliver the deathblow
reviews 89
 Final Fantasy Explorers
Leveraging Final Fantasy nostalgia to dull the repetition

7.75 3DS
Style 1-Player Action/Role-Playing Publisher Square Enix Developer Square Enix Release January 26 Rating E10+

outine isn’t always bad. Some for your character and upgrade weap-

R
Explorers’ greatest asset is how
players like knowing what to ons. The quests themselves are basic, it makes you feel like you’re always
» Concept expect, completing familiar tasks tasking you with taking down bosses, progressing. The more you do, the
Give Final Fantasy
fanatics a chance to and fulfilling an explicit list of objectives. eliminating monsters, and collecting more that opens up. For instance, new
explore a new island In Final Fantasy Explorers, you search a goodies on the field. They also allow weaponry becomes available to craft
and take down classic vast landscape doing mundane tasks, you to reach new places in Amostra, as you advance, and you’re shown the
baddies, while also such as killing specific monster types, from sandy beaches to fiery volcanoes. required ingredients to make it, giving
offering the opportunity
to engage with friends
but the payoff comes in how you turn Beware, though, as Explorers’ clunky you something else to track down on
your rewards into building your ideal UI can often get in the way of seeing your travels. The game even has a
» Graphics character. Think of this quest-based, what’s out there. monster fusion system, which becomes
The grainy graphics
aren’t anything to write resource-gathering structure as a less The quests get repetitive quickly, another fun element for experimentation.
home about, but the complex version of Monster Hunter forcing you into a mindless routine with After slaying certain enemies, you can
detail in the different with a Final Fantasy skin; the core the goal of incrementally upgrading pay to create them as a party member
armor you can equip is experience is about striving for the next your character. I grew tired of doing (bring up to three with you in battle). You
a nice touch big upgrade and reveling in all the Final similar tasks over and over, and more can level up your monster allies and fuse
» Sound Fantasy content. variety would have helped. On the them together for stronger combatants.
The Final Fantasy If you’re a Final Fantasy fan, Explorers bright side, the quests aren’t long, Unfortunately, until your monsters reach
victory music and other
was made for you, as it takes iconic although some require you have a high levels, they die quickly, (though they
whimsical tunes keep
you in the experience parts of the franchise and infuses them certain amount of money before taking eventually revive automatically).
in each portion of the game. You can them on. This can be frustrating when While the progression loop proves
» Playability find materials to forge new gear, such you want to spend your money on strong, the combat is disappointing.
Tutorials ease you in,
making the mechanics as Sephiroth’s attire to don on your cus- upgrading weapons and abilities, but It relies on more button mashing and
easy to grasp. The tomizable avatar. Classic bosses like Ifrit instead have to keep an untouched spamming special attacks than actual
deeper systems require and Shiva keep you on your toes. Fast cash reserve to keep progressing. strategy (outside of running away from
some experimentation travel is done using an airship, and you You have complete control over your enemies before they attack). You have
» Entertainment can buy items from Moogles. Exploring avatar; you can change jobs in town a special ability called crystal surge,
From gear to popular Amostra is exciting because you never and unlock many additional selections which changes things up by adding
monsters, fans will
know what classic monster from the (20 in total, including the Dark Knight elemental properties and other perks to
enjoy the fun upgrade
system combined franchise you’ll find roaming the field, and Samurai) along the way. You also your abilities. While battles get tougher
with all the content such as Chocobos and Adamantoise. can equip up to eight abilities at once, as you advance, don’t expect the same
emblematic to the Trance mode also allows you to trans- purchasing and upgrading only the level of difficulty or tactics you’d put
series, but the overall form into popular characters like Cloud ones you desire. Any ability you desire into a big fight like in Monster Hunter.
journey isn’t exciting
and Lightning, but it’s more a novelty you can learn regardless of your job, Through local or online co-op, you can
» Replay Value than a super-move. The only part but your custom abilities are specific to bring up to three friends in battle to slay
Moderate Explorers doesn’t ape from the main the weapon you wield. I liked having the beasts with you, but it’s nearly identical
series is an interesting story; the narra- ability to experiment and never being to the single-player experience. Playing
tive is bare-bones and inconsequential. locked out of anything. For instance, I with friends is obviously more fun than
The ties to Final Fantasy are a main went with the Knight class at first and relying on A.I. monsters, but it’s not a
part of the appeal, and the quest-driven constantly upgraded my sword attacks game-changer.
gameplay loop exists mainly to deliver whenever I could and loved seeing the Final Fantasy Explorers never fully
all of the nostalgia. You select one damage multiply on tougher enemies, captivated me. Building up your char-
main expedition to complete at a time, but that didn’t prevent me from picking acter is fun and the Final Fantasy fan in
but can also do numerous sub-quests up cure or fire abilities if I desired. That me enjoyed all the callbacks, but it didn’t
simultaneously. Completing quests being said, the custom abilities pack keep me invested. It gives you plenty to
earns you points, which can then be the bigger punch, so you’re best to tinker with, but doesn’t have the meat
used to be purchase various abilities focus on those. to back it up. » Kimberley Wallace

