Game Informer 2014-09

THE WORLDS #1 VIDEO GAME MAGAZINE
assassins creed rogue
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ANDY McNAMARA
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
andy@gameinformer.com
visit gameinformer.com daily for the latest and greatest, and follow @gameinformer on Twitter
Read my column or
comment on this letter at
gameinformer.com/mag or
follow @GI_AndyMc
Cheers,
contents
ould the ability to watch an entire game

from beginning to end online be the
death of linear single-player experiences?
Its an interesting question. Streaming has
been around for a while, especially on PC, but
now that streaming straight from your Xbox
One or PlayStation 4 has lowered the barrier
for entry and discovery, the question carries
more weight.
Sure there are games, like The Walking Dead
or Mass Effect, where the narrative can take
numerous turns to create the illusion that no
game is the same. And there are open-world
games, like Assassins Creed or Grand Theft
Auto, where the narrative runs alongside a
playground that players need to experience
to understand. But games in which the main
story path is fairly limited and predetermined
to a degree could be endangered.
Why play The Last of Us Remastered when
the day it launches you can watch someone
else play the entire experience right on your
PS4? Did South Park: The Stick of Truth have
fewer sales overall because world-renowned
YouTuber Felix PewDiePie Kjellberg played
through the entire experience online before the
game was even available for purchase? The
jokes were the same whether you watched it
on YouTube or played it yourself.
To me, the answer to that question is easy;
I want to play the game. I have no desire to
watch someone else play through the experience, but there are plenty of people who do.
For many, perhaps it is just a question of
budget. Why buy a game that you can watch
when funds are limited? Yes, we love to support developers by buying their products, but
few people out there can afford the thousands
of games that come out across the spectrum
of platforms in a given year.
I know I love well-crafted single-player experiences, and I would hate to see them fade
from existence because developers cant sell
enough units due to players watching them
online. On the other hand, if developers cant
create experiences compelling enough for you
to need to play them and not simply watch
them, can the consumer be blamed for simply
watching the experience and walking away?
The experience on the gamepad becomes
paramount to survival in this brave new streaming world. Developers need to innovate and
hone the experiences, not add more scenes
where mashing buttons opens a sealed door
or stops a falling column. Player agency and
ownership of the action will be what defines
the games and gives weight to the stories that
developers tell.
Enjoy the issue.
0914
Streaming
Killed The
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Single-Player Star
46
The Future Of Assassins Creed
Assassins Creed is back with two new games this fall, Unity and Rogue.
Unity is a new-gen exclusive set to be Ubisofts biggest venture yet, complete with cooperative gameplay and a love story between an Assassin
and a Templar. Rogue lets you finally assume the role of a Templar, letting
you explore New York City, and giving you your own ship to take on the
frigid waters of the North Atlantic. by Kimberley Wallace & Jeff Cork
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28
94
The Best Mobile Games Of 2014 (So Far)
30
The Meaning Of Indie
Divinity: Original Sin
66
10
20 Years Of Neversoft
74
Destiny
Hyrule Warriors
20
Better Off Dead
games index
Another World:
20th Anniversary Edition. . . . . . . . .
ArcheAge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assassins Creed Rogue . . . . . . . . . .
Assassins Creed Unity . . . . . . . . . . .
Assault Android Cactus . . . . . . . . . . .
Battleheart Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel . . . . . .
Botanicula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cuphead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dark Souls II:
The Crown of the Sunken King . . . .
Dawngate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Destiny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Divinity: Original Sin . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dragon Age: Inquisition . . . . . . . . . . .
FTL: Faster Than Light . . . . . . . . . . .
Gauntlet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Godfire: Rise of Prometheus . . . . . . .
Hearthstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Homeworld Remastered Collection. . .
Hyrule Warriors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jamestown Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kero Blaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Legend of Korra, The. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Leos Fortune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lifeless Planet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Madden NFL 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Magic 2015
Duels of the Planeswalkers . . . . . . .
Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake . . . . .
Monument Valley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Out There . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Path of Exile: Forsaken Masters . . . .
Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 . . . . . . . .
Shovel Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Skylanders: Trap Team . . . . . . . . . . .
Sniper Elite III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Soma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Strife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tales from the Borderlands . . . . . . . .
Tales of Xillia 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Threes! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transformers:
Rise of the Dark Spark . . . . . . . . . .
Tuffy the Corgi
and the Tower of Bones . . . . . . . . .
Uncanny X-Men:
Days of Future Past, The. . . . . . . . .
Vanishing of Ethan Carter, The . . . . .
VVVVV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wayward Manor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wayward Souls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wolf Among Us: Episode 5
Cry Wolf, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
World of Tanks Blitz. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
World of Warcraft:
Warlords of Draenor . . . . . . . . . . . .
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regulars
Feedback
This4 month,
readers react to
8 Connect
Neversoft,
the studio behind
We68takePreviews
one final look at
Reviews
Its88a relatively
dry month for
Game Over
The100
Assassins Creed fran-
our Far Cry 4 cover, which

was much more colorful than
any of our previous covers.
They also share in our excitement over No Mans Sky, and
tell us who wears the best
outfit in video games (spoiler:
Its Donkey Kong).
Tony Hawk, was recently

absorbed into Call of Duty
developer Infinity Ward to
create one super studio. We
spoke with its founders to
reminisce about its games
and learn about its future.
We also break down the net
neutrality issue, and look at
some of video games most
notable lawsuits.
Destiny before hibernating

for its release, put our hands
on Dragon Age: Inquisition,
and see what new characters are playable in Hyrule
Warriors. We also find out
whats in store for Madden
NFL 15 and Pro Evolution
Soccer 15, and revisit World
of Warcraft to see whats
happening in the Warlords
of Draenor expansion.
new releases, but we still

have some good stuff to play.
We offer our thoughts on the
surprise RPG hit Divinity:
Original Sin, find out how the
Tales of Xillia sequel stands
up to the original, and warn
against Transformers: Rise of
the Dark Spark.
chise has a complicated,

centuries-spanning story
that calls into question
the motivations of historys most iconic figures.
Its hard to keep track of
who is on what side of the
Assassin/Templar battle,
and we want to see how
much you know.
WorldMags.net
contents 3
feedback
WorldMags.net
Whos the sharpest dressed character in gaming? Our readers

share their picks, while also asking questions about open-world
games and answering a developers call for more diversity.
Intelligent Design
The Family That Slays Together...
Im very impressed with the cover design

for issue 255 (Far Cry 4). Its so pretty I
thought my Anthropologie catalog had come.
Naturally, I was much more excited to see it
was the new issue of Game Informer. Kudos
to the artist!
Leigh Borum
via email
I just wanted to say that your review for

Wolfenstein: The New Order was not how I
felt the game should have been rated. I agree
with everything you said and also noticed how
dopey the A.I. of the Nazis is, but I would have
given the game at least a 9.5. The only reason
I give it this high of a rating is not because of
the quality of the game (which I know is how
you usually rate games), but because of the
personal experience that I shared with my dad
while playing. It was something I looked forward to after he got home from work something we could both enjoy together. Again,
My name is Janice Ingram and my 18-yearold son Parker has been receiving Game
Informer for years. When your August issue
arrived in the mail, I tore off the back cover
before I gave it to him because I was so in
love with the batik print that I wanted to keep
it for myself. Bad idea. When I brought it to
him, he flipped a switch; he has been saving
every issue for four years and was very upset
that I ruined this months issue. Is it possible
to get a replacement? It would be an act of
restitution if I could give him a wholly perfect
copy for his collection.
Janice Ingram
San Antonio, TX
Contact Us
feedback@gameinformer.com
4
Based on the responses we received this

month, our classy Far Cry 4 cover was
a pleasant surprise for more than a few
readers not to mention a few readers
moms. Were going to go ahead and chalk
it up as a success. As for your dilemma,
Janice dont worry. We wouldnt leave a
fellow batik lover hanging.
WorldMags.net
I agree that the game by itself deserved about

an 8, but sometimes what makes a game fun
is how you play it with friends and family.
Drew Blakeley
via email
Were used to getting letters that complain about our review scores, but the reasoning behind your opinion of the game
was surprisingly touching. Were glad you
and your dad were able to bond over the
age-old pastime of shooting video game
Nazis together.
Give Me Some Space
WorldMags.net
I am so hyped after reading Bryan Vores

feature on No Mans Sky (Endless Possibility,
issue 255). Everything from the art to the
headline sucked me right in. After I finished
reading, I felt a sense of wonder I havent felt
in a long time. Just the idea of being able
to explore an entire galaxy and the fact that
there will be other people doing it too makes
me wish it was already out. No Mans Sky
seems to fill a void that the industry has for
true open-world exploration games. Sure, we
have open-world sandbox games like Skyrim
and Grand Theft Auto, but this game features
a much greater scope, and seems more about
how the player interacts with the world than
telling the player what to do. It also seems
to offer a much deeper feeling of exploration
than Minecraft ever did, and I almost get a
Journey-esque vibe from it (the game, not the
band, just to clarify). I have high hopes for No
Mans Sky and will be keeping a close eye on
it from now on.
Kevin Conyers
via email
No Mans Sky continues to impress us as
well, which is why at a show full of triple-A
action titles with multimillion-dollar budgets, Hello Games ambitious space-exploration game still made it to number five
on our E3 Hot 50 list last issue. Read more
about the game at gameinformer.com/mag.
Short Answers To
Readers Burning
Questions:
Are you as excited as I am for
the next Uncharted game?
Probably.
When is the game going to
be released? sonic and the
pac man
Huh?
E For Everyone
I was so thrilled to see the interview with BioWare Montreals
Manveer Heir (Pushing For Diversity, issue 256). Im glad that Game
Informer is a magazine that isnt afraid to focus on real issues in
gaming, such as the lack of inclusion. As a woman who often feels
alienated by the gaming community, I think this issue deserves a
lot more attention. And besides that, Heir is brilliant and his argument for diversity in gaming contained a lot of good points.
Veronica Nelson
via email
I really enjoyed your interview with Manveer Heir about diversity. I
agree with all of his answers and he provides a much-needed perspective. The Walking Dead is a perfect example of how well diverse
games can do. The characters in the game represent many different
races, and you can see how Telltale avoided stereotypes. People
can say that games featuring diverse characters will not be well
received, but we already have one example that shows diversity not
only in race, but in age, culture, and the style of gameplay as well.
Tayci Stallings
via email
gi spy
Despite a flood of positive feedback like the responses above,

we received several predictable letters dismissing Heirs concerns as political correctness run amok. Since those readers
cant stand niceties, well keep it real: If you complain about
other gamers who would simply like to see more diversity and
the same representation you already enjoy in games, you need
to grow up.
So since Sims 4 lets you grab

body parts and stretch them,
Im going to ask the question
were all thinking: Can I give
my sim a 20-inch ****?
Youre the only one thinking
that question.
Worst News Tip

Of The Month:
I want to post post on some
game niche so please give me
chance to post few articles
every month basis.
Reader Gibberish:
where can I find a place why
people can discus with me
about games.
Question
Of The Month:
What city would you like to
see featured in your favorite
open-world series, and why?
(Left) As you can see,

Gearbox has some very serious
folks working on Battleborn.
(Right) This month, actor
and comedian Kumail Nanjiani
stopped by to chat about
games and joined us for an
episode of Replay. Watch the
video at gameinformer.com
GI SPY
continued on page 6
CANDID PHOTOS FROM THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY

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feedback 5
On Your Mind
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Cutting Out The Cutscenes
I was reading your cover story on Far Cry 4,

and while most of the details sound awesome,
one thing bothers me. From Ubisoft Montreals
comments, it seems like they are designing the
campaign and story with the intent of pleasing
people who often skip cutscenes (i.e. people
who dont really care about the story). As a big
fan of story in games, I think that they might
be missing the point. Story doesnt have to be
sacrificed at the altar of the open world; cant
they both live in harmony? However, since I
loved the story and characters in Far Cry 3, Ill
hold out judgment until I play the game.
Alex Porell
via email
You can rest easy, Alex. Ubisoft Montreal
isnt trying to create a throwaway narrative,
but simply one that doesnt rely on noninteractive cutscenes to convey plot points.
The developer wants Far Cry 4s story
to happen in the game world, and to be
driven by choices the player makes during
gameplay, which should hopefully deliver
the harmony youre looking for. For more on
Far Cry 4, check out our bonus coverage at
gameinformer.com/farcry4.
Behind Closed Doors
26% Far Cry 4

Excitement
24% Hot Video
Game Getups
20% No Mans
Sky Angst
16% Pro-Diversity
Gamers
08% Anti-Diversity
Gamers (Really?!)
06% Moms Who Loved
The Far Cry 4 Cover
In open-world games like Watch Dogs and

Grand Theft Auto, why are there still closed
doors and inaccessible buildings? Not being
able to go in every door or explore every building and encounter random people in them
seems closed world to me. I enjoy openworld games and hope the newer engines and
hardware available to developers fix this. That
kind of openness is what Im looking for as we
go into the future of open-world games.
Kirk Austin
Huntsville, AL
Even if developers relied on procedurally generated content, having interiors
for every building in a sprawling city
like those in the open-world games you
mention would be a huge technological
undertaking. Thats not to say it wouldnt
be totally awesome, and games like
Assassins Creed Unity are getting us
closer to that vision, with one in four
buildings featuring interior areas. Read
more about it on page 48.
Looking Sharp
In issue 255, we asked readers which video game character has
the best outfit and why. The leading men from the Assassins
Creed series were popular picks, as was a certain ape in a tie.
Here are some of the responses:
I am going to say Altar from the first Assassins Creed. He has
the original iconic assassin outfit, and the white-and-red color
scheme is still around to this day, as well as the beaked hood
that I personally love so much. Its a fairly simple outfit, but with a
lasting and visually attractive appearance.
Finn Smith
I think Donkey Kong has the best outfit because his tie represents
his name and its cool that an ape who lives in the jungle and
punches and hops on animals can get formal wear.
Nizar Mohammad
I think the video game character that has the best outfit is Ellie
from The Last of Us, because shes one of the only female characters whose outfit isnt ridiculous or over-sexualized.
Angie Bernard
Link has the best outfit, because his getup somehow manages to
make a Wee Willie Winkie hat look badass.
Leo Morales-Egizi
(Left) Square Enixs Tai Yasue

gave Bryan and Kim the key
to Kingdom Hearts, but he still
wouldnt share any Kingdom
Hearts 3 secrets with us.
Come on, Tai!
(Right) Reiner caught up with
Bethesdas Erin Losi and actor
Scott Porter at this years E3
GI SPY
continued on page 8
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1
WINNER
1 Devyn Adams
Were hoping Shigeru Miyamoto considers this new look for Fox
McCloud in the next Star Fox game. Doge for the win!
2 Dustin Holland
Are you really looking for lost artifacts when you bring a grenade
and guns into a cave?
3 Emalee Cacciola
Always match your hair color to your weapons
4 Tyrell Duskin
Coolest stained glass window ever? We think so
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 | Mpls, MN 55401 or Email to: ReaderArt@gameinformer.com
(Left) What happens when you

bring together Hello Games
Sean Murray and Insomniacs
Ted Price to talk about game
design? You get a really interesting conversation, which you can
watch at gameinformer.com
(Right) Recently, Game
Informers editor in chief
Andy McNamara went insane
and reverted to his 12-year-old
self. Were hoping hell grow
out of itagain
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EX I T I NTERV I EW:
ident Joel Jewett & d

rting pres
irecto
a
p
e
D
r
s
e
a
r
e
e
P
t
e
t
c
o
t on
Sc
20 YEARS OF
NOTABLES
16
big plays, bigger payouts
18
changing the rules

of the game: the end
of net neutrality
20
better off dead
24
objection!
video games in
the courtroom
26
xcom: the board game
30
the mutating meaning

of indie
32
top 10 airships
34
afterwords:
shovel knight
40
interview: adam boys,

sony vp of publisher and
developer relations
10
- 2014
19 94
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NEVERSOFT
his past May, news broke that Activision planned to dissolve Neversoft, one of its
most notable internal development studios. The remaining team members would
be absorbed by Call of Duty developer In nity Ward, creating a new super studio.
The closure was done with the blessing of founder and president Joel Jewett and
studio director Scott Pease, both of whom are stepping away from the game industry. We recently chatted with the pair, who reected on the companys humble beginnings,
colorful history, and classic games in franchises like Tony Hawk, Spider-Man, and Guitar Hero.
interview by Matt Helgeson
Now that Neversoft is at the end, lets

talk about the early days. Did you ever
think it would last this long when
you started?
Joel Jewett: We did not think it would
last as long as it did. At the beginning,
it was just a few people that quit another
company and got together to make
Skeleton Warriors. The idea was there
was going to be an awesome cartoon,
this was going to hit the airwaves, and
we were going to make a game to go
along with it. The game actually came
out on the PlayStation and the Sega
Saturn. The beauty of it was that the
show came and went almost before
the video game was done. We were
like Oh s---. I think our claim to fame
was that we got the game done and it
shipped. It got the publishers money
back, and we were allowed to continue
being a developer [Laughs].
The game Apocalypse, which featured
Bruce Willis, isnt well remembered,
but ended up being pretty pivotal for
Neversoft and served as the foundation for a lot of things to come.
JJ: The early years before Apocalypse
were basically keep the company alive
until we hooked up with Activision. We
were pretty much broke before we did
that. We did all these game demos over
Christmas time; everybody else was on
vacation. We were doing anything we
could to impress Activision. The cool

thing we brought along was some tech
that we had used in trying to make these
previous games. Activision said, Wow,
can you do this Apocalypse game for
us, and get it done within a year? In the
back in my mind Im thinking, Well, Im
f---ing broke, so Im sure as s--- going
to try. We shook hands and we started
to make Apocalypse.
The funny part was we werent even
around for the beginning where they gave
Bruce Willis a bunch of Activision stock
to be in a video game, and they hyped
the daylights out of it in the press. We just
came in at the end and made this game.
But, once again, it got the companys
money back, and sold enough units that
we got some bonus money out of it. That
was the game that proved to Activision
that what we could do was make a game
and get it done on time. Back in those
days, in the development community
I dont know that its even changed that
much no one could ship a video game
on time. They just didnt ever do it. I think
a lot of people didnt even think necessarily it was a big deal. One of the things
we had in our minds was that, if youre
working for these big public companies
and you meet the deadline, that sets you
apart from all the other developers. We
got Apocalypse done on time, and they
said, Hey, do you want to do something
else for us?
Joel Jewett shot the Neversoft eyeball with aming arrows
WorldMags.net
connect 11
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That next thing was Tony Hawk, right?