90 reviews
Mario & Luigi Paper Jam
When worlds collide

SILVER Style 1-Player Role-Playing Publisher Nintendo Developer Alpha Dream Release January 22 Rating E
8.75
3DS
» Concept
Combine the similar
Mario & Luigi and Paper
Mario franchises into one
cohesive experience
» Graphics
Every animation, no
matter how small, is full of
charm. The juxtaposition
of Mario & Luigi’s and
Paper Mario’s aesthetics
go together well
» Sound
Mario themes and sound
effects play on your
nostalgic sensibilities.
The unfamiliar music does
little to stand out
» Playability
Controlling three
characters rarely feels
overwhelming. Getting
the hang of the timed
button-press combat,
special moves, and light
platforming is easy
» Entertainment
Mario & Luigi continues
to have the best sense
of humor of Nintendo’s
assorted franchises, and
a quicker pace in the
he Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario dodging. This accessibility is welcome, at your leisure (including in the middle

T
tutorial and storytelling
franchises have existed side by since you are managing three charac- of a fight) and even the opening recap departments make this
side for more than a decade, ters on the battlefield with the addition of Mario & Luigi’s core mechanics one of the best entries yet
separate branches of Super Mario RPG’s of Paper Mario. The Mario & Luigi series are relegated to the option menu. It’s » Replay Value
family tree. Despite their similarities (the lead source of combat mechanics a relief to see Nintendo finally doing Moderately low
in humor and the way combat plays in this mash-up) blurs the turn-based/ something to address this persistent
out with timed button-presses in a real-time combat line, with each fighter problem in its catalog of games.
turn-based setting, Paper Jam marks controlled by a separate button for One of the few areas where Paper
the first time the two franchises have both selecting attacks from menus, and Jam stumbles is making players track
merged. The combination works so well dodging and countering attacks in real down paper Toads who have hidden
that I can’t believe it took so long for time. With three characters, fights can themselves in panic upon entering
the worlds to overlap. get confusing, but it never feels unfair. Mario & Luigi’s three-dimensional
The premise for how these two Mario A new system adds an additional layer world. You have many fun moments
worlds meet is unsurprisingly silly and to the core Mario & Luigi combat as outside the main mechanics, like riding
can all be blamed on Luigi. The moment- you have a deck of cards on the lower atop giant papercraft creation for
to-moment plot isn’t particularly com- screen that can be redeemed without battle, but scouring dedicated areas for
pelling, but the paper-thin conceit is sacrificing a turn for assorted bonuses. hidden Toads is less entertaining. Even
welcome as an excuse to have two I didn’t get excited about collecting new worse, finding most of the Toads is
different Marios, two different Peaches, cards since their bonuses are small, but required to finish the game.
and more familiar faces interact with I eagerly took advantage of them during One of the nicest things I can say
each other. Bowser stands out as being fights. Having a collectible with true about the Mario & Luigi and Paper
particularly funny as he struggles to get gameplay value, even if I rarely went out Mario games is how consistent they
along with himself; both Bowsers have of my way to find them, is nice. are at offering interesting and funny
to discipline their Bowser Juniors and The Mario & Luigi series has long RPG experiences for those not nec-
they try to double-cross each other with struggled for a way to welcome and essarily inclined towards the genre.
literally the same secretive plans. The educate newcomers on how to play a Paper Jam doesn’t disappoint while