JJ: Activision came to us with the idea.
They said, Hey, there are a ton of people
running around with skateboards these
days. We did some tests on it. Do you
think you guys could make a skateboarding game? That suited the attitude and
vibe of Neversoft. We got to work on the
Tony Hawk game, and at the same time,
we also started working on Spider-Man.
Did you have a hunch when you were

working on Tony Hawks Pro Skater
that you were onto something that
had the potential to be big?
Scott Pease: I was over at Activision at
this time, trying to get this skateboarding
game to go, trying to get Tony Hawk
on board, and working with Neversoft.
I jumped over to produce the game over
at Neversoft. Its funny, I look back at
the letters I sent, the emails I sent. We
were just making a game that we were
passionate about. We hoped we would
make a cool game and it would sell
250,000 units and make its money back.
Then, the game started to come together.
I remember taking it around the Activision
offices. I [took] it to the sound booth to
have the guys play it, and they wouldnt
put it down. I couldnt get it out of there.
They just wanted one more run, one
more run. That was the first indication
that there was something special going
on there. Then, that kind of steamrolled
into that first demo we did.
JJ: Sony had this program where they

would release this little demo disc
quarterly. They were called Jampacks.
Thats when it hit me the Jampack
shipped with a demo for the first Tony
Hawk game on it. We knew people at
other developers like Naughty Dog,
Paradox, and some other guys in the
community. We started hearing our
friends at other developers were not
working on their own stuff because they
were all in the back room playing this
Tony Hawk demo, seeing who could
score the highest.
Did Tony Hawks Pro Skater break out
immediately, or was it a slow build
through word of mouth?
SP: It was word of mouth.
JJ: Yeah, we had one more cool event

that happened before it shipped. Were
cleaning our offices out right now and I
pulled out this newspaper article. I looked
at the date it was July 21, 1999 and
that was the date of the Los Angeles
Times newspaper article that showed
Tony Hawk had just done the 900 during
the X Games that year. So the Jampack
demo was out there and now our guy
that we had signed to be in the game
f---ing goes off and throws down the
900. We actually had to scramble and
put the 900 trick into the game.
In hindsight, do you think the
annualized sequels hurt Tony Hawk

as a brand?
JJ: I disagree with that. Its hard to catch
lightning in a bottle, and if you do, you
just wanna run. The worlds going to
change. Like right now, is skateboarding
itself as popular as it was at that time?
No. I just think you wanna have fun, work
hard, and capitalize on it if you have
something like that. When we quit making
the Tony Hawk games, you essentially
hit a point in time where our games split
the market with Skate, and the market
had actually shrunk by then. People had
been there, done that theyre looking
for something new. If you were trying to
make something last forever, the world
changes. We couldve tried to make it
last forever and we wouldve made, like,
four games, and it would have had the
same lifespan.
The game Gun is an interesting one in
hindsight, given the success of Red
Dead Redemption. The industry didnt
think that westerns were a good genre
for games, but you guys seemed to
sense the potential. You had the right
idea, but maybe it wasnt the right
time. Rockstar obviously took the concept and made it a blockbuster.
JJ: Where to begin? Gun was awesome
that was another one where Scott and
I both were totally into the material and
we spent a ton of time researching. That
game was a passion project between
the two of us. We tried to figure out what
was the right thing, and we thought we
identified a niche where we could make
a game that the public would be receptive to. We thought there was going to be
this big demand out there. Quite frankly,
I think we were right and I thank the guys
at Rockstar for, in my opinion, proving
us right.
But what went wrong? We couldve
probably made a better game. Thats one
that we maybe shouldve worked on it
a bit longer, and really refined what we
had. But that was part of the Neversoft
way we werent going to miss the deadline. So we went in and got it done. We
probably bit off a little bit more than we
could chew. We made Gun in 18 months
from the ground up, even hiring the team.
Then, at the end it was like, Oh yeah,
by the way, its a console transition year,
so...s---. We have that to deal with [the
Xbox 360 version] too? But all in all, it
was a wicked experience, even for how
hard it was. I very fondly remember it at
this point.
Scott Pease and Joel Jewett
12
TIMELINE
SP: It was a pretty tall task, and we got

most of it. At the end of that project we
actually had an early open-world engine
Gun
that was pretty awesome. But other

things came up and that [series] wasnt
meant to be continued. But I love that
game. Its somewhat of a shame that it
ultimately proved to be a test and a prototype for the guys at Rockstar to kind of
take it further. But they did a fantastic job.
JJ: We had a bunch of guys that fought
really hard over on the Activision side
and we got the sequel approved, and
then we more or less had to make the
call over here that we couldnt do it for
business reasons. We just didnt have the
manpower to make [Gun 2] and another
skateboarding game. We had to take our
engine to the next level, because we were
[moving to] the Xbox 360. We had to put
everybody back on the Hawk franchises.
1994
1995
1997
Joel Jewett, Mick West,

and Chris Ward found Neversoft
Skeleton Warriors
MDK
(PlayStation Port)
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Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
1998
1999
1999
2000
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Apocalypse
Tony Hawks
Pro Skater
Activision acquires
Neversoft
Spider-Man
Tony Hawks
Pro Skater 2
Tony Hawks
Pro Skater 3
Tony Hawks
Pro Skater 4
Tony Hawks
Underground
Tony Hawks
Underground 2
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of tilled the dirt enough. Jumping into a

new genre was just like, Boom! Doors
are opened all new problems to solve.
When we got the Guitar Hero franchise,
we got zero help from Harmonix.
Guitar Hero: Metallica
The last thing Neversoft did was the

Extinction Mode for Call of Duty:
Ghosts. That franchise is about as big
of a scale as you can possibly get.
How was that different for you guys?
Did you enjoy working on that game?
SP: Its interesting. It was really cool being
able to work on Call of Duty and it was a
new challenge. But games have gotten
to this crazy point where it requires so
many people to make one. You have two
choices. You can have a company with
300-some people under one roof, which is
going to come with its own management
issues. Or you can divide and conquer
and split it up between multiple studios,
which once again comes with its own
management issues. Its a lot of work, and
sometimes a lot of that work isnt actually
having your hands on the video game. Its
just kind of the state of the industry, so to
speak, at this point. It is what it is.
How did the transition to Guitar Hero

happen? It was a big phenomenon by
the time Activision split with Harmonix.
Was Guitar Hero something you lobbied for, or was it something that
Activision kind of pitched you?
JJ: If you wanna go out there and write
the definition of what Neversoft means, it
means Neversoft should be doing Guitar
Hero. Born and raised rock and roll, its in
our freakin hearts, you know? We had a
bunch of guys here who felt the same way.
When Activision lost Harmonix I was on
it like, We just have to make this game.
I called Activision and said that. At first
theyre like, What? You guys are busy.
And I said, No. We just have to make
it. They mightve even had some other
studios thinking about doing it, starting to
do some stuff on it. We just started hiring
people. Once again, it was another hard
project to get done [we had] less than a
year by the time we had our s--- together.
SP: Joel told the story earlier about how
other developers were playing the Tony
Hawk demo. Here at Neversoft were the
same way we were having Guitar Hero
parties and playing Guitar Hero in the
back of our office for fun while we were
making our other games. The passion
was already in place here.
14
What were just some of your memories

from that era?
JJ: All the bands. Im not kidding you
when I say I graduated high school in
1981 Great Falls, Montana. I was listening to Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and
Motrhead. I [would] drive around Great
Falls with my windows down, cranking
Motrhead. I was one of like eight guys
doing that. So we got to meet all those
guys. It was awesome. I got to go hang
out with Lemmy. He came to our studio
and we judged the Guitar Hero contest
together. That was a total kick. Ozzy
came to our studio; all of Van Halen
came into our studio. We packed our
mo-cap gear up and flew it up the coast
and went to Metallicas studio and set
all our stuff up there. They basically air
guitared to their own music and we mocapped them and we pretended we were
their audience. You grow up listening to
these bands do you think thats ever
going to happen to you in your lifetime?
Thats awesome.
Most studios tend to be focused on
a single genre. Infinity Ward makes
shooters or Harmonix makes music
games. Over the years, Neversoft
has been all over the map, going
from Apocalypse to Spider-Man to
Tony Hawk, to something totally

different where youre working with
peripherals and notes, like Guitar Hero.
At the end, you were working on Call
of Duty. How was the studio able to
switch gears so rapidly?
JJ: Well, first of all, thanks for noticing.
Thats part of the longevity of the studio,
right? We would work to a deadline and
make the best possible thing we could
make. At the same time, we had a lot of
really intelligent, passionate people here.
We never ever thought we couldnt do
something. If something looked fun, the
world is changing around you, and suddenly everyone is into this Guitar Hero fad
its like, That looks awesome, lets make
one we can do it. We would never
think that we couldnt do it. And why
would you ever think that? At the end of
the day, making a video game is really fun
problem solving.
Youve both been in the console development business for a long time. What
are some of the biggest positive and
negative changes that youve sort of
seen in the business over time?
JJ: I guess positives are...just sit down
in front of one of these new Xbox One
or PS4 games on a big high-res television set with a killer sound system and
go back and look at what Tony Hawk 1
looked like. Its just amazing. If youre in
video games of course you must have
at some point watched some Star Trek,
so we always joke about the holodeck.
When are we going to get to the holodeck? If you compared Tony Hawk 1 to
the game we just finished weve gone
a long way toward the holodeck in the
last few years. Its just crazy. I considered
myself fortunate to have lived through
that. Making our first video game, there
was no Internet so to speak. There was
no network in our office. You would save
out to a three-inch floppy and take the
data over to the other guys room and
plug it into his drive. Thats how you
transferred data.
SP: Over the years we have developed

almost like a five-year rule, too, where
if you work on something for five years,
youre ready for something new. You
need a new challenge; you need to step
into a new genre and try to figure out
what makes it tick. Everyone here is so
creative. Incremental improvements only
take you so far at some point. Youve kind
SC: The scale now is unprecedented.

The amount of people that a Call of Duty
game reaches is just staggering. Its literally like three games put into one and
theyre three big games too, when you
look at single-player, multiplayer, and
Extinction mode. Its great that games
now kind of ascended to the point where
theyre considered entertainment options
2005
2005
2006
2006
2007
2007
2008
Tony Hawks
American Wasteland
Gun
Tony Hawks
Project 8
Neversoft is given the Guitar Hero franchise
Tony Hawks
Proving Ground
Guitar Hero III:

Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero:
Aerosmith
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alongside movies and books. My only

regret is that there are definitely some
costs that come with that scale. When
you have these massive projects and
these massive teams, its just very different. Back when you could have a smaller
team working on something, it didnt cost
you so much to make changes. Today,
with taking so much work and so much
thought, you cant make those kinds of
seat-of-the-pants decisions as easily as
you could in the past.
Theres one thing that I wanted to
clear up because Ive seen it reported
different ways. After Guitar Hero:
Warriors of Rock and before you guys
worked on Call of Duty: Ghosts, did
you guys have your own original IP
in development?
JJ: How to tactfully and appropriately
answer thatwe worked on a first-person
shooter during that period of time. Youre
just going to have to ask Activision what
you can say about this. I would love to
set the record straight on that, frankly.
Its something Ive seen reported.

JJ: Let me put it this way, and I think I
can say it: We worked on a first-person
shooter during that period of time, and
hindsight being 20/20, I think it was
freaking awesome and we did some
killer work. There are other people out
there that would corroborate that. I think
it would be cool if people knew more
about it...thats all.
Why did you make the decision to step

away from Neversoft now?
JJ: As I told all my guys, this was the
hardest decision of my career. For me, it
was a timing thing. I ran super hard for
20 years. Doing another giant console
game was what was on the table. Im
51 and I was just like, Do you want to
do that now, be basically 54 or 55, and
then come up for some air? Or do you
want to come up for some air now? For
me, it was time to come up for some air,
clear my head, and take a rest. I want to
ride my horses into the backcountry and
camp out for two weeks. Go hunting. Do
all kinds of stuff I have an awesome

laundry list of things I want to do. I had to
do it now.
At the end of it all, I just would say
thanks to all these people I had the pleasure of working with all this time. Theyve
afforded me the opportunity to be able to
do this, and Im really fortunate to be in
that position.
Scott, do you plan on staying in

the industry?
SC: Im going to take a break as well,
recharge the batteries. Its been, I think,
18 games in 15 years here at Neversoft.
Weve been charging hard for a long time.
But like Joel said, the next game on the
horizon now youre looking at threeyear development cycles plus a year of
DLC. Its a big commitment. You kind of
gotta be all in on something that big. For
me, it was just time to take a break. On
the flipside, between what we worked on
before Ghosts and then going through
Ghosts here at Neversoft, weve developed a crack squad. The guys here are
very into the franchise and the genre, and

I think they did some fantastic work on
Ghosts. For them, the right decision is to
continue working on this franchise and,
in that respect, I think a merger makes
perfect sense.
How would you like people to remember Neversoft?
JJ: Now and then, I compare units
shipped to some of the big rock and
roll bands, and weve shipped over 100
million units of our video games. Thats
starting to get up there, chasing after
the AC/DCs and Black Sabbaths. More
importantly, the legacy has always been
about the people. Literally just hanging out with cool dudes trying to make
something thats awesome. Thats what
really drove me. Every morning I got up,
I started thinking about making video
games in the shower and drove to work,
and my job was awesome. We tried to
share all the benefits that came from that
with everybody. I hope everybody else
had as good a time as I did.
Call of Duty: Ghosts (Extinction Mode)
2008
2009
2009
2009
2009
2010
2013
2014
Guitar Hero:
World Tour
Guitar Hero:
Metallica
Guitar Hero 5
Band Hero
Guitar Hero:
Van Halen
Guitar Hero:
Warriors of Rock
Call of Duty: Ghosts

(Extinction Mode)
Neversoft is dissolved
and merged into Innity Ward
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Big Plays,
Bigger Payouts
ack in 2004, a professional gamer considered $20,000
to be a good haul for winning a tournament. In 2014,
winning one event can turn you into an instant millionaire. From MLG prize pools of $5,000-$10,000
10 years ago to this years Dota 2 The International 4
commanding a $10 million-plus purse, eSports are
becoming incredibly competitive even compared to some sporting
events. With last years League of Legends Season 3 World Championship selling out the Staples Center and The Internationals nals being
broadcast on ESPN, visibility is at an all-time high. by Daniel Tack
Along with the unparalleled competition

provided by relatively new players on the
eSports scene in the MOBA/ARTS genre, the
prize pools are increasing at what seems like
an exponential rate. With a prize pool of over
$10.9 million, Dota 2s The International 4 tournament made every member of the winning
team, Newbee, into an instant millionaire, with
46 percent of the total going their way. This
victory turns players on Newbee into the top
five overall prize earners in eSports history.
Why did MOBAs suddenly become the destination genre for competitive gaming? League
of Legends creators Riot Games thinks it has
to do with the core game experience.
League of Legends had the DNA of a successful spectator sport from day one: It relies
on team play, strategy, and clear goals, says
16
Riot Games vice president of eSports Dustin

Beck. The core element to League is competitive action, but it's also a team game that
rewards collaboration. There's a consistent
rhythm to it the map and the players may
change, but the goal always stays the same.
These are just a few of the things that makes
League such a natural fit as a spectator sport,
and one of the reasons why we chose to
invest in an ecosystem that made it easier to
take part in and enjoy live tournaments.
The team play aspect is also what drives
interest in Dota 2. I think that these 5v5 team
games are really popular because you can
play with your friends, says Peter Dager,
who plays on the Evil Geniuses Dota 2 team.
Games in the past have been more focused
on the individual.
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The money involved with these events has

come a long way since Quake III: Arena,
StarCraft II, Counter-Strike, and Halo tournaments ruled the scene. Even in comparison
to last years biggest events, the growth of
eSports purses in recent months is staggering.
The International 3 had a $2.8 million purse,
compared to $10.9 million this year.
It's not just the competitive events that are
capturing massive attention of gamers the
size of the community itself is much larger
than most FPS and old-school RTS games,
says Valve vice president of marketing Doug
Lombardi. If you look back at TI1, held in our
booth at Gamescom in 2011, it was really
low-fi. Held in a loud trade-show environment,
no between-game analysis, and the audience
didn't really have a vested interest in the tournament. After each International, we come
away with a list of things the community would
like to see, things we feel we can do better, as
well as suggestions from the players and teams.
Crowdfunding has provided new opportunities to push prize pools to new heights. Valve
has long tapped into the community to create
new content for Dota 2, such as cosmetic
items, announcer packs, and loading screens.
But with events like The International, the
player Compendium has become an integral
part of the event. Each time a player buys this
digital item, money is added directly into the
overall prize pool. Fans can also purchase
team-branded merchandise to support their
favorite competitors and support their favorite
shoutcasters and personalities by adding a
digital autograph to purchases.
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League of Legends World Championship
What Valve has done to make the crowdfunding aspects attractive to the community,
they have kind of made The International into
this glorious celebration of Dota, Dager says.
Whether you play the game or not, youre
probably watching. I think crowdfunding is
the right way to go about this, I think other
companies will do similar things. I dont think
eSports is leveling off, I think it will continue to
grow until it is just as if not more popular than
things like televised sports.
These huge events owe much of the rapid
ramp to greatness to the pervasiveness of
streaming growing up alongside modern
eSports. With Twitch.tv and in-client spectating, the friction of watching your favorite
players messing around day-to-day or participating in a major tournament is gone. Finding,
watching, and even participating with eSports
has never been easier.
The Top 10 eSports Tournaments

By Prize Pool
5. The International 2 $1,600,000 (Dota 2)

1. The International 4 $10,900,000* (Dota 2)
7. Call of Duty Championship 2014 $1,000,000 (Call of Duty: Ghosts)
8. Call of Duty Championship 2013 $1,000,000 (Call of Duty: Black Ops 2)
3. Season 3 World Championship $2,050,000 (League of Legends)
9. Call of Duty XP $1,000,000 (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3)
4. Season 2 World Championship $1,970,000 (League of Legends)
10. CPL World Tour finals 2005 $510,000 (Painkiller)
*Prize pool not final
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Changing The Rules

Of The Game
The end of net neutrality
could usher in a new and uncertain
landscape for gaming
18
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he present and future of video games is online. For

systems like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the quality of your Internet connection is becoming as crucial
as any chipset in the box. But bringing your system
online is only the beginning of the story.
Downloadable games, updates, patches, TV shows,
movies, and any other content coming and going via your systems
Internet connection all require quality service from your Internet Service
Provider (ISP). Right now, a legal and ideological war is being waged between the ISPs, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), content
creators, politicians, and consumers that will likely impact your gaming
and console experience by affecting the quality and cost of your Internet.
Here are the basics regarding what is at stake. by Matthew Kato
WHAT IS NET
NEUTRALITY?
Net neutrality is basically the concept
that ISPs should not discriminate the
content they serve, giving all sites on the
Internet the same speed whether it is
owned by a big company like Netflix or a
small website. Essentially, net neutrality
ensures that all websites, big or small, are
on a level playing field.
Net neutrality is being threatened
by possible changes to the FCC rules
that govern the Internet. In January of
this year, the Washington D.C. Court of
Appeals struck down the net neutrality regulations the FCC put in place in
2010. Currently, the FCC has submitted
a proposal of new Internet rules, and the
government agency, along with politicians,
ISPs, consumer groups, and the public
are trying to work out a new way forward.
What net neutrality means in practice,
however, differs for all sides. Content
companies like Netflix believe the principle
should shield them from having to pay
extra for a quality connection to consumers via ISPs. On the other side of the argument, ISPs say that companies like Netflix
load up too much data onto its infrastructure, and thus Netflix causes an imbalance of one-way traffic. Under a concept
called interconnection, or peering, ideally
the flow of data would be equal and thus
not subject to an additional fee. However,
network services company Sandvine says
Netflix alone is responsible for as much
as 30 percent of residential Internet traffic
at peak times. Netflix recently reluctantly
agreed to pay Comcast and other ISPs to
effectively get its data closer to the ISPs
networks especially as it believes the
ISPs intentionally throttled the speed of its
data as a show of force.
Consumers want costs to remain low,
and they want the ability to access all
content on the Internet at the same
speed. However, with companies like
Netflix and Comcast having to pay their
own infrastructure costs, consumers may
ultimately have to pay to keep things
running smoothly. For gamers, this could
mean higher costs to sustain an acceptable Internet connection.
Weve already been told by telecommunications executives that they
see all of that as simply the cost of doing
business, says Hal Halpin, president
and co-founder of the non-profit video
game membership organization the

Entertainment Consumers Association
(ECA), which has been involved in
raising awareness on the issue. Their
perspective is that they're investing in
updating and expanding their infrastructure and they want consumers to pay
more as a result.
Anne Marie Squeo, the director of
corporate communications at Netflix,
says the company currently has no plans
to raise its prices in response to its interconnection deals.
In a more abstract sense, believers in
net neutrality fear that, without proper
guidance, the Internet could split between
the haves and have-nots, favoring
those with money and potentially stifling
innovation. In July, a group of companies, including Google, Facebook, and
Amazon, joined with lobby group the
Internet Association to encourage the
FCC to adhere to net neutrality principles
and light touch regulation to preserve
the Internet as we know it. Despite the
association, there is a concern that large
companies like Google actually have no
stake in a single-lane Internet, since it
could pay for better access as a way to
distance itself from potential competition.
FCC chairman Tom Wheeler remains
vaguely broad in his support for net neutrality, but has specifically said he doesnt
think companies paying for access to an
Internet fast lane, or paid prioritization,
violates net neutrality principles. The
agencys current proposal or Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), in
bureaucratic-speak is the start of the
process of crafting the new net neutrality,
and it states that the FCC seeks transparency, no blocking of legal content, and the
vaguely stated principle that ISPs may
not act in a commercially unreasonable
manner to harm the Internet.
HOW DOES THIS

AFFECT GAMERS?
The primary area where gamers
interests and net neutrality intersect is
they and anyone else who uses the
Internet could pay more if ISPs start
to segregate the Internet into different
lanes of varying speeds and costs. Apart
from the extra costs to your monthly bill,
any content provider unable to pay for
a better connection from an ISP risks
being stuck in the slow lane.
For instance, PlayStation Now, Sonys

upcoming game streaming service,
requires a quality connection to run optimally. You currently may pay for a highspeed Internet tier from your ISP, but if a
content provider like Sony has to pay an
ISP to get into the fast lane for its services,
that cost could eventually be passed on
to the consumer, as well. Internet fast and
slow lanes would also affect download
times for games, patches, DLC, and other
content. A large digital games provider
like Valve, who owns and operates Steam,
would clearly benefit from signing up for
an Internet fast lane.
Neither Valve nor Sony would comment
on the possible effects of revised net
neutrality rules for their services, but Sony
told us in a statement: Consumers and
Internet companies should be protected
against restrictions, including blocking
and paid-prioritization, to keep the market
focused on the end-user experience.
Competition could also be affected
if ISPs promote their own interests via
better speeds than other content providers. In May, Reuters reported via multiple
sources that Comcast and Electronic Arts
were nearing a deal to stream EA games
like Madden and FIFA via Comcasts X1
cable box. In the absence of strong net
neutrality regulations, Comcast could
conceivably favor its streaming service
at the expense of PlayStation Now, for
instance. While FCC chairman Tom
Wheeler has stated he doesnt object to
paid fast lanes, he is against ISPs favoring the traffic from an affiliated entity.
HOW COULD DATA CAPS

CHANGE THINGS?
The issue of data caps is not technically a net neutrality issue, but it is
relevant to the discussion, as we could
soon see ISPs charging high-data users
more, just as they intend to charge highbandwidth websites extra. It is another
huge potential revenue stream for ISPs as
gamers appetite for downloads, updates,
and other content increases, and would
mean gamers get hit twice: once by content providers, and again by ISPs.
Considering that Call of Duty: Ghosts
is just under 40GB to download on
Xbox One, and Dead Rising 3 had its
infamous 13GB title update, data caps
could become another monthly gaming
expense. Both the current and last-gen
systems have expanded our digital
reach, bringing in movie streaming functionality and encouraging some gamers
to cut the cord from their cable or satellite company (with HD movie-streaming
accounting for an estimated 2GB an
hour), increasing the amount of data
used. And consider the uploading size
also potentially subject to a cap of the
increasingly popular Twitch functionality
of both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4,
as well as the eventuality of 4K ultra
high-def downloads, and gamers data
usage will only increase.
Comcast is testing a home data usage
program in select cities with tiers from
5GB to 600GB a month, with 50GB
automatically applied to your account
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for an overage fee of $10. At the

MoffettNathanson Media & Communications Summit in May, Comcast executive vice president David Cohen said
he expects the ISP to have a usagebased billing model in five years. In
2012, Comcast had a flat 250GB cap.
WHAT HAPPENS
NEXT?
As the FCC and chairman Tom Wheeler
determine what the next version of net
neutrality looks like, replies to public
comments on the NPRM can be posted
until September 10 on its current proposal. Wheeler says he expects to have
enforceable rules by the end of the year.
The NPRM which will undoubtedly be
revised has drawn fire from all sides.
It either goes too far or not far enough.
Defenders of the 2010 version of net
neutrality dont like Wheelers capitulation
to faster paid Internet lanes although
Wheeler interestingly states hes against
a lane that is degraded to less than
normal speeds. Others balk at the possibility of regulations from the FCC, even
in defense of net neutrality. In particular,
Wheeler has wielded the tactical possibility of classifying ISPs as common carriers
like a utility, and thus open to strict regulation by the FCC. Title II reclassification,
as its known, is an option that some
believe is the only way to ensure the
Internet stays neutral, but one that ISPs
have vocally railed against.
Despite the opportunity to resolve the
issue for the foreseeable future, the FCC
says it is predominantly interested in the
last mile of the whole process that
which happens between the ISP and
you. Thus, the bickering between content
providers like Netflix and ISPs over interconnection fees and what costs may
trickle down to consumers might not be
addressed by the FCC.
Also potentially complicating matters
is the pending merger of Comcast and
Time Warner (which itself has an FCC
comment period open until August 25).
Apart from concerns about the lack of
competition this may create, Comcast
in particular could be subject to special
terms by the FCC under the merger. This
happened back in 2011 when Comcast
merged with NBC Universal and the company was required to abide by the 2010
version of net neutrality until 2018.
The video games industry itself seems
like its still on the sideline. The vast
majority [of video game companies] dont
have an official stance, as they are not
gatekeepers, Halpin says. First-parties
would have the most to gain/lose, followed by second-parties. Third-party
publishers and developers really only
have things to lose in the fight, there's no
upside for them, just like for consumers.
This is a crucial juncture for the Internet
as we know it, and possibly our gaming
experiences. To get involved, go to
fcc.gov/comments or join the efforts of
groups such as the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) at theeca.com/
gamers_net_neutrality, savetheinternet.com,
or publicknowledge.org.
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20
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Alone in the Dark
1992
2008
Game Series That Should

Not Have Been Rebooted
The modern gaming landscape is
littered with popular sequels, but for
every Assassins Creed and Call of Duty,
there are dozens of once-popular video
game series currently missing in action.
Occasionally, a popular franchise from
yesteryear gets a reboot, but sometimes
these revivals do more to tarnish a series
good name than reignite fan fervor. We
round up a selection of some of gamings
^VYZ[VMMLUKLYZ/LYLHYL]L]PKLVNHTL
franchises that should have remained
JOLYPZOLKTLTVYPLZ
by Ben Reeves
The Legacy: Widely considered the progenitor of the survival horror genre,
Infogrames Alone in the Dark was a twisted and almost masochistic experience.
The games programmer, Frederick Raynal, was tired of saving princesses and
rescuing presidents' daughters, so he decided to make a different kind of game. A
fan of George A. Romeros zombie lms, Raynal thought it would be fun to create a
game where the goal was simply to survive. In Alone in the Dark, players controlled
a private investigator named Edward Carnby, who was hired to investigate a mansion and nd an old piano for an antique dealer. Instead, Carnby discovers a house
full of undead. The game was innovative for not only being one of the rst survival
horror titles, but also for being one of the rst games to feature 3D generated characters instead of sprites. Alone in the Dark and its immediate sequels were praised
for their cutting edge graphics, oppressive Lovecraftian atmosphere, and unique
gameplay, which pioneered concepts such as limited resources.
The Death Blow: After years of nancial misdealing, Alone in the Dark publisher
Infogrames rebranded itself Atari Inc. Under the new name, the company looked to
reboot the Alone in the Dark franchise with a lm and a PS2-era reboot. For fans,
this turned out to be Alone in the Darks darkest hour. Critics universally panned the
lm, which starred Christian Slater and was directed by Uwe Boll. Sadly, the game
didnt fare much better. Developer Eden Games had hoped to reinvigorate the
series with a DVD-style episodic format allowing players to skip to any section of
the game if they got stuck, but awkward dialogue, unpolished combat, and a series
of technical hiccups caused more frustration than fun. Worst of all, the reboot was
less scary than a trip to the dentist.
Likelihood well see another: 10%
While hardcore horror fans once looked back fondly at Alone in the Dark, the 2008
release and the 2005 Uwe Boll lm have soured the franchise considerably. More
importantly, property owner Atari has continued to struggle nancially and recently
started focusing more on mobile and casino gaming.
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Golden Axe
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Bionic Commando
1989
1987
2008
2009
The Legacy: Following the success of the arcade hit Altered Beast, Sega
The Legacy: In 1987, Capcom released the original Bionic Commando in
programmer Makoto Uchida was asked to create a new game in the same vein.
Uchida took a concept for a fantasy RPG inspired by Conan the Barbarian,
which he had already been working on, and redesigned it as a side-scrolling
beat em up. The game starred three fantasy warriors who used magic and
bestial mounts to combat the forces of a tyrannical giant named Death Adder.
This new co-op, side-scrolling adventure swallowed so many quarters in the
arcades that Sega quickly prepped a port for its upcoming Genesis console.
Sega eventually brought three Golden Axe titles to the Genesis (the third was
only available on the Sega Channel in the U.S.), and released one arcadeexclusive sequel. In spite of the fact that many fans looked back fondly on their
time with the series, Sega hung up this axe for nearly 13 years.
Japanese arcades under the name Top Secret. When the game was brought
stateside, Capcom thought the title would sell better if marketed as a sequel to
the top-down side-scrolling shooter Commando. The two games had very little in
common, but Bionic Commandos hero, Super Joe, was named after Commandos protagonist. Bionic Commando was an action platformer, but unlike many
heroes of the day, Super Joe couldnt jump. Instead, he grappled onto objects
within the environment using his bionic arm and swung up to higher platforms.
These swinging mechanics gave the game a unique tempo and helped it develop
a strong cult following. Bionic Commando received a revamped NES port in
1988, a Game Boy Port in 1992, and a lesser-known sequel on Game Boy Color
in 1999 before taking an 11-year hiatus.
The Death Blow: At E3 in 2006, Sega announced plans to revive the Golden
The Death Blow: In 2008, Swedish developer Grin released an enhanced
Axe series. Fans of classic beat em ups were initially excited, but enthusiasm
waned as more details about Segas reboot surfaced. Far from the co-opfriendly adventures from the decade before, Beast Rider was a single-player
action game more in line with popular titles like God of War. Sonys Greek mythinfused series isnt necessarily a bad role model for Golden Axe, but developer
Secret Levels take on the formula was disastrous. Beast Riders repetitive
action was made more tedious thanks to a limited move set and a nicky parry
system that often left players vulnerable. Enemy encounters were lled with
continually spawning foes, which helped articially inate the game length, but
did little to detract from the Beast Riders nonsensical storyline.
remake of the 1988 NES game called Bionic Commando: Rearmed. The game
was well received, but mainly served as a prelude to the bigger series reboot a
year later. Grins Bionic Commando was a mess of awkward storytelling, tedious
combat, and repetitive gameplay challenges. Nathan Rad Spencer is an advanced military soldier who is betrayed by his government and then given a shot
at redemption when terrorists invade the ctional metropolis of Ascension City
and lay waste to its population. One of the games most nonsensical moments
comes late in the game when Spencer learns that his dead wife willingly sacriced herself so government scientists could harvest her biology and integrate it
into his bionic arm. Not long after the release of Bionic Commando, Grin closed.
A sequel to Bionic Commando: Rearmed came out a few years later, but most of
the enthusiasm for the series was depleted by then.