dialogue is consistently funny no matter new franchise while not bogging down not dramatically changing the formula
what characters are on screen. returning fans with endless tutorials. previously established, but it ranks
Combat has always felt similar The balance is typically far in favor of high in the Mario RPG pantheon
between the two franchises, so com- the newcomer, but Paper Jam strikes thanks to its improvements in pace,
bining them instantly feels comfortable. a much better middle ground. Combat willingness to trust its players to figure
Battle plays it safe without going too tutorials are, for the most part, entirely out the mechanics, and its goofy multi-
crazy with bizarre timing or impossible optional. New attacks can be practiced Mario-verse premise. » Kyle Hilliard
reviews 91
reviews archive
PLAYSTATION 4 Madden NFL 16 8.75 Oct-15 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 6.5 Dec-15 Lego Dimensions 8.75 Nov-15
Amplitude 7.75 Feb-16 Metal Gear Solid V: Transformers: Devastation 8 Dec-15 Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime 8 Nov-15
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate 9 Dec-15 The Phantom Pain 9.25 Oct-15 Until Dawn 9 Oct-15 Mad Max 7.5 Nov-15
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters 9.25 Jan-16 Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 1: Volume 8.75 Oct-15 Madden NFL 16 8.75 Oct-15
The Order of the Stone 8.25 Dec-15 WRC 5 6 Jan-16 Magic Duels 8.75 Sep-15
Call of Duty: Black Ops III 9 Dec-15
N++ 8 Oct-15 WWE 2K16 6.25 Jan-16 Metal Gear Solid V:
Destiny: The Taken King 9.5 Nov-15
NBA 2K16 9 Dec-15 The Phantom Pain 9.25 Oct-15
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance 8.5 Nov-15
NBA Live 16 6.5 Dec-15 XBOX ONE Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 1:
Disney Infinity 3.0 8.5 Oct-15
Need for Speed 7 Jan-16 Assassin’s Creed Syndicate 9 Dec-15 The Order of the Stone 8.25 Dec-15
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s
Woe and the Blight Below 8 Nov-15 NHL 16 7.5 Nov-15 Call of Duty: Black Ops III 9 Dec-15 NBA 2K16 9 Dec-15
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture 7 Oct-15 Nuclear Throne 7.5 Feb-16 Destiny: The Taken King 9.5 Nov-15 NBA Live 16 6.5 Dec-15
Fallout 4 9 Jan-16 Planetside 2 7.75 Sep-15 Disney Infinity 3.0 8.5 Oct-15 Need for Speed 7 Jan-16
FIFA 16 8.75 Nov-15 Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 9 Nov-15 Fallout 4 9 Jan-16 NHL 16 7.5 Nov-15
Galak-Z: The Dimensional 8 Oct-15 Rainbow Six Siege 7 Feb-16 FIFA 16 8.75 Nov-15 Oxenfree 7.75 Feb-16
Game of Thrones: Episode 6 – Rock Band 4 8.75 Nov-15 Forza Motorsport 6 7.75 Nov-15 Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 9 Nov-15
The Ice Dragon 7.5 Jan-16 Rocket League 9 Sep-15 Game of Thrones: Episode 6 – Rainbow Six Siege 7 Feb-16
God of War III Remastered 9 Sep-15 Rory McIlroy PGA Tour 7 Sep-15 The Ice Dragon 7.5 Jan-16 Rare Replay 8.75 Oct-15
Guitar Hero Live 7.5 Dec-15 Skylanders SuperChargers 6.5 Nov-15 Gears of War: Ultimate Edition 8 Oct-15 Rise of the Tomb Raider 9.5 Jan-16
Just Cause 3 8 Feb-16 Soma 8.5 Nov-15 Guitar Hero Live 7.5 Dec-15 Rock Band 4 8.75 Nov-15
King’s Quest Chapter 1: Star Wars Battlefront 7.5 Jan-16 Halo 5: Guardians 8.75 Dec-15 Rory McIlroy PGA Tour 7 Sep-15
A Knight to Remember 8 Oct-15 Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 5 – Just Cause 3 8 Feb-16 Skylanders SuperChargers 6.5 Nov-15
King’s Quest Chapter 2: The Vault of the Traveler 8 Jan-16 King’s Quest Chapter 1: Star Wars Battlefront 7.5 Jan-16
Rubble Without a Cause 7.5 Feb-16 Tales of Zestiria 6.5 Dec-15 A Knight to Remember 8 Oct-15 Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 5 –
Lego Dimensions 8.75 Nov-15 Tearaway Unfolded 8 Nov-15 King’s Quest Chapter 2: The Vault of the Traveler 8 Jan-16
Mad Max 7.5 Nov-15 Tembo the Badass Elephant 7 Oct-15 Rubble Without a Cause 7.5 Feb-16 Tembo the Badass Elephant 7 Oct-15