While Sega seems happy to continually farm its Sonic franchise, many of its
other properties lay fallow. While were not opposed to seeing another Golden
Axe title that remains true to its roots, we hope Sega will return to series such
as Skies of Arcadia, Streets of Rage, or Panzer Dragoon before tapping Golden
Axe again.
22 connect

While Bionic Commando had a strong cult following, it never achieved mainstream popularity, and Capcom likely doesnt see much value in the brand at this
point. Dont expect to see Super Joe in anything other than one of Capcoms VS
ghting games for some time.
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Dungeon Keeper
Bomberman
1997
1983
2013
2006
The Legacy: Before creating the Fable series, industry veteran Peter Molyneux
The Legacy: Few franchises have seen as many iterations as Hudson
created a beloved PC strategy series called Dungeon Keeper. Set in the dark
underbelly of a fantasy realm, players became the master of an empty dungeon
and were tasked with lling its halls with ghouls, imps, and other unspeakably
monstrous creatures that labored to increase their wealth and then protect that
treasure from invading heroes. The game functioned a lot like a real-time strategy
game in that players had to train, pay, and feed their workforce while mining out
the depths of their dungeon for gold and building out new rooms and traps. However, players couldnt control which creatures would appear in their dungeon, and
certain monsters wouldnt get along with other creatures, adding a level of sim
management to the gameplay. PC strategists loved the cheeky tone and inventive
gameplay. A sequel, released a year later, upgraded to 3D visuals and received
similar praise. After that, Dungeon Keeper kept to itself for nearly 14 years.
Soft's Bomberman series. The original title was developed for PC in 1983 by
Japanese designer Shinichi Nakamoto. Bombermans top-down action pitted
players against a series of enemies inside a brick maze. A variety of powerups allowed players to slowly improve their arsenal of bombs, but a misplaced
explosive could just as easily signal Bombermans end as an enemy's. Later
that year, Nakamoto ported the title to the NES in one 72-hour marathon
programming session, and it was on consoles that the series really took off.
Bomberman II for the NES introduced Battle mode, which allowed up to four
players (almost unheard of in the early 80s) to duke it out in simple but strategic multiplayer matches. While the Bomberman series has often featured some
form of a single-player campaign, its always been the elegant mix of hectic but
friendly multiplayer that has kept fans coming back for more.
The Death Blow: Bullfrog Productions developed the early Dungeon Keeper
The Death Blow: In 2006, Hudson Soft decided it needed to update Bombermans classic chibi look with an edgier space marine design. This boilerplate
marketing move was just the beginning of Act Zeros problems. Instead of focusing on multiplayer, Hudson Soft put a lot of resources behind a new singleplayer mode that attempted to update Bombermans classic maze gameplay
with generic sci- graphics, repetitive level design, and moronic A.I. that often
killed itself. Unfortunately, there were no save points anywhere in the game, so
if players died during any of Act Zeros 99 levels, theyd have to start over from
square one. To top it all off, players could only access multiplayer while online.
games, but those titles were published by EA, which retained the rights to the
series. In 2013, looking to expand its mobile offerings, EA resurrected the series
for iOS and Android. Much like the older games, players slowly expand their labyrinthine dungeon by hiring new creatures and building new structures and traps,
and players could even send some of their minions out into the world to steal
resources from other dungeons. While these basic gameplay mechanics werent
broken, fans had a big issue with the games freemium model, which required
players to wait several hours for a task to complete, or spend a few dollars to buy
gems and rush the job. Dungeon Keepers pay model was so overbearing that the
UKs Advertising Standards Authority ruled the game couldnt be called free-toplay and charged EA with misleading advertising.

Wed love to see another Dungeon Keeper that followed Molyneuxs original
design scheme, but EA may not be eager to touch the brand until gamers have
forgotten about its recent microtransaction-heavy release.

Since Act Zeros release, Hudson Soft has released a few Bomberman titles
that harken back to the characters cutesy roots. However, many of these are
downloadable titles and mobile releases; Bombermans days as a full-price
retail headliner are probably over. \
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Objection!
Video games in the courtroom
very industry is rife with lawsuits seeking compensation and vindication among its competitors and (sometimes) partners. Video
games are no different. Sometimes its simply a matter of money,
as was the case when Activision tussled with Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vince Zampella, or when Viacom butted heads with Rock
)HUK JYLH[VY /HYTVUP_ :VTL[PTLZ P[Z HIV\[ ZVTL[OPUN SHYNLY [OHU
money, like changing the course of the industry by setting new standards or knocking down the old ones. These are some of the lawsuits
that had the largest effects on the industry, changing the business of
selling virtual interactive entertainment, or simply putting to law aspects
of the industry that had previously been taken for granted.
by Kyle Hilliard
24
Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association

The Issue: The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) is
a self-imposed regulating body for the video game industry that
rates video game content in the interest of consumer education.
In 2005, the state of California attempted to pass a law making
it illegal, i.e. punishable by law, to sell inappropriate games to
minors. The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA), in
partnership with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA),
brought forward a lawsuit against the bill, which eventually made
its way to the Supreme Court.
The Conclusion: In a 7-2 vote, the Supreme Court found the
California law to be unconstitutional. The ruling specically called
out video games as being protected by rst amendment rights,
saying they deserved as much protection against censorship as
literature. In the opinion regarding the case, drafted by Justice
Antonin Scalia, it also called out the fact that there was no substantial evidence linking violent acts to violent video games; they
produced the same effects on childhood behavior as watching a
Looney Tunes cartoon, or reading Grimms Fairy Tales.
The 2011 verdict was an important turning point for video
games. Fans of the medium have always considered video
games to be worth examining alongside literature, lm, and other

mediums, as an art form as opposed to a consumer product,
and the case helped to enforce this ideal on a grander scale.
Silicon Knights v. Epic Games
The Issue: Following the poor reception and sales of Silicon
Knights Too Human, the developer sued Epic Games, claiming it
withheld elements and features of its Unreal Engine the engine
licensed and used to develop the game. Silicon Knights claimed
Epic missed deadlines for delivery and kept the engines best features to use exclusively for its own games like Gears of War. Epic
countersued, saying Silicon Knights did not pay the appropriate
royalties for using its engine and willfully concealed elements of
its code, falsely claiming it had abandoned the Unreal Engine
through the course of development.
The Conclusion: The courts ruled in favor of Epic Games in
2012, forcing Silicon Knights to recall and destroy all unsold
copies of its games using Unreal code, which included Too
Human, X-Men Destiny, and three unannounced, unreleased
games. Silicon Knights also had to pay a hefty fee, and never
fully recovered.
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Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo

The Issue: In 1984, following the success of Donkey Kong in arcades, lm production company Universal sued Nintendo, claiming it had infringed on its King Kong license. Universal argued
consumers would confuse the characters and plots of King Kong
and Donkey Kong as being the same.
The Conclusion: The courts ruled in favor of Nintendo in 1984
after the differences between the two franchises were detailed.
Nintendo also argued that regardless of the differences between
King Kong and Donkey Kong, the former was public domain.
Nearly 10 years prior, Universal had successfully sued RKO
Pictures to make its own King Kong lm, claiming the iconic ape
was public domain.
Nintendo was so pleased with the outcome of the case, it supposedly named one of its new video game characters after the
lawyer representing it in court John Kirby.
Atari v. Nintendo
The Issue: In the late 80s, Atari began manufacturing NES
games without the permission of Nintendo. This was supposed
to be impossible thanks to a patented piece of software that, in
laymans terms, required every Nintendo game to have a key,
issued by Nintendo, to unlock the ability to play software on an
NES console. Atari reverse-engineered this aspect of the NES
and sued Nintendo, claiming it was in violation of antitrust laws by
incorporating it into its hardware.
The Conclusion: The courts ruled in favor of Nintendo in 1992,
saying Atari was infringing on a patent when it was discovered
the once-powerful video game company had lied to the U.S.
copyright ofce to acquire the necessary code to be reverse-engineered. The case is especially important, even outside of video
games, as it set a precedent that the work of a programmer can
be considered and protected under the same rules and laws as
that of any other type of creative media.
Los Angeles v. Take-Two Interactive
The Issue: Discovered by modders a year after the release of
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Hot Coffee mod revealed a
hidden sex minigame cut from the game that was never disclosed
to the ESRB. As a result of this discovery, senators Hillary Clinton,
Joe Lieberman, and others drafted the Family Entertainment Protection Act a bill meant to require federal mandate enforcement
of the ESRB that never became a law and Take-Two was sued
by the city of Los Angeles in a class action lawsuit.
The Conclusion: Take-Two and Rockstar settled with the FTC
in 2005 and went through a great deal of expense in order to
scrub the explicit content from the game. A patch was issued for
the PC version, deleting the content and preventing users from
manipulating the games code. A new version of the game was
also issued to retailers and previous copies, which were now rated
the rare Adults Only rating by the ESRB, were recalled. Take-Two
also had to pay a large ne to the ESRB and others and pay fees
to members of the class action lawsuit.
Immersion v. Sony
The Issue: Immersion owns some patents on tactile feedback for
interface devices, like the rumble feature common in video game
controllers. Immersion sued both Sony and Microsoft over the use
of the rumble features in their controllers. Nintendos patent for its
rumble features are different than Immersions, making it exempt
from the case. Immersion claimed Sony and Microsoft were infringing on its patent by including the technology in their controllers.
The Conclusion: Microsoft settled its issues with Immersion out
of court, purchasing a 10-percent stake in the company. Sony,
however, continued to ght, and it is speculated the original PlayStation 3 Sixaxis controller did not include a rumble feature as a
result of this lawsuit. Sony lost the case in 2007 and was forced to
pay millions to Immersion based on the seven years the technology appeared in DualShock controllers. Immersion and Sony have
since settled, allowing the continued support of the rumble feature
for Sony controllers.
The Investigation
Is Ongoing
Two other pertinent lawsuits
are currently working their way
though the court systems.
The Conclusion: Blockbuster acquiesced and stopped photocopying the instruction manuals in 1987. The short-term results
(at the time when rentals were still popular) were the frequent absence of instruction manuals included with rented video games.
It may seem frivolous, but Nintendo pursued the lawsuit not
because it considered the text included in instruction manuals to
be sacred, but because it knew the ability to copy and recreate
data from a cartridge was right around the corner. The lawsuit
was a way of heading off piracy among rental companies before
they acquired the technology to copy a single video game and
rent it to multiple patrons. Its an issue the video game industry
struggles with more than ever today.
Keller and OBannen v. Electronic Arts and NCAA, Hart vs.
Electronic Arts
The Issue: Electronic Arts had been proting off its NCAAlicensed video games for over a decade, without the need
to compensate the myriad players who featured prominently
in promoting the game, as well as in the games themselves.
Former quarterbacks Sam Keller and Ryan Hart brought lawsuits
against Electronic Arts, claiming the use of players names and
likenesses were integral to the success of the series, and the use
of those players were not protected by rst amendment rights,
as Electronic Arts had argued in the past.
The Conclusion: The NCAA, Electronic Arts, Keller, OBannen,
and Hart worked out a settlement in 2013, and the publisher is
currently in the process of issuing payouts to featured players in
past titles. NCAA also did not renew its licensing contract with
Electronic Arts, which expired this year. Though the video game
publisher promises this is not the end of the college football
franchise, future releases would no longer be afliated with the
NCAA. Despite the promise, there are currently no announced
plans from Electronic Arts to release college football games in
the future. \
Nintendo v. Blockbuster
The Issue: In the interest of giving its consumers the full package,
Blockbuster photocopied the instruction manuals of its inventory
of video games to include with their rentals. Nintendo brought a
lawsuit to Blockbuster claiming it was violating copyright laws by
doing this, and sought to prevent the practice.
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Id Software v. Oculus Rift

The Issue: John Carmack,
co-founder of id Software and
creator of Doom, recently left
the studio to become the chief
technology ofcer at Oculus. ZeniMax, which owns id Software,
claims Carmack misappropriated
technology when he began
working with Oculus. Prior to
leaving id, Carmack had already
begun working with Oculus
with ZeniMaxs blessing, but
under strict contractual agreements over how the technology
could be used and how the
information would be shared.
Current State: The lawsuit is
ongoing. Oculus issued a statement responding to the lawsuit
saying, The lawsuit led by ZeniMax has no merit whatsoever.
As we have previously said, ZeniMax did not contribute to any
Oculus technology. Oculus will
defend these claims vigorously.
Rhode Island v. 38 Studios
The Issue: While developing its
action-RPG Kingdoms of Amalur,
38 Studios relocated to Rhode
Island, accepting a $75 million
loan from the state in order
to continue development. The
studio declared bankruptcy following the release of its game,
leaving Rhode Island taxpayers
in debt following the states
unfullled investment. The claim
brought against 38 Studios
states that its management,
including former professional
baseball player Curt Schilling,
knew the company was on
the verge of collapse and the
running of the company was
generally mishandled.
Current State: The case is still
ongoing, with new developments appearing often. The
latest update involves Rhode
Island governor Lincoln Chafee
successfully signing a bill that
would help the state reach a
settlement in the case. State
police also questioned the
Rhode Island lawmakers who
originally approved the loan in
2012. Governor Chafee, who
was not in ofce when the
decision was made to bring 38
Studios to Rhode Island, also
publicly called the studios
games a lot of junk, and called
the decision for the state to
invest in the developer insane
and historically bad.
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XCOM
: THE BOARD GAME

FANTASY FLIGHTS LATEST EFFORT BLENDS
TABLETOP FUN WITH DIGITAL FLEXIBILITY
by Matt Miller
he newest project from Fantasy

Flight Games is a rst for the
celebrated tabletop-gaming
studio. While the publisher has
found strong success by adapting some of its best tabletop
experiences to a digital format, XCOM:
The Board Game takes a more unusual approach. Based on the excellent video games
from Firaxis and 2K Games, this new XCOM
game is a richly imagined cooperative board
ENHANCEMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Like the soldiers in the fictional XCOM universe, the XCOM board
game uses technology to enhance, but never to get in the way. An
essential digital component has been a part of this games vision
from day one, says designer Eric M. Lang. XCOM is a face-toface board game first; the app is there to enhance and accentuate
the feeling of terror that youd feel if you were in charge of the
worlds first and final defense against alien invasion. The free
application required to play XCOM is planned for launch on iOS,
Android, or any browser-enabled device. Anyone can snag it for
free when the game launches later this year.
The app is integrated into the fiction. The player who takes on
the role of the central officer is the only person interacting with
the app. Even in its pre-release state, the onscreen prompts offer
the sense of interacting directly with the nerve center of XCOM,
26
game with a digital app that is core to the

game experience. Fully integrated into the
story, the digital app adds tension, adaptive difculty, and a timed element, even as
the gameplay remains rooted in a group of
friends sitting around a table trying to save
the world. We visited Fantasy Flight for an
exclusive rst look at XCOM: The Board
Game and confronted the alien threat.
Designer Eric M. Lang is no stranger to either
tabletop game creation or drawing the best
dishing out info to the other players, assigning tasks, and watching
the onscreen map for clues about where the aliens might show
up next.
The app also features reactive A.I. and adaptive difculty. UFOs
that remain in orbit after the turn ends begin to disrupt communications, forcing the team to make decisions about troop and technology resources before knowing about enemy deployments. The app
also pays attention to how many missions youve completed, and
what continents have begun to panic. The more missions youve
completed, the more the game knows it can ramp up a little bit, and
push that difculty, says developer Nikki Valens.
Independent of this adaptive challenge, the app also lets the
players set a difficulty mode, including a tutorial mode, easy, normal, and hard. The app also includes all the game rules, and a
complete glossary. Between the tutorial mode and the e-manual,
XCOM sidesteps one of the biggest hurdles to getting new players
into a game having to read a booklet to learn how to play.
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out of a licensed product. His design credits

include Star Wars: The Card Game and Marvel
Dice Masters, both of which tap their respective
universes in clever ways. For XCOM, the video
games already do a great job of capturing
squad-based combat on a grid, so the board
game moves more unconventionally. The
focus on the board game is a zoomed-out view
of what managing an XCOM alien invasion
looks like, Lang says. Its focused more on the
macro than the micro; you still have all of the
elements like continental panic levels, sending
squads out on missions, research, intercepting
UFOs, and satellite coverage, but we treat each
element as one of many spinning plates the
group cooperatively has to deal with.
Cooperative Play, Distinct Jobs
We knew we wanted it to be completely cooperative, and we wanted each of the player
roles to feel different, says developer Nikki
Valens. We wanted them to be asymmetrical,
so that we could fulll different play styles.
The central ofcer handles communications,
as well as ensuring that all the players receive
their tasks and carry them out. He or she
manages satellites, which can be sent into
orbit to counter the UFOs that appear there.
The ofcer also gets the job of interacting with
the digital app.
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The commander is in charge of the base and
manages XCOMs fragile economy. Research,
soldiers, satellites, and everything else XCOM
does costs money, and its the commanders
job to make sure the money doesnt run out.
This role also chooses which crises the team
will confront, usually trying to pick the lesser
of two evils. Finally, the commander sends out
interceptors onto the board to confront alien
UFOs as they show up at different continents.
The squad leader is the hero of the group. He
or she chooses assault, support, sniper, and
heavy troopers, and sends them out to either
defend the base or execute a mission in the
eld. Each troop type has its own specialties,
and different enemy combatants and tasks
can only be tackled by a squad member with
the requisite skills.
Finally, the chief scientist is a classic
support role. Each turn offers new opportunities to put individual researchers on a
particular project. Complete that project, and
the squad leader might get a plasma rie,
or the commander some better-protected
interceptors. The scientist has to weigh their
options, but also can open it up to talk to everyone at the table, Valens says. As you get
more comfortable with a role, you get more
comfortable talking with others about it.
THE FIRAXIS CONNECTION

XCOM: The Board Game has the full support of Firaxis, a development team with a deep love for the world of tabletop gaming. We
interviewed Jake Solomon, lead designer on XCOM: Enemy Unknown,
and Ananda Gupta, lead designer on XCOM: Enemy Within, to get their
thoughts on the increasing ties between tabletop and video games.
What does the tabletop experience offer that is distinct from
video games? Why do you think so many video game developers are so deeply involved with tabletop gaming?
Gupta: Board-game mechanics in some sense require more buy-in
from players, since the players are the ones who have to internalize and enforce the rules (rather than let a computer do it), but on
the other hand players expectations for the visualization of actions
are much higher in the digital arena. An important part of tabletop design is giving players good hooks for their imaginations. As a
videogame designer, looking at how another designer implemented
their idea can sometimes get you un-stuck from a problem youre
facing in your own game. And theres really nothing like playing a
new game, coming across something incredibly simple and intuitive
and clever and thinking: I really wish I had come up with that.
How do you feel that the app part of the game contributes to a
better overall gaming experience for players?
Solomon: There are some things that a computer can do well (like
sorting between many different elements, randomization, and some
of the math that would be tedious to do manually), and having an

app as part of a game sort of bridges the gap between the board
game and the computer game. It gives you some additional power
and exibility for certain kinds of game mechanics. Its probably
something well see more and more of in the next few years.
What elements of the video game did you feel were important to
be included in the board game?
Gupta: You can almost conceive of XCOM as two separate board
games: the strategy layer, where youre managing the results of
your tactical missions, and the tactical missions, where youre
fighting aliens and recovering artifacts. Those two systems feed so
tightly into each other that its really hard to make an XCOM that
doesnt have most of those elements present in some way. The
beauty of the board game is how it takes elements from the video
game and finds ways to do them with mechanics sensible to board
games, but which retain the feel of the video game. Thats quite a
feat to manage. Also, many of our fans have wondered about the
possibility of a co-op mode in the XCOM campaign; we think the
fact that XCOM: The Board Game is a fully cooperative experience
will really appeal to those fans.
What is your favorite feature in XCOM: The Board Game?
Solomon: The way the app paces the appearance of threats thats
a very clever implementation of the ramp-up that the invasion follows. Obviously we know how the video game does it, but seeing the
way that its done within the app, thats a very impressive piece of
both game design and technical implementation.
Going Into Battle

XCOM: The Board Game plays fast and tense
thanks to a simple resolution mechanic and
timed countdown component. At the beginning of each turn, the central ofcer cues the
beginning of the timed phase by tapping the
screen, and the app delivers tasks for the
players to accomplish. Often, the commander
might be given only 15 seconds to choose
between two crisis cards fail to choose
one, and both trigger. Similarly, the squad
leader might be given just a few seconds to
decide how many soldiers will defend the
base. This timed phase ies by in a matter of
minutes, and its great fun to feel the excitement pass around the table as the central
ofcer calls out jobs.
After the timed phase, an easy-to-learn
system is used to resolve tasks. We used
one mechanic a press-your-luck die resolution system to resolve all of the intertwining
systems in game, from shooting down UFOs
to succeeding in research to advancing in
mission, Lang explains. To me that is essential because it lessens cognitive load, and
keeps all players tactically engaged while
slightly relaxed during the non-real time elements, but still provides some drama. Players roll dice equal to the assets theyve put
into play during the timed phases. With each
roll, you also roll an enemy die roll low, and
your researchers might be killed, or satellites
shot down. Players can choose to reroll to get
more successes, but each time they push
the chance of losing assets increases.
The game is lost if the XCOM base is
overrun, or if too many continents panic and
abandon all hope. But with each mission the
team completes, they get closer to unlocking
the nal scenario mission. These nal, challenging confrontations win the game if you
can last that long. \
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The
BE ST MOB I LE GAM E S
Of 2014 (So Far)
Twice a year we gather our favorite mobile games together in one place to separate the wheat from the chaff. Here are 15
games from the rst several months of 2014 that offer great fun on your tablet or phone, but without the nonsense that
sometimes accompanies the mobile gaming scene. by Matt Miller
1. Hearthstone
Platform: iOS Developer: Blizzard
3. Threes!
2. Wayward Souls
Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Sirvo LLC
Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Rocketcat Games
Blizzard once again does what it does best take an existing

genre and polish it to perfection. The mobile version of Hearthstone is the preferred version for many, allowing players to
build decks and play opponents from anywhere. Its a perfect
entry point to collectible card games, with enough depth to
satisfy longtime genre players as well.
Combining some of the best features of roguelikes and action/

RPGs, Wayward Souls grabs you in your rst dungeon crawl
and doesnt let go. Charming old-school art, challenging combat, and multiple upgradeable characters are just some of the
reasons this fantasy adventure is worth a download.
4. FTL: Faster Than Light
5. Monument Valley
Platform: iOS Developer: Subset Games
Platform: iOS, Android Developer: ustwo
Mobile players waited a while for Subsets rewarding science

ction action/strategy title, but the anticipation was worth it.
An excellent port channels all your spaceships complex options into simple taps and swipes, and this newest version
also includes all new advanced options for unexplored missions, aliens, and weaponry.
M.C. Escher offers the chief source material for this contemplative and beautiful puzzle experience, in which players guide
Princess Ida through an illusory world of strange architecture
that is never what it seems to be. Minimalist presentation and
thoughtful but uncomplicated challenges make Monument
Valley a serene mobile departure.
Plagued by clones since its inception, you still cant beat the
original. The simple puzzle mechanic nds players manipulating a grid of numbers to create multiples of three, but complexity grows with each swipe. This is a fantastic, accessible
title that has crossover appeal for both traditional gamers and
those yet to catch the gaming bug.
6. Kero Blaster
28
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Platform: iOS Developer: Studio Pixel
The creator of the excellent Cave Story returns with a new

action/platforming adventure, this time about a frog on a
monster hunt. Mobile platformers often struggle with controls,
but Kero Blaster nails the touch experience with tight maneuvering and action. The classic pixel art, hefty challenge, and
smart level design make Kero Blaster more potent than rst
glance might suggest.
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8. VVVVVV
Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Terry Cavanagh
7. Botanicula
Platform: iOS Developer: Amanita Design
The creators of Machinarium once again get high marks for

charm and whimsy in this adventure game about a group of
bug-like friends on a mission to save a lone tree seed. The
touch-based controls lend themselves perfectly to the storybook styling, and the puzzles are creative without feeling obtuse.
9. Battleheart Legacy
Platform: iOS Developer: Mika Mobile
Its been several years since the oddly named VVVVVV rst hit
PC and the 3DS, but this mobile port has the potential to bring
the excellent platformer to a whole new audience. Your outer
space ship captain navigates an increasingly dangerous series
of immaculately designed levels, and must reverse the gravity
plane to hop from the oor to ceiling to progress. If you never
tried the original, this is a great time to ip into the action.
Cute visuals and deep customization are the highlights of Mika

Mobiles latest action/RPG. You wander the countryside with
your custom-built character, gathering treasure, building up
XP, and conquering missions in the name of the king. This surprisingly lengthy journey offers endless opportunities to tweak
and develop the perfect hero.
11. Godre: Rise Of Prometheus

10. Leos Fortune
Platform: iOS Developer: Vivid Games/Platige Image
Platform: iOS, Android Developer: 1337, Senri LLC
12. World Of Tanks Blitz

Platform: iOS Developer: Wargaming.net
One of the prettiest games on mobile this year also happens to

have a great gameplay hook. Leo is on a quest to recover his
lost gold, and he can inate his body to navigate around and
over obstacles that might slow down his progress. The clever
platforming, smartly built levels, and incredible graphical detail
are a testament to how good mobile titles can be these days.
The Unreal engine powers this ancient world action game,

which draws inspiration from God of War and Innity Blade
in equal measures. A broad selection of weapon and armor
upgrades provides a sense of investment as you ght through
one beautifully animated battle after the next. The combat
challenge is limited, but few mobile games can match the
visual splendor or ambition on display here.
The popular tank simulator gets an excellent mobile port.

Streamlining to smaller player counts and maps is a good decision for the mobile experience, while the smart approach to
monetization of this free-to-play experience isnt overly disruptive or exploitative. For multiplayer strategy and action on
the run, Blitz holds the line admirably.
13. Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake
14. Out There
15. The Uncanny X-Men:

Days Of Future Past
Platform: iOS, Android Developer: SleepNinja Games
Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Mi Clos Studio
Platform: iOS Developer: Glitchsoft
Dont be fooled by the gorgeous, childlike visuals this puzzle

game packs plenty of challenge. You control a boy named Niko
on a quest to recover his unjustly burgled cake. Each level is
a maze of switches and narrow paths, and its not long before
you have the creatures of the wilderness aiding you on putting
everything in its correct place. Equal parts cute and captivating, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake is a welcome surprise.
If the idea of a science ction, roguelike, choose-your-ownadventure is something that excites you, then Out There is the
game youve been waiting to play. Your lone astronaut must
survive as long as he can in the depths of space, visiting planets, encountering alien life, and managing his ships inventory.
The oddly existential storytelling and classic science-ction vibe
help Out There to stand apart in this years many offerings.
Based on the original comic (but timed to hit near this years
big movie release), Days of Future Past recalls the heyday of
90s comic book action/platformers. Multiple playable mutant
heroes and a fun time-travel story help prop up combat and
movement that feels a little oaty. However, great production
values and a smart treatment of the source material make this
an easy pick for fans of the genre. \
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THE MUTATING MEANING

OF
INDIE
by Matt Bertz
hanks to the power of crowdfunding, digital

distribution, and easier to use toolkits, you
hear a lot of talk these days about devs
going indie. This is often synonymous with
ditching the shackles of working on massive
teams, being forced to factor marketing
into game design, and crunching on sequel after sequel.
But when the majority of games in the contemporary
landscape are already coming from outside the walls of
big publishers like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Activision,
what does becoming indie really mean?
The fundamental denition of going independent in
the context of the game industry is breaking free from
the traditional publisher-developer model. As the cost
of triple-A development rises and publishers focus their
spending on a smaller pool of large-scale projects,
weve seen everyone from famous developers, like
Fable creator Peter Molyneux, to small teams from
well-regarded studios, like the former BioWare designers who created Stoic, leave the traditional connes of
game development to forge their own path.
The scope and diversity of these indie projects is so
varied that some cant help but question how placing
all the games under the indie umbrella is useful. Does
Chris Roberts studio, Cloud Imperium Games, which
raised more than $40 million in crowd funding and hired
on more than 200 developers for its indie project
Star Citizen, really have that much in common with
30
Lucas Pope, who ostensibly created Papers, Please by

himself? Can you be indie with that type of budget and
that many staff members?
For me, the word itself has lost a lot of its meaning, Pope says. If you look at mobile, for instance,
a lot of the big hits are by one person or really small
teams. And you could say that theyre indie being that
theyre self-published on iOS. But I kind of feel like with
self-publishing these days and digital downloads, the
distinction is not that important anymore because you
can have big teams that make hits and you can have
small teams that make hits.
Some companies dabble in both. Double Fine
Productions and Obsidian Entertainment, both of which
have traditionally operated under publisher overview,
struck out on their own in recent years with the help of
crowdfunding. Over the past several years, Double Fine
has created games for Microsoft, Sony, Sega, Electronic Arts, and Warner Bros. while at the same time
building independent projects like Massive Chalice,
Hack N Slash, and Broken Age. As Obsidian worked
on the nal touches for South Park: The Stick of Truth,
it also debuted a Kickstarter campaign for a new RPG
called Pillars of Eternity. Now, some of their projects
operate in the same space as smaller teams like Team
Meat, Playdead, and The Fullbright Company.
We realize that we inhabit a weird corner of the indie
scene, says Double Fine senior publishing manager
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Papers, Please
Greg Rice. The early days of our studio saw projects

with publishers and larger budgets like Psychonauts and
Brtal Legend. At the time, these robust digital stores that
allow developers to directly reach their fans were still in
their infancy and physical releases were much more of a
necessity. But, even then, the studio was independently
owned and maintained a dedication toward unique and
creative games with a handcrafted feel and strong voice.
In the years since, weve restructured a bit by dividing
up the company into smaller teams working on multiple
games. It very much feels like a collective of indie teams,
and it allows us to explore a lot more ideas without putting
all our eggs in one basket. The result has been really exciting, as its meant a wide range of unique games in very
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Star Citizen
Broken Age
different genres and styles coming out more frequently

from the studio.
This process has become more common in recent
years, as larger studios oversee small development
projects that dont necessarily share the typical identity
of the larger-scale games. Anyone who plays thatgamecompanys games Flower or Journey would probably
identify them as indie, given their unique premises that
explore game design in different ways than traditional
console games. But these games were incubated at
Sonys Santa Monica studio and published by the same
company responsible for God of War, Uncharted, and
the entire PlayStation brand. Valiant Hearts looks every
bit an indie project, but it was crafted within the walls of
Rayman studio Ubisoft Montpellier.