5 | Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India

Platform PS4, Xbox One, PC Release January 12 Rating T

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India is a disappointment.

Outside of the gorgeous, painted art style, it has few
redeeming features. The frenzied pacing of levels turned
away the stealth enthusiast in me, and the unreliable
controls left me miserable during the time trials.
– Javy Gwaltney

8.25 | Badland 2
Platform iOS Release December 17
Rating 9+

Without reinventing the

concept, Badland 2 strives
towards new mechanics
and variations on its
7.75 | Minecraft: Story Mode core design. Precision-
focused gameplay make
Episode 4 – A Block And A Hard Place this a deeper experience
Platform PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android than it might first seem,
Release December 22 Rating E10+
and developer Frogmind
Despite the grievances I have with the action and once again manages to
impact on the story, this is an enjoyable and evenly rise above most mobile
paced episode that effectively wraps up the Wither competitors. – Matt Miller
Storm arc for Minecraft: Story Mode, and delivers an
ending that tugs on players’ heartstrings. – Brian Shea
Visit [Link]/mag for the full reviews
92 the score
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 6.5 Dec-15 WRC 5 6 Jan-16 NBA 2K16 9 Dec-15
Transformers: Devastation 8 Dec-15 WWE 2K16 6.25 Jan-16 Nuclear Throne 7.5 Feb-16
WRC 5 6 Jan-16 Oxenfree 7.75 Feb-16
WWE 2K16 6.25 Jan-16 Wii U Path of Exile: The Awakening 8.5 Sep-15
Devil’s Third 4 Feb-16 Prison Architect 8 Dec-15
PLAYSTATION 3 Disney Infinity 3.0 8.5 Oct-15 Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 9 Nov-15
Amplitude 7.75 Feb-16 Fast Racing Neo 7.5 Feb-16 Rainbow Six Siege 7 Feb-16
Destiny: The Taken King 9.5 Nov-15 Fatal Frame: Soma 8.5 Nov-15
Disney Infinity 3.0 8.5 Oct-15 Maiden of the Black Water 5.5 Dec-15 Star Wars Battlefront 7.5 Jan-16
Game of Thrones: Episode 6 – Guitar Hero Live 7.5 Dec-15 StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void 8.75 Jan-16
The Ice Dragon 7.5 Jan-16 Lego Dimensions 8.75 Nov-15 Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 5 –
Guitar Hero Live 7.5 Dec-15 Mario Tennis Ultra Smash 6.75 Jan-16 The Vault of the Traveler 8 Jan-16
King’s Quest Chapter 1: Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 1: Talos Principle:
A Knight to Remember 8 Oct-15 The Order of the Stone 8.25 Dec-15 Road to Gehenna, The 8.25 Oct-15
King’s Quest Chapter 2: Skylanders SuperChargers 6.5 Nov-15 Tembo the Badass Elephant 7 Oct-15
Rubble Without a Cause 7.5 Feb-16 Super Mario Maker 9 Oct-15 Undertale 9.5 Dec-15
Lego Dimensions 8.75 Nov-15 Xenoblade Chronicle X 7.25 Feb-16 Volume 8.75 Oct-15
Madden NFL 16 8.75 Oct-15 Yoshi’s Woolly World 8.5 Dec-15 WRC 5 6 Jan-16
Metal Gear Solid V:
The Phantom Pain 9.25 Oct-15 PC 3DS