While [Flower and Journey] may not have been selfpublished or self-nanced, they are denitely creative
and unique experiences of great worth and beauty made
by autonomous teams, Rice says. I don't believe the
fact that these studios partnered with a large publisher
changes the spirit in which they were made, and if the
teams identify as indie, then they're indie in my book.
Much like what happened with the DIY music scene in
the late 80s and early 90s, the term indie in gaming
has come to mean something more than just making a
game on your own. Its not just about how youre making
the game, its about what youre making, as well. Certain
aesthetic choices like retro graphics, 8-bit chiptunes,
and hand-painted backgrounds have been adopted by
a wide margin of indie developers. This is often what a
person has in mind when they dene a game as indie.
The question what is indie? used to really matter
in terms of business, but now I agree it almost matters
more in terms of aesthetics, says Capy Games president Nathan Vella. Weve worked with publishers, weve
worked with branded games, weve self-funded stuff,
weve made a super arty iPhone game weve been all
over the place. For us, personally, being independent
is just the ability to make our own decisions and dene
the path for our studio. The interesting thing is that thats
just my personal denition as it pertains to Capy. There
are other people who are using independent games as
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a way to foster diversity in the industry or raise social

issues or do crazy, ultra-artistic stuff. When you compare
Cart Life to Bastion, they are vastly different games, but
they are both capital-I Indie. I think the biggest strength
in indie is the diversity and the fact that we should not
exclude anyone from that title if they want it. I think there
are people who are making the most punk, disruptive
stuff at the same time that people are making rst-person shooters, and both are very independent. For me,
thats a positive. I think there are people for whom indie
is more than a catch-all or have a different denition than
me, and thats ne. The fact that its an open, ethereal
denition shows how far its managed to come and how
wide its managed to spread. It shows how powerful the
movement is.
Perhaps that is the takeaway: People should concern
themselves with the games themselves instead of
arguing about which qualify as indie. Right now, games
are coming from more corners of the world than ever
before from big teams, small teams, and every size in
between. Some are self-nanced, some crowdfunded,
and others created under the roof of a giant publisher.
This diversity is valuable. The more developers branch
out from the pre-established norms, the better chance
we have of entering a golden age of video games where
creators challenge our preconceptions of what video
games can be. I think we can all agree that would be a
good thing. \
connect 31
top ten
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Airships
by Joe Juba
Highwind - Final Fantasy VII

Airships have been a fixture in the Final Fantasy series since
the beginning, but the Highwind gave fans the opportunity to
soar through the skies in 3D for the first time. Other ships from
this era may be more advanced (the Ragnarok) or powerful (the
Invincible), but that initial rush is impossible to duplicate.
Delphinus
Skies of Arcadia
A game all about sky pirates needs great airships, and Skies of Arcadia
doesnt disappoint. The Delphinus is the unquestioned ruler above the
clouds (though a nod goes to the Little Jack), and its yours to upgrade
and command. It has the size and the firepower to take down any
opponent, and firing the experimental Moon Stone Cannon never gets old.
Kirov - Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2

Few things strike dread into your foes hearts like seeing a fleet
of Kirov airships advancing on their bases. With small numbers
at your command, these blimps are powerful air-to-ground units.
With large numbers, they are an unstoppable omen of your
impending victory.
Gesellschaft - Mega Man Legends
World 8 Airship - Super Mario Bros. 3
The Epoch - Chrono Trigger
The Flutters fight against the Gesellschaft is basically the coolest

moment in Mega Man Legends. As if that ship-to-ship battle isnt
enough, the bumbling Bonne familys barge is also full of Servbots,
which automatically makes it one of the best airships in gaming.
The third installment introduced airships to the Mario series, and

the one in world eight is the most memorable of the bunch. It is
simultaneously the hardest and the easiest. If you tried dodging
the flames and wrenches yourself, it was brutal which is why
everyone saved up a P-Wing to fly above the gauntlet unscathed.
When youre on the Epoch, the question isnt where you want
to go its when. This craft travels through time, carrying Crono
and friends through the skies of multiple eras. Whether you want
to fight dinosaurs or see the End of Time, theres nowhere you
cant go.
Death Rogumer - Mega Man X
Blackjack - Final Fantasy VI
It isnt as flashy as other airships on this list,

and you dont even get to ride it for that long.
This vessels true value comes after its destruction; once you beat Storm Eagle, it crashes into
Spark Mandrills stage, eliminating the electrified floors that previously made the level harder
to navigate.
Soaring around in the Blackjack gives players a

new perspective on the world, but transportation isnt the only advantage to this airship. With
luxurious accommodations and an on-board
casino, passengers always travel in style until
the end of the world, at least.
32 connect
Battleship Halberd
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Meta Knights flagship makes an impressive appearance as a level in Brawl. After
going through the launch sequence and flying
through the stratosphere, players eventually
fight on the Halberds deck where they contend with blasts from the main cannon.
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The First Lady - BioShock Innite

All of Columbia might qualify as an airship,
but The First Lady is special. Booker and
Elizabeth are trying to reach this vessel to
escape Columbia. The plan doesnt work out as
intended, but this flying museum serves as a
memorable turning point for BioShock Infinites
story and characters.
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THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY
in video games remains

a hot topic, and their
number could increase as more women enter the developer ranks. According to a recent survey from the International
Game Developers Association, which had 2,202 responses, 22 percent of developer respondents in the industry are
female up from 11.5 percent in 2009 (two percent identified as transgender or androgynous). The Quality of Life
survey also posted that 79 percent of respondents said that diversity in general was good for the industry.
FEMALE MAIN CHARACTERS
g.b.u.
The Good
The Bad
Quotable
ROB PARDO,
chief creative director and

17-year vet, at Blizzard is
leaving the company. Im looking forward to new challenges in
my career, but I will always cherish the time I spent with you all
and the amazing and collaborative teams at Blizzard, he wrote in
a farewell blog post. It was both satisfying and humbling, and it
made me a better developer and a better person. Pardo has not
outlined what he plans to do next.
I believe the
appeal of
video games is
not transient,
and human
beings have
an instinctual
love of games.
MICROSOFT SHUTS DOWN
its Entertainment Studios division, which was tasked to bring

original programming to Xbox One. At least both the Halo TV series and Halo: Nightfall web series will proceed as
planned, as well as the Signal to Noise documentary series covering the E.T. Atari game excavation dig. Remedys
Quantum Break game, which is tied into a planned show of the same name, is unaffected. Elsewhere in the company,
up to 18,000 jobs are being shed by Microsoft by March of next year. MCV reported that the European Xbox operation
will lose 75 percent of its staff.
Nintendos Shigeru
Miyamoto at a recent shareholders meeting
The Ugly
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SHOVEL KNIGHT
Drawing heavily from NES influences such as Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse,
DuckTales, and Mega Man, Shovel Knight is a game that feels like it fell out of a time
warp from the 80s. Independent developer Yacht Club Games started out talking about
their dream game over lunch one day and the project quickly turned into a Kickstarter
campaign that raised over $300,000, fulfilling every stretch goal the team could
dream up. We sat down with developers Sean Velasco and Nick Wozniak to talk about
that fateful lunch, if the team ever considered including co-op in the game, and the
possibility of an Xbox or PlayStation port. by Tim Turi
Where did the idea for a game
about a knight with a shovel
come from?
Nick Wozniak: The inception of
the idea last January happened
sort of as a joke conversation
over lunch that kind of got too
serious. Its a serious conversation in terms that we were putting
actual thought forth, but it wasnt
like, Lets spend the next year
and a half of our lives making a
shovel game.
Sean Velasco: We went into lunch
talking about this NES game we
knew we were going to be doing.
It was going to be 8-bit and sort
of simple and based around one
mechanic. Thats all we knew.
NW: We were thinking about
what kind of mechanics we like a
lot, and the down-thrust in Zelda II
came up. As far as combat goes
in that game, its very satisfying.
SV: Its like the quintessential
attack. Its like a Mario jump, its
a stab, and also in Zelda II its a
great sword fighting maneuver.
sword. Eventually, someone said

to make it a knight with a shovel,
and that spawned the discussion
of, I guess, if hes a shovel guy,
then hes, like, Plummet Knight
or maybe hes Shovel Knight, the
shoveling knight.
Did you ever consider making
Shovel Knights partner, Shield
Knight, a playable character?
SV: Because Shield Knight wasnt
really conceived of until halfway
through development, no. But as
soon as she was conceived, of
course we did.
NW: I had in my brain an ability that Id love to see her use
where she dashes forward and
dashes downward using her
shield as a projectile. Ive always
imagined a way that she could
be really useful.
SV: And especially the way
that her and Shovel Knight are
supposed to work together.
Thats what would excite me

about doing a co-op game that
would have Shovel Knight and
Shield Knight playable. Its like
how its described in the story
shes the defender, up close and
protecting Shovel Knight, who is
coming in raining hell from above
with the shovel drop.
How well is the game doing
beyond the Kickstarter backers?
SW: Id say its doing very well.
We are very pleased with where
its at, even this early in the
sales time.
NW: Across all platforms, its
exceeding expectations.
The game is only available on
Wii U, 3DS, and PC. Do you
have any interest in porting to
Sony or Microsoft systems?
SV: Thats definitely on our radar,
as are any other platforms that
we can put Shovel Knight on
and it would be 100 percent
NW: That spawned the conversation of, If youre hitting the guys
from above, then youre also digging through blocks and youre
also maybe flipping guys over to
hit their underbellies. That motion
of what we were describing didnt
really fit with the theme of a
34 connect
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the experience that it is. Were

definitely looking to put it on any
platform like that. But we dont
have anything to announce yet.
Is Yacht Club committed to
making retro-style games
moving forward?
NW: I would say at this exact
moment, yeah, because were
working on our stretch goals for
Shovel Knight. But thats not necessarily something were going to
be doing forever.
SV: Our next game could very
well not be an NES-style game.
Even if we did a 2D game, maybe
it would just not be within the
NES restrictions. Maybe we could
do a 3D game. Or maybe we
would just do Shovel Knight 2,
or another game thats straightup NES style. Its something we
can do.
NW: Its up to the whim of the
team at the point were deciding
our next game project.
SV: Itll be what were excited
about, what we think would be
big or successful or interesting
to people. Or maybe it would
be something thats not on the
market that we really want. I think
a large part of the Shovel Knight
thing was that nobody was making 2D character platformers.
It was like, Wheres my Mega
Man? I want new games like this
but they dont have them. \
WorldMags.net
If youre playing with

cigarettes, youre
harming your teeth.
Smoking cigarettes can cause serious
gum disease that makes you more likely
to lose your teeth than someone who
doesnt smoke.
Find out more at TheRealCost.gov

Brought to you by the FDA.
WorldMags.net
gamer
WorldMags.net
Mike Uyama
Occupation
Director, Games Done
Quick/Organizer of AGDQ
Twitter
@mikwuyma
Location
Arlington, Virginia
Speedrunning For
A Good Cause
he Awesome Games Done Quick charity gaming marathon made waves in
January when it raised more than a million dollars for the Prevent Cancer
Foundation. Summer Games Done Quick followed up that performance with
more than $700,000 raised for Doctors Without Borders. Formed in 2010, these
two marathons focus primarily on speedrunning classic games and have expanded
exponentially with each iteration. We spoke with AGDQs Mike Uyama and SGDQs
Andrew Schroeder about how it all comes together.
Andrew
Schroeder
Occupation
Organizer of SGDQ/
Twitch Speedrunning
Partnerships Manager
Twitter
@romscoutSDA
Location
Chicago, Illinois
interview by Bryan Vore

How did you get started in the
speedrunning community?
Mike Uyama: I used to go to
[SpeedDemosArchive] every day
to see if there was an update, and
one day I saw one for Mega Man
X4. Before I saw this run, I thought
every speedrun was really good,
but, when I saw that, I thought I
could do better. I borrowed a copy
of the game from my cousin and
I decided to do a speedrun of the
game myself. The rest is history.
As for how I got more involved
with SDA, I just started participating in the site forums in late
2004 and eventually got a little
more involved. Then it turned out
the sites founder, Nolan Radix
Pug, was too busy to run the
site because he recently got a
full-time job and he needed some
people to help him out with the
site. Sometime around September
2006, I started taking over the site
and doing the speedrun submissions and contacts.
Andrew Schroeder: I looked
at SDA once in a while just to
see random runs come up, but
36
I wasnt really involved in the

community until I started watching
this Mega Man X runner [Sattik
Tiki Ghosh]. I started watching
him on Ustream in late 2008/
early 2009, and it just inspired me
because its ridiculous how much
of a machine this guy is.
Like Mike, I saw a Super Mario
RPG run on the site that I was
just like, Wow, this is garbage.
I can denitely do better than
this. Thats how I started getting
involved in actual speedrunning.
How did the charity
marathons begin?
AS: Before the rst charity marathon we had, there was already a
meet-up that the community had
at MAGFest in 2009.
MU: Then I was like, Well, we
had this meet-up at MAGFest
last year, lets hold this meet-up
at MAGFest this year and have
this charity event along with it.
I decided on classic games as
a theme because we needed
something more coherent for
the marathon.
Our event was supposed to

start on New Years Day 2010. We
went to the hotel, and the wireless
modems that they promised fell
through because the provider was
bought out and the new wireless
modems didnt work. I was not
informed of this until New Years
Eve. Instead of holding the event
at MAGFest, where they were
locked into a contract with the
cable company, we went to my
moms house, which was about
a 10-minute drive away, because
it had better Internet. We ended
up hosting our rst marathon of
Classic Games Done Quick there.
This might sound like small potatoes now, but we raised $11,000
for C.A.R.E. (Cooperative for
Assistance and Relief Everywhere)
in about 56 hours. We were never
so happy in our lives because we
had no idea how successful this
event was going to be.
MU: I think there are a couple

factors here. Part of it is just that
weve been around for a while
and speedrunning in general has
been growing. It has kind of a
feedback loop: were growing
and we help speedrunning grow,
but speedrunning also helps us
grow. Another thing is that Twitch
in general is just getting bigger.
Thats a big factor. Weve always
worked off a small budget, and
we never had to put too much
work into marketing and advertising. Its mostly been word
of mouth.
In the most recent Awesome

Games Done Quick you passed
the $1 million mark. Why do
you think its growing so much
each year?
MU: Its kind of the opposite of

eSports or a tournament, where
its more of a friendly cooperative
feeling, and its more intimate.
Even as much as weve grown,
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AS: I think we do a better job

of catering to people who have
nostalgia for these old games.
The way we play them is so different than theyve ever seen them
played before, so its captivating
and they just continue watching
once theyre hooked.
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we still have the couch were

always trying to have that dudes
on a couch feel.
How do you come up with
this massive schedule for
marathon week?
MU: We have game submissions
months before the marathon; at
least three or four months. The
one for the Awesome Games Done
Quick next January is going to be
in August. People submit up to ve
games, and we go through all the
submissions and determine which
ones are most appropriate for
the event.
AS: Its him, me, and then we
have like four other people on the
committee that go over and begin
selections with us. They have a
diverse background from different
parts of the speedrunning community, so we dont just have our personal bias dictate the schedules.
MU: In the end, for Awesome
Games, I make the decisions, and
then for Summer Games, Drew

makes the decisions. We have two
rounds of [deliberation] so we can
make this t into 150 hours. While
150 hours sounds like a lot, its a lot
less time than you think it is.
AS: We have more than 1,000
hours of submissions at this point.
Do you guys ever get any sleep
during these things?
AS: I probably slept like 15
hours tops.
MU: I averaged about four or ve
hours a day.
AS: I averaged about two hours.
MU: I probably got around 25 to 30,
which is not very good, but better.
How do you feel toward the end?
MU: Very, very exhausted. You have
that adrenaline keeping you up and
the energy keeping you alive, and
then, after its over, you almost feel
like youre on the verge of collapse.
After I got back home, in a 72-hour
period I slept 40 hours.
What positive changes have been
made possible by your work?
MU: The money has gone to various research grants over the year,
including one researching prostate
cancer. Its also gone to community
grants. These are two-year, $80,000
research grants. I know in the past
theyve helped nd the HPV vaccine
and an X-ray scan that helped early
detection of lung cancer, among
other things. Prevent Cancers
been using it for their dialogue for
action programs, spreading more
awareness to cancer prevention.

Weve been going over being more
transparent with donations, going
over exactly where the money will go
once we hit certain donation goals.
But in general, its awesome to see
the money is going to a good cause
and that it is making a difference.
AS: Yeah, its great that we can just
talk with the representatives from
the charity any time during the year
and get feedback and just feel like
were a part of their organization. It
just feels great, really.
When can fans expect to hear
some of the details for Awesome
Games Done Quick 2015?
MU: I can give you the dates its
January 4-10. I cant give you much
more than that. The hotel will likely
be nalized by early September,
and probably a little after that in
October people can start registering for the event.
AS: One thing we strive to do this
year that we didnt we really didnt
do in previous years is use the SDA
Twitch channel a lot more, just to
give you guys a better showcase
of the whole community throughout
the year. Starting in August, and then
continuing all the way up to AGDQ,
youll be seeing a lot of different
content on the SDA Twitch channel
if you want to see more about the
community at large instead of just
watching individual streamers.
MU: Or instead of just the
marathon. \
Stay on top of all the latest Games Done
Quick happenings at gamesdonequick.com
Hulking Out
Games Done Quick has a great history of memorable moments, like
blindfolded Punch-Out!! and four-way race through Super Metroid, but
organizers Mike Uyama and Andrew Schroeder will always be nostalgic
about Freddy Frezy_Man Anderssons Contra antics in the first
marathon. Since the heroes are shirtless, donors paid for Andersson to
play without a shirt. Its very funny because he pretty much looks like a
Swedish supermodel, but hes also the most gigantic nerd ever, Uyama
says. After he beats Contra, he puts his shirt back on to play Super C
and donors again want him to take it off. We tell him, Chat wants you
to go shirtless. He says, Like this? and he just tears his shirt off in front
of the camera and everyone just goes nuts, Uyama says. Naturally, they
auctioned the tattered remains of the shirt to the highest bidder.
WorldMags.net
impulse
WorldMags.net
Big
Ambitions,
Small Teams
by Ben Reeves and Matt Miller
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

PC
he genre distinctions that once

separated independent games
from those by established publisher/developer teams continues
to fade with each passing year.
Larger publishers like Ubisoft and Warner
Bros. are increasingly embracing the potential
for smaller downloadable games, while
games like E3 darling No Mans Sky and this
months featured project, The Vanishing of
Ethan Carter, show that independent studios
arent afraid to dream big. The Astronauts
development team has been at work on its
atmospheric mystery game for years now, but
the title is nally nearing release. Inspired by
the weird ction of the early 20th century, The
Vanishing of Ethan Carter is one of the most
ambitious indie projects on the horizon.
When folks run into the kind of supernatural
trouble that the police cant help with, they
turn to Paul Prospero, one of the worlds
premier paranormal detectives. Throughout
his years of service, Paul has amassed a
small community of fans. Ethan Carter was
one of them, and while his letters started out
like ordinary fan mail, the boy began to write

about things that little boys shouldnt know
about places and things that few people
see. Unfortunately, by the time that Paul was
ready to meet with Ethan, the young boy had
already vanished.
In The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, players step into Pauls shoes as he journeys to
Red Creek Valley in search of Ethan. Pauls
journey leads him down a number of different
paths, and players are free to explore the
haunted countryside at their leisure, picking
up a variety of clues that point back to a
common narrative puzzle.
The game opens with Paul exploring a foggy
forest. Players can choose to head straight
through the forest to a well-lit bridge that leads
towards Red Creeks main town, but if they explore the forest they might uncover a few optional narrative surprises. Going off the beaten
path, Paul approaches a tree and springs a
trap that sends several spiked braches whizzing past his head. Paul investigates the trap
and sees a small vision of another forest. After
exploring the forest further and activating a
Looking for more independent games? Check out

gameinformer.com/impulse for
regular updates, previews, and
reviews. For more in this
issue, check out our mobile
game round-up on p. 28, and
read our exploration of the
meaning of indie on p. 30. We
have previews of Soma (p. 79),
Path of Exile: Forsaken Masters
(p. 86), and Strife (p. 87),
and reviews of Wayward
Manor (p. 93) and Divinity:
Original Sin (p. 94).
38
WorldMags.net
few more traps, the vision becomes clearer.

Paul sees the same forest that hes sanding in.
However, in his vision, the forest oor is littered
with skeletons and ash. The game is sprinkled
with optional investigations such as this, which
help esh out the history of Red Creek Valley.
Moving back to Red Creek Valleys bridge,
Paul encounters a railcar. Several words pop
onscreen, highlighting areas of interest. As
Paul inspects a red spot on the train, the
words Accident? Murder? Animal? Human?
appear briey onscreen before the red spot
is revealed as blood. These words represent
the investigators thoughts as he explores
and solves the environments riddles. Another
investigation reveals scratches on the side of
the railcar that point Paul to a spot somewhere
in the distance as he receives a psychic vision
showing him a crank located by a nearby river.
On the way down to the creek bed to retrieve
the crank, Paul runs across a pair of disembodied legs and a trail of blood running down
the hill. Following the blood, Paul discovers
the rest of the body. Paul can commune with
the dead, but this spirit isnt ready to show him
anything until he resets the murder scene, so
Paul rst has to retrieve the crank and use it
to move the railcar back to its original spot in
front of the bloody legs.
After piecing together the clues, Paul returns
to the body and several white sprites y into the
air, showing him a few snapshots of the murder
scene. Players must correctly order these
scenes before truly solving the crime. Once
this is done, Paul witnesses a past sequence in
which the dead man had tied Ethan Carter to
the tracks and was prepared to run him over.
But before he could step on the gas, an old man
jumped out of the woods, hit the dead man on
the head with a rock, freed Ethan, and then ran
over the dead mans legs with the railcar.
Paul has solved the mystery of how this
man died, but the crime has only added to
the larger mystery of Ethan Carters disappearance. During the brief ashback, both
the dead man and Ethan refer to the old man
as grandpa, implying that the man trying to
kill Ethan could have been his older brother.
Whatever terrible circumstances Ethan is
involved in, the reality is more monstrous
than Paul previously imagined. Thankfully, we
wont have to wait long to help Paul solve the
mysteries of Red Creek Valley; The Vanishing
of Ethan Carter releases this September for
PC, and The Astronauts is looking into a
possible console release.
WorldMags.net
One of the awesome surprises at this years
E3 was a game that made a brief appearance
on Microsofts stage before being whisked
away for more explosive fare. However, even a
short glimpse of Cuphead was enough to get
a lot of people excited. Developed by Studio
MDHR, founded by two brothers, Cuphead
is a fascinating amalgam of 1930s animation
and 90s era run-and-gun action games
particularly the boss-ght sections of those
games. Whether playing alone as Cuphead or
adding in co-op partner Mugman, the action
focuses on boss ghts. Each boss is designed
with multiple potential patterns, with a goal
of moving away from strict memorization and
more toward genuine reaction-based gaming. Cuphead moves through a Super Mario
World-style overworld map, but Studio MDHR
is exploring ways to make the map more of a
playable space. Animation-wise, the gorgeous
bouncy visuals seem directly inspired by early
Disney lms and other early classics like Popeye and Betty Boop. Cuphead is also aiming
to feature a jazz soundtrack to match its visual
throwback style. Studio MDHR is promising a
2015 release on Xbox One and Steam.
Jamestown Plus is an evolution of the excellent but underappreciated PC original from
2011. This alternate history featuring Martian
colonial steampunk spaceships is coming
to PS4 along with a host of new features.
Coincidentally, Final Form Games is also a
team formed by two brothers, and the team
is eager to bring its vertical-scrolling shooter
to a new audience. The core game sees
up to four local players ying cooperatively
through British-occupied Mars, with the
Spanish and indigenous aliens also ghting
over the territory. The multiple selectable
ships have an impressive variety of armaments to use while ying through the insane
bullet hell, including everything from spread
beams to homing lasers. The PS4 version adds levels set on the Martian moons
Phobos and Deimos, along with new story
content and new ships. Jamestown Plus
should hit PS4 in September or October if
development continues as planned.
One cant help but be suspicious of a name
like Assault Android Cactus, but the team
at Witch Beam is quickly gathering believers
Cuphead
Xbox One, PC
to its twin-stick arena shooter. You play as the

titular Cactus or one of seven other androids
ghting their way through a spaceship lled
with rampaging robots. Each of the playable
characters has its own primary and secondary weapons, offering lots of opportunities
for exploration and optimizing your course
runs. Each arena level is lled with attacking
enemies and their patterned bullet swarms,
and constant movement and power-up pickups are essential to progress. Rather than use
traditional lives, your androids battery drains
when youre hit; the only way to keep your
battery alive is constant aggressive play and
making it to the hard-to-reach battery recharges. This lends a frantic tone to the gameplay
thats especially potent in the challenging
boss ghts. After the rst few levels, Assault
Android Cactus also distinguishes itself
through its approach to level design. Stages
begin to include shifting walls and barriers, so
you can never rely on one safe zone for very
long. Witch Beams shooter may be just the
ticket for players looking for high speed, quick
thinking action when it releases on PC, Linux,
and OSX in the next few months. The game is
coming to PS4, Wii U, and Vita before the end
of the year as well. \
Jamestown Plus
PS4
Assault Android Cactus

PS4, Wii U, Vita, PC, Linux, Mac
WorldMags.net
connect 39
WorldMags.net
photo: Jason Henry
interview
40
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WorldMags.net
Building PS4s Portfolio

After starting his career in games as a tester at Electronic Arts, Adam Boyes has risen through the ranks
to become PlayStations vice president of publisher and developer relations. In this role he helps Sonys
outreach to game companies from Activision down to the smallest indie developer.
interview by Matt Helgeson

In an industry where triple-A games like
Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto can generate nearly $1 billion in a day, are the indie
exclusives a big source of revenue or more
passion projects?
I think its a mixture, to be honest. Everything
is run as a business; we are not a charity. We
need to make sure that the teams are happy
with the performance of the games, so we
work very closely to promote them on the
storefront. As far as prestige, its more about
bringing things to people that they wouldnt
have normally seen or experienced. I always
use the analogy of a buffet of food. If youve
never had sushi or a certain type of food,
having it on the table gives you a greater
variety of things to experience. Were just trying to give you as broad a range of compelling content as possible with people that we
respect people like Jonathan Blow, Team17,
and Supergiant.
Do you ever help fund indie games that
you dont expect to be lucrative if you think
they will be very critically well received and
add prestige to the platform?
A lot of that comes from your gut. You could
look at Minecraft. I use the example of Dear
Esther. I remember when I was at Capcom
and Dear Esther came out on PC and I played
it. You walked around an island with no
weapon and you just explore. You cant even
jump. I realized at that point that I dont know
what the industry wants anymore, because
it sold 100,000 units on the first day. So its
a mixture of following your gut and thinking,
This is an incredible experience, plus, What
has this team done before? Sometimes, the
most amazing games can come from people
who havent made a game before, other
times what theyve done in the past is really
important. Then, there are things that we get
really passionate about. Obviously, No Mans
Sky, since the reveal at VGX, is something
that weve been super passionate about. I
remember the first time that Jonathan Blow
explained to me what The Witness would
be the way his brain works is something Ive
never seen. Then there are games like Grim
Fandango, where I had a personal relationship
with that game.
Obviously, we wouldnt do a deal where
we thought wed lose money, but you never
know what the next Minecraft or Angry Birds
is going to be. You just hope that your gut is
in tune with what a lot of the rest of the world
wants, and the rest is up to the Internet.
Given the scale and cost of next-gen
development, is it even fiscally possible
for you to pursue triple-A third-party
exclusives now?
I dont think anything is impossible. Id be lying

if I said we werent looking at everything. Thats
a broad answer, but the reality is that if opportunities present themselves or if we have ideas,
well go after them. Well say, Were really
passionate about this project, or maybe its a
PC-only project that we can bring to console.
What were trying to do now is create more
benefits for the gamer. If you look at what
were doing with Far Cry and being able to
invite your friend and play for free, stuff like
that where more people can try games out.
Were trying a lot of new things. Getting your
GTA progress to come cross-platform is a
big deal. Getting your Elder Scrolls Online PC
account over to PlayStation.
Destiny is not a PlayStation exclusive, but
youve been aggressive with the beta and
the special edition PlayStation 4 bundle. Are
you trying to create the impression that the
PS4 is the premier platform for Destiny?
In general, we want to look at PlayStation as
the best place to play. Thats why we spent a
lot of money going for 8GB of GDDR-5 RAM
and high processing power to ensure that it
is perceived as the best place to play. Destiny
is a critical part of that; we want people to see
that custom white PS4 and say, Where did
you get that? or see the custom gear on PS4
and say, Where did you find that? Thats a
part of ensuring that people feel special when
they play on PlayStation.
Is the co-op game-sharing functionality on
Far Cry 4 a test balloon for a feature that
youd like to implement in other third-party
games or Sony-published games?
I think everything we do is trying it out and
seeing how consumers feel about it. When
we try new things, we do it and measure the
results and see what can happen. We started
doing that with indies on the PlayStation 3.
Free-to-play is a big focus for us now. Its been
uncharted territory on consoles and were seeing how it works with Warframe and Blacklight.
A lot of the indie games you have backed
are also on PC and Steam as well. Is that
because you are fine with it just being a
console exclusive or because the developers cant forgo the money they would make
on Steam?
Its a couple things. The way that I personally
game on my PC is different than the way I
game on my console. I think thats true of most
gamers and people who own PlayStations.
Theres a huge overlap. I dont have a PC in
my living room or my bedroom; my PC is in my
office. When I hunker down to play PC games
like Rust or DayZ, it is in my office. I think
Steam is doing a great job of Big Picture and
trying to focus on that, but I dont think they
are ever going to totally focus on that big TV
experience. Thats one of the benefits we have.
I really have a lot of respect for the PC gaming
community. They are doing a lot of great things,

and we dont want to get in the way of that.
Our whole thing with developers is that we
want them to be very successful. I know it
sounds crazy, but I want every developer that
works with us to be able to pay off their house
and put their kids through college and buy a
nice car. That means they have achieved their
life goal. They were able to split off, do their
own thing, and succeed at that. By allowing
them to have as many options as possible,
that helps it. Obviously, we are competitive in
the console space, but on mobile and PC we
are very supportive of our partners in building
content for those platforms.
Paid betas and early access are very big on
Steam right now. Are you looking at paid
betas and early access for PSN?
I think the whole idea of people getting to
be a part of something before its complete
is very interesting. I also think that its a very
scary place for people who dont want those
things. I like to use my brother as an example.
He owns a PS4 but only buys two or three
games a year. The last thing I would want for
someone who is a casual gamer is to fire up
a game that is broken, not knowing that they
were in that type of experience and having a
negative opinion.
However, going back to the buffet analogy,
if there was an area of the buffet where it was
blowfish and rattlesnake you might not want,
but there were big caveats and clickthroughs,
would you as a gamer not want to be able
to have access to that? Thats the question.
If you have options, but they are cordoned
off in a different area, its not going to be that
worrisome. There are people who want that
stuff. For me, with my testing background, I
love playing games that are unfinished and
providing feedback.
Weve seen a lot of cross-gen games.
Before the systems came out, was there
some skittishness among publishers about
laying down bets on next-gen only games?
I dont think there was reticence at all. There
are fewer publishers than there has been
before. The ones that are still here are bigger,
but they have fewer teams because they make
bigger, deeper games. The challenging part of
my job is not talking about all the games that
are in development. But there are a ton of very
amazing games coming to our platform. There
wasnt any hesitance, but you cant ignore the
80 million PS3s that weve launched globally.
Thats an impressive number, and if youre running a business you have to be mindful of it.
Ive had indies who said, We want to lead on
PS3 then come to PS4, because there are just
more PS3s in the world.
But that was more a business decision. Our
job was to figure out how to migrate people.
Were trying to be mindful of making that
movement easy. \
WorldMags.net
CAREER
HIGHLIGHTS
1996
TESTING THE WATERS
Boyes gets his start in
the industry as a game
tester at Electronic Arts.
He focuses mainly on
sports games, including
FIFA, NBA Live, and Triple
Play Baseball
2000
DOT COM BOOM
Eager to learn more about
business, Boyes leaves
games for jobs in a string
of dot-com startups in
America and Ireland
2002
BACK HOME
Realizing he missed video
games, Boyes joins the
new studio Next Level
Games, formed by ex-Black
Box employees, working on
NHL Hitz Pro
2003
WINDY CITY
After shipping NHL Hitz
Pro, Boyes is offered
the chance to go to
Chicago and work on
the Hitz franchise as a
Midway producer
2003
CURVE BALL
As he arrives, NHL Hitz
is abruptly cancelled,
and Boyes goes to work
on the MLB Slugfest
franchise instead
2007
GO WEST
After producing NFL
Blitz: The League, an
ex-colleague offers
Boyes the chance to
move to California
and oversee Capcoms
Western development
2010
PRODUCING RESULTS
Boyes forms his own
company in partnership
with the Weinstein
Company, TWC Games.
They act as a production
and business services
agency for indie developers
2012
THE BIG LEAGUES
Boyes applies for and wins
the job of VP of publisher
and developer relations for
Sony and PlayStation. He
leads the companys efforts
to court high-profile indie
developers to the platform
connect 41
WorldMags.net
MAD CATZ PRO RACING