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 1: Armikrog 4 Dec-15 Animal Crossing:
The Order of the Stone 8.25 Dec-15 Beginner’s Guide, The 8 Dec-15 Happy Home Designer 5 Nov-15
Skylanders SuperChargers 6.5 Nov-15 Call of Duty: Black Ops III 9 Dec-15 Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash 7 Dec-15
Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 5 – Cibele 7.75 Jan-16 Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold:
The Vault of the Traveler 8 Jan-16 The Fafnir Knight 8 Sep-15
Civilization: Beyond Earth –
Tales of Zestiria 6.5 Dec-15 Rising Tide 9 Dec-15 Legend of Zelda:
WRC 5 6 Jan-16 Dirt Rally 8.5 Feb-16 Tri Force Heroes, The 7.25 Dec-15
WWE 2K16 6.25 Jan-16 Fallout 4 9 Jan-16 Pokémon Picross 6.75 Feb-16
FIFA 16 8.75 Nov-15 Pokémon Super
XBOX 360 Game of Thrones: Episode 6 – Myster Dungeon 6.75 Feb-16
Destiny: The Taken King 9.5 Nov-15 The Ice Dragon 7.5 Jan-16 SteamWorld Heist 8.5 Feb-16
Disney Infinity 3.0 8.5 Oct-15 Gears of War: Ultimate Edition 8 Oct-15 Yo-kai Watch 8.5 Jan-16
Game of Thrones: Episode 6 – Guild of Dungeoneering 7 Oct-15
The Ice Dragon 7.5 Jan-16 Hearthstone: The Grand VITA
Guitar Hero Live 7.5 Dec-15 Tournament 9 Nov-15 Danganronpa Another Episode:
King’s Quest Chapter 1: Her Story 8.5 Sep-15 Ultra Despair Girls 5.5 Oct-15
A Knight to Remember 8 Oct-15 Just Cause 3 8 Feb-16 Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 1:
King’s Quest Chapter 2: King’s Quest Chapter 1: The Order of the Stone 8.25 Dec-15
Rubble Without a Cause 7.5 Feb-16 A Knight to Remember 8 Oct-15 Nuclear Throne 7.5 Feb-16
Lego Dimensions 8.75 Nov-15 King’s Quest Chapter 2: Persona 4: Dancing All Night 7.5 Nov-15
Madden NFL 16 8.75 Oct-15 Rubble Without a Cause 7.5 Feb-16 WRC 5 6 Jan-16
Metal Gear Solid V: Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime 8 Nov-15
The Phantom Pain 9.25 Oct-15 Mad Max 7.5 Nov-15 iOS
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 1: Magic Duels 8.75 Sep-15 Hearthstone:
The Order of the Stone 8.25 Dec-15 The Grand Tournament 9 Nov-15
Metal Gear Solid V:
Rise of the Tomb Raider 9.5 Jan-16 The Phantom Pain 9.25 Oct-15 Her Story 8.5 Sep-15
Skylanders SuperChargers 6.5 Nov-15 Might & Magic Heroes VII 7 Dec-15 Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 1:
Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 5 – Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 1: The Order of the Stone 8.25 Dec-15
The Vault of the Traveler 8 Jan-16 The Order of the Stone 8.25 Dec-15 Room Three, The 8 Jan-16

Volume XXVI Number 3 Issue 275

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 Since Goddard had previously
worked on the Street Fighter
franchise, a one-on-one fighter

Forged For
seemed like the best direction for
a new game, but Goddard and
co-creator Dave Winstead also
had plenty of new ideas. They
knew they wanted to create a
game centered on weapon-to-

The Hardcore weapon clashing since those were

a rarity at the time. Their creativity
took off from there, soon turning
into, “Let’s break weapons,”
Goddard recalls. “And let’s make
fatalities that you combo into
Decades after its release, enthusiasm for Weaponlord’s them; you don’t just put in Morse
code. That’s how it started.”
complex fighting action is as sharp as ever Steven Chiang was lead program-
mer on the project at developer
Visual Concepts, and he recalls
those early days fondly. “The fun
was just the brainstorming and the
he early era of fighting games could fill a virtual graveyard with false starts, obscuri- random crap from sitting around.

T ties, and outright failures. One would-be contender struggled to gain a mass audience
at launch, but has maintained a rabid following of the hardcore faithful in the decades
since it took its first bloody swing. In this month’s Classic, we look at Weaponlord. by Jeff Cork
We weren’t even drinking – we
were in like Taco Bell and drinking
soda,” he says. “And we’d come
up with these over-the-top ideas.
‘Oh wouldn’t it be badass if you
could cut the guy’s head off and
James Goddard’s resume is Goddard pitched the concept decent sized sprites on the Super you could do a power move and
loaded with one megahit and cult to Capcom. Nintendo and the Sega Genesis,” the brain would come out and jiggle
favorite after the other. He worked Goddard eventually moved Goddard says. “Ken Lobb had just on the ground?’ ‘What if you did a
at Capcom in the ‘90s, where to Namco, where he picked up left Namco and gone to Nintendo, power move and you gut him and
he made a significant mark as the baton on another game that and that wasn’t unfortunately his guts come out?’ But the cool
co-lead designer of Street Fighter was still early in development. technically possible. It was way part about it was you’d have this
II Hyper Fighting’s rebalancing. “It was going to be a four-player ahead of its time.” Rather than conversation, and a few days later
He later designed Super Street fighter, which predates Smash scrap it entirely, they used it as a you’d be playing with something.”
Fighter II’s kickboxer Dee Jay. The Bros., which just wasn’t going to skeleton for what would become Goddard’s insistence that
old Alien vs. Predator beat-em-up? run at a decent frame rate and Weaponlord. Weaponlord not just ape Street
94
 Why Weaponlord?
I spoke with several players who have kept the Weaponlord torch burn-
ing all these years. While their appreciation for the game is similar, it was
striking how they latched onto different facets of the game.
Alvin Cartuyvels bought the SNES version of the game on launch day, par-
tially because the game supported XBAND. A competitive fighting-game fan
to this day, Cartuyvels and his friends became obsessed with Weaponlord’s
combo system, and the amount of flexibility that it provided. “They kept it
open to the point where you can do certain moves, and if it doesn’t knock
the opponent down, there’s probably another button that you can push to
keep that combo going,” he says. He and his friends would routinely stay up
until dawn trying to devise the longest combos.
Cartuyvels lives in Chicago, which is where Killer Instinct-developer Iron
Galaxy Studios is headquartered. There, he met Weaponlord designer James
Goddard. The two geeked out about the game, and eventually met up again
to record an extensive video walkthrough of the game’s systems and grisly
high-level gameplay.
George Sellas and his brothers routinely rented Weaponlord as kids, in
part because the competitive format gave the three more time at the controls.
While he says he was a good but not great player, the look of the characters
stayed with Sellas. “I’ve always been a big fan of Robert Howard and his
original Conan stories, and things like that, so I gravitated to it,” he says.
Fighter led to the game’s some- Weaponlord was originally set for “It spoke to my sensibilities; it was something very different from the more
what notorious reputation. In many a July 1995 release, but a ROM Asian or eastern aesthetics of Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat.”
ways Weaponlord was ahead of its shortage meant the game would Sellas has recently applied his skills to creating reworked versions of the
time, featuring massive sprites and be delayed to October on Gene- characters, showing what they might look like today. Goddard is a fan of the
a variety of in-depth systems, in- sis. Instead of releasing the SNES results, saying that he can almost imagine playing it with the fresh visuals.
cluding an innovative active parry- and Genesis games on different That’s not to say that you should feel guilty if you’ve never heard about
ing system, weapons and costume dates, Namco decided to wait the game before. It’s not exactly a household name, according to fighting-
elements that could be broken, and to release both in October. That game fixture Seth Killian, who is currently spearheading the creation of
a combo system that was more move meant it hit shelves after the Rising Thunder. “I don't think many people even within the fighting game
sophisticated than most fighting home port of Killer Instinct and community know much about Weaponlord, but it definitely gets props from
games. It also supported online the PlayStation launch. fighting game historians,” he says. “During a period of great stagnation in
play via the XBAND peripheral. Goddard said that before the fighters, Weaponlord combined a straight-up bonkers number of new game-
That depth came at a cost, how- launch there were about 700,000 play mechanics, many of which would be replicated in other games later on.
ever, requiring players to master preorders, but sales suffered It looked like a totally metal, mindless gore-fest, but had a ton of interesting
moves where you would perform a because of the delay. “The timing things happening under the hood.”
motion and press a button as well was awful. That really didn’t help.
as ones where you had to hold and Had it been out a little sooner,
release buttons while inputting the more people would have played it,
correct motions. For casual players but they would have still faced the
who were accustomed to Street same play challenges. Would more
Fighter and Mortal Kombat, it was hardcore players have adopted it?
overwhelming – especially con- I don’t know. It’s amazing to this
sidering each character had 10 or day how many people will say, ‘Oh,
more special moves to memorize. you did that game?’”
“Let’s come up with categories Even if it didn’t set any sales
of things that are badass and records, critical reception was
counter each other, and then give strong, earning a high 9 score in
them to everybody, but in a differ- Game Informer from editor-in-chief
ent way,” Goddard says, laughing. Andy McNamara. “Overall, this is
“I thought I was adding depth. It the ultimate fighting freak’s fighting
all made sense at the time, and we game,” he wrote in his review.
were really going into unchartered Goddard is now design director
territories. We all were able to play of Killer Instinct, where he con-
the game no problem, so it seemed tinues to hone his fighting-game
like sensible stuff.” skills. Chiang co-founded Tiberon,
The game’s complexity didn’t which develops a variety of EA’s Here's a look at one of George Sellas'
reimagined screens, with Glenn Kim's
help, but perhaps it was simple sports games. He’s now EVP of original Weaponlord background
timing that brought the lethal Worldwide Production and Studios
blow to the game. Goddard says at Warner Bros. Interactive.
classic 95
game over
Who Said It?
Match the Star Wars quotes to the speaker.