FORCE FEEDBACK WHEEL
he Xbox One doesnt offer many racing wheel options, but Mad Catzs Pro Racing
Force Feedback wheel is a high-priced setup that gives you a degree of customization. The wheel comes with hardware for lap or desk setup, along with the
ability to mount it to the Playseat Evolution and Revolution racing seats.
The pedal bases customization should help you find a comfortable sitting
position. The angle, height, and spacing of the brake and gas pedals can be
adjusted. You can even change the spring tension for the pedals to make them
stiff or forgiving. The base has an optional plastic cowling, which ostensibly
keeps your feet in, but isnt necessary.
The steering wheel feels nice, thanks to the suede leather wrap covering the
wheel, and the sensitivity is spot on. The wheel tilts up to 15 degrees for added comfort and is adjustable to
200- and 900-degree rotation settings. While playing Forza Motorsport 5, the force feedback worked well
and gave a little feedback when jamming on the brakes (the pedals themselves are not force feedback).
However, this feedback was inconsistent in registering

contact with other cars.
Given the price, its too bad the plastic lap rests
dont anchor to your legs, making the desk setup
the best option for those without cockpits. Even this
requires re-tightening the desk clamps, which dont
directly attach to the steering wheels housing. The
wheel is also not compatible with PCs, unlike the
Thrustmaster Ferrari wheel, which has the same
retail price. The Pro Racing wheel has some good
features, but falls short of
AVERAGE
being a definitive racing
$399 | madcatz.com
wheel for the price.
by Matthew Kato, Ben Reeves, and Michael Futter

42
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WorldMags.net
Scuf One Controller
Scuf One is a highly modified controller for Xbox One designed for pro gaming. Each user-customized gamepad features two or four paddles on the underside
(so you dont have to move your thumbs to
push face buttons), which can be mapped
to many of the controller features using a
magnetic key. The Scuf One also features an optional, removable control disc
that fits over the directional pad for better
handling in fighting games and sports
titles. This provides noticeable improvement over a standard D-pad for games like
Killer Instinct.
The sticks come in three different lengths,
with concave and convex options available.
The Scuf-branded concave tops feel comfortable, and the sticks offer a bit more
tension than Microsofts Xbox One controller, increasing precision. The controller
is comfortable to hold thanks to the grip
added to the reverse side, and the undersided paddles are easy to use and offer a
satisfying click.
Shooter fans should find that the removable, adjustable triggers help reduce actuation distance and provide faster firing and
scoping. Rumble packs can be removed on
request, making the controller lighter (and
therefore easier on the arms and hands
for extended play), and each controller
can be decked out in a wide range of color
schemes and decal designs. The biggest
knockback for this controller is its price,
but if your K/D ratio is important to you, it
is worth investigating. Scuf also offers a
PlayStation 4 controller.
VERY GOOD
Starting at $109 | scufgaming.com
BATMAN:
ASSAULT ON ARKHAM
This one-off animated feature

returns to Rocksteadys vision
of the Arkham universe. After
the Suicide Squad breaks into
Arkham Asylum to acquire
top-secret information from
the Riddler, the Joker breaks
loose and threatens to blow up
Gotham City.
Origin Genesis/Millennium PC Towers
Customization has always been a big selling point for PC owners,

and Origins newest line of towers are some of the most versatile
PC exoskeletons on the market. Both cases feature a simple industrial
design, but what really makes these cases special is whats happening
under the hood. A variable mounting system allows users to orient the
motherboard and internal PC guts either vertically or horizontally in up
to four different configurations. Budget gamers can start out with the
Millennium mid-range tower and then upgrade to the full-tower Genesis
at a later date thanks to an expansion base, which can accommodate
additional radiators for liquid cooling or extra hard drive real estate.
$24.98
wbshop.com
COMMUNITY: SEASON 5
NBC canceled Dan Harmons
critically acclaimed sitcom, but
Yahoo! Screen has ordered 13
more episodes of the show.
Before the new season starts,
catch up on the antics of the
Greendale Community College
gang as they ape police procedurals, post-apocalyptic sci-fi,
and beloved 80s cartoons.
Starting at $1,699 | originpc.com
$35.99
nbc.com/community
SHOVEL KNIGHT
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
After designing the electric
pop soundtrack for Double
Dragon Neon, composer and
sound designer Jake Kaufman
got to work on the recent indie
darling Shovel Knight. This
48-track album is painstakingly
authentic to NES standards, but
happens to be just as catchy as
many of the classic franchises
Shovel Knight mimics.
Media Shelf
Name Your Price

biglionmusic.com
THE STAR WARS

BY J.W. RINZLER, MIKE
MAYHEW, RAIN BEREDO
& NICK RUNGE
The winner of the 2013 Hugo
award for Best Graphic Story
continues the tale of two
soldiers from opposite sides of
an intergalactic war who fall
in love and go AWOL to raise
their child. Unfortunately, they
discover that war is hard to
run from.
$19.99
darkhorse.com/zones/starwars
WorldMags.net
connect 43
timeline
WorldMags.net
02 The Sims 4
03
09 Destiny
23.2 FIFA 15
12
30 Forza Horizon 2
10
16 Natural Doctrine
26 Hyrule Warriors
September
02 New Releases
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
(Vita)
The Sims 4 (PC)
Tropico 5 (360)
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate
(PS4, Xbox One)
War, and Star Wars novels), Cobra is

an international peacekeeping force,
and the world doesnt understand the
role G.I. Joe plays in it. Scarlett is one
of the few G.I. Joe recruits left. Can
she keep G.I. Joe running?
12 MagFest 8.5
03 The Death
Of Wolverine
Marvel is billing Wolverines death as
the single most important X-Men
event of the decade. This four-week
event kicks off today. How can you kill
someone who is indestructible? You
strip him of his healing factor.
A celebration of video games

and music, MagFest returns to
Alexandria, VA for a three-day
encore performance. In addition to
concerts galore, this event features
an arcade room, an entire hall dedicated to multiplayer gaming, and a
vendor sector.
09 New Releases
16 New Releases
Destiny (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360)

MX vs ATV Supercross (PS3, 360)
NHL 15 (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360)
Ghostbusters 1 & 2:
4K-Mastered (Blu-ray)
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja
Storm Revolution (PS3, 360)
Natural Doctrine (PS4, PS3, Vita)
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy:
Curtain Call (3DS)
10 A New G.I. Joe

In this new series by Karen Traviss
(writer of numerous Halo, Gears of
44 connect
2014
18.1 New Releases
Roundabout (PC)
18.2 Toyko Game

Show 2014
Will Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom
Hearts III, and The Last Guardian
make appearances at this years
Tokyo Game Show? Out of all of the
game shows, this is the place where
we expect them to re-emerge. This
four-day show kicks off today, but is
only open to the public on September
21 and 22.
19.1 Oculus Connect

For two days, game developers
descend upon Hollywood, CA to
discuss the future of VR at the
new Oculus Connect convention.
Attendees will be the first to hear
about new Oculus technology.
19.2 Finally, A Dystopia

Todays big theatrical release, The
Maze Runner, is a film adaptation of
the young-adult novel. We havent
read the James Dashner books that
inspired this project, but we have
seen The Hunger Games and Harry
Potter movies, so we already know
the whole plot: In a dystopian future,
a young boy or girl is not like the other
kids. Their world is strange and harsh
everyone is tested, but not everyone
survives. Something something destiny, and a much larger conflict looms
in the shadows. The endor is it?
This years speakers include Vince

Zampella (Respawn Entertainment),
Phil Harrison (Microsoft), Ted Price
(Insomniac Games), and Jonathan
Morin (Ubisoft Montreal).
23.2 New Releases

Ar Nosurge: Ode to an Unborn
Star (PS3)
Fairy Fencer F (PS3)
FIFA 15 (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360)
26 New Releases
Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)
30 New Releases
20 New Releases
Falling Skies (PS3, 360)
23.1 D.I.C.E.
Europe 2014
After a successful event in Las
Vegas, D.I.C.E. returns to Europe
for two days of talks from leading people in game development.
WorldMags.net
Arcana Heart 3: Love Max (PS3)

Forza Horizon 2 (Xbox One, 360)
Pac-Man and the
Ghostly Adventures 2
(Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS)
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
(PS3, 360)
Senran Kagura Shinovi
Versus (Vita)
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{ {
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Its hard to believe Assassins Creed debuted close to seven years ago. The series brought us a
new, unique concept of placing players in historical fiction and it showed off the power of the PS3
and Xbox 360 early in their life cycles. Today, the franchise is Ubisofts juggernaut, with annual
releases and large teams working together to ensure the games maintain quality and make sense
within the sprawling storyline. As Ubisoft prepares for its first Assassins Creed game exclusive
to new-gen consoles, the stage is set to redefine the franchises direction and once again prove
what new console power can achieve with Assassins Creed Unity. Ubisoft isnt done with the Xbox
360 and PlayStation 3, though; its giving them a completely new entry called Assassins Creed
Rogue, which covers the Seven Years War. This game bridges Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag and
Assassins Creed III, connecting to Unity.
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unity
rogue
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cover story 47
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Assassins Creed
48
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reinventing
reinventing
formula
formula
{{
the
Ubisoft aims high with
its first exclusive new- gen venture
platform
PlayStation 4
8BOX/NEs0#
style
1-Player Action
(4-Player Online)
publisher
Ubisoft
developer
Ubisoft Montreal (lead)/Toronto
Quebec/Annecy/Montpellier/Bucharest
+IEV3HANGHAI#HENGDU3INGAPORE
release
October 28
by Kimberley wallace
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cover story 49
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None of the Assassins Creed games have ever

retained their development code name, but
never before did one concept drive so much
of a games DNA. From its premise of uniting
people for the French Revolution to seamlessly
incorporating co-op into the experience, Ubisoft
is creating its biggest, most cohesive game to
date with Unity. To properly tackle a project of
this magnitude, Ubisoft gave its first exclusively
new-gen title a longer development cycle than
the majority of its previous games. For four
years, the team has been working on redefining
the franchise for the new generation.
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envisioning new-gen
After shipping Assassins Creed:
Brotherhood in 2010, a small group of
developers split off and started envisioning the future of the franchise.
The team knew it could do a lot with
a few years in front of them, while
annual releases kept fans engaged.
We wanted to make it big, have a lot
of scope, says senior producer Vincent
Pontbriand. Weve created precedence. Now people expect it. When
we come up with an Assassins Creed
game it needs to be big.
The small team encountered its fair
share of challenges, like guessing the
specs of the new consoles using a
high-end PC and also having to surpass
two other titles that were planned, but
werent even made yet. While making
Assassins Creed III, Ubisoft saw potential in the naval battles and decided to
make an extra game, Black Flag.
Assassins Creed Unity has had plenty
of time to cook, and some of its original ideas wound up in other titles, but
one thing remained the same: Ubisoft
knew that it couldnt just depend on
superior graphics for a new-gen title.
It needed to embrace change and reinvent the series.
To go forward, sometimes you must
look back, so Ubisoft re-examined the
franchises beginnings to make sure it
still retained what fans adore. We said,
Lets go back to the roots, Pontbriand
says. Lets go back to the fantasy of
being an assassin, a blade in the crowd.
[Take] the first things that made people
attracted to the brand and try to go
deeper, have more flexibility. Lets make
the game more systemic instead of
ingredient based.
Unity would preserve the large, historically driven open world, but some things
needed to be redefined, such as the
series three pillars: navigation, stealth,
and combat. The team also knew it
wanted to make multiplayer, specifically
co-op, integral to the experience, which
also happened to be one of fans most
requested features. It was just a happy
coincidence that we were in line with
that, Pontbriand says.
With annual releases, Ubisoft typically
cant afford to reinvent entire systems,
but with the extra time and resources,
Unity was given that opportunity. To be
honest, its really not a trivial thing, says
creative director Alex Amancio. We
really went out on a limb to do this, and
up until very recently, it was a big risk.
Were asking the team to forget how far
they can push the things they invented
in 2007, become newbies again, and
risk going into the unknown. Ultimately,
what we ended up with is a game that
is much more about what the player
wants to do and about having a world
that allows for that player expression.
Welcome to Assassins Creed Unity, a
game that polishes its former elements,
pushes in bold new directions, and
recaptures the essence of the franchise.
The first exclusive entry on new-gen is
set to make a statement about the franchise and its future.
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cover story 51
a love story set against a

bloody backdrop
For years, Ubisoft says fans have
yearned for a game to be set in Paris
during the French Revolution. After
Assassins Creed III took on the
American Revolution, it seemed like the
perfect lead in. Every yearly feedback
that we get, it comes out on the speculations, Pontbriand says. Its in the top
few. Ubisoft is excited to bring such a
rich setting finally to fans. Paris breathtaking beauty and architecture should
provide a worthy playground that just
may rival that of the series previous outings in Renaissance Italy.
The French Revolution was a turbulent time, dating from 1789 to 1799.
France was in financial ruin after two
wars and was experiencing a famine.
Massacres and paranoia were a part of
everyday life in France as people fought
for democratic ideals and fair treatment
in an attempt to break away from the
monarchy. The guillotine was one of
its chief symbols, a gathering place
in the center of the city where people
watched its blade descend for public
beheadings. It also was the most notorious instrument of the Reign of Terror,
where people were murdered for merely
looking suspicious. Its the feeling of
chaos, the feeling of something ongoing in the city of Paris, says Ubisofts
in-house historian Maxime Durand. The
scope of the events when you see them,
youre like, Wow, this is something that
changed history forever. Iconic events
along with historical figures (see sidebar on page 55 for confirmed cameos)
are present as always; expect to see the
Storming of the Bastille, King Louis XVIs
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infamous execution, and how Maximilien
de Robespierre tormented people with
the guillotine during the Reign of Terror.
History is ingrained in the game, but
Ubisoft is not depending on it to tell
Unitys story. We didnt want to make
the story about the French Revolution,
Pontbriand says, It was too constraining. So instead we decided to use it as
a backdrop, where we have the coolest,
historical memorable moments as the
background, but youre not influencing
it in any way. It was a revolution driven
by the people, not this single guy who
triggered it all.
Instead, Ubisoft is trying to tell a
deeper story than ever before with its
lead character, Arno Dorian. Arno is on
a quest for redemption and he joins the
Assassins as a means to obtaining it, but
hes not the only one with a stake here.
Enter Elise De LaSerre. After Arnos
Assassin father is murdered, Elises
father, who happens to be a Templar,
takes Arno in. He feels [indebted] to
Arnos father, not because he had anything to do with it, but just because of
respect for his enemy, so he takes Arno
under his wing, Amancio explains. But
he doesnt want to corrupt the memory
of Arnos father by making him become
a part of the Templars, so he hides the
whole Templar thing. Arno has no idea.
Arno and Elise grow up together and
The beautiful Palace of Versailles. Did you spot Robespierre?
fall in love, without Arno ever knowing

that shes part of the Templars. Arno
has a sharp wit and is a no-nonsense
type, while Elise is more of a free spirit.
Shes that girl when youre growing
up who always gets you into trouble,
Amancio says. The two lose touch for
a period, but are brought back together
when Elises father is murdered. Arno
F inding Your O wn
Stories I n Paris
Not everything you can do in Paris is shown on your
map once you sync a waypoint. A great deal of Unity is
about exploration and finding your own stories. Ubisoft
is adding many quests that revolve around history and
some of its prominent figures. You can unlock these stories by reading newspapers and finding letters in houses.
Once you uncover these tidbits, a question mark appears
on the map. You can go there to find out more, unlocking
a bit of the history and culture of the land. Ubisoft used
the example of the Marianne, the national emblem of the
French Republic. A cool story goes along with this quest,
but well save that for you to find.
Arno also stumbles upon many murders. Eugene
Francois Vidocq, whos basically the father of criminology, appears as a kid in the game. When you first meet
him, hes in jail, telling you to stick with him and not buy
into the corruption. You can actually accuse people of
murders and put them in jail; hopefully, putting away the
right culprit. After all, youll see them behind bars in the
game do you really want to wonder if they really did it?
Its a game about exploring multilayered Paris and finding your own stories and carving your own path through
it, says creative director Alex Amancio.
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feels responsible for that death, so he

tries to figure out why he died and who
killed him, Amancio says. Elise has the
exact same objective, but she has no
redemption desire because she doesnt
feel guilty at all. It has nothing to do with
her, so all she wants is to do the same
thing, but her motivation is revenge:
They killed my father, theyre corrupting
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my order. I need to find who is behind

this or why.
One of the big dilemmas for Arno is
being caught between duty and love. He
must follow the order of the Assassins,
but he also loves a girl whose methods
for getting answers are significantly different. [Its] the Cornelian dilemma, a
very specific form of Catch-22, where
youre forced to choose between love

and duty, Amancio says. Its an
impossible choice.
This dilemma is a chance for Ubisoft
to show two different sides of the
Templars and Assassins; even Arno
spends time questioning where he
should stand. We always try to portray,
even more with this game, the Assassins
and Templars not as good guys and villains, but as two opposite views on the
same issue, Amancio says. Either
freedom and make your mistakes and
this is how you learn, or wait a minute,
you people are going to blow each
other up? Lets structure this in a more
Arno only has a single blade, but he gets creatively violent with it
intelligent way so we can progress. No

way of thinking is bad, its just different
ways of thinking.
Ubisoft knows love stories are hard
to execute