HAN SOLO YODA QUI-GON JINN LANDO CALRISSIAN PRINCESS LEIA

VICEROY NUTE GUNRAY C-3PO BOBA FETT OBI-WAN KENOBI QUEEN AMIDALA

[Link] Fett [Link] Solo 3.C-3PO [Link]-Wan Kenobi [Link] Leia [Link]-Gon Jinn [Link] [Link] Amidala [Link] Nute Gunray [Link] Calrissian

Two irresistible flavors

I can’t believe they’re making Hey, I know those guys.
a megasta r like me do this.
 1. “Get him, Dad, get him. Fire!” 6. “You almost got us killed! Are you brainless?”

2. “We came to rescue you, it was his idea.” 7. “How embarrassing. How embarrassing.”

3. “Don’t call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease.” 8. “We live in a real world, come back to it.”

4. “Obi-Wan. Now that’s a name I have not heard in a long time.” 9. “Are you brain dead?”

5. “You came in that thing? You’re braver than I thought.” 10. “What have you done to my ship?”

Game Informer Magazine® (ISSN 1067-6392) is published monthly at a subscription price of $19.98 for 1 year or $24.98 for 2 years by Sunrise Publications®, 724 North First Street, 3rd Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. (612) 486-6100 or FAX (612) 486-6101. Canada & Mexico
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under 200 calories.

I don’t li ke the way people a re looking at us.

I better be getting paid overtime for this.

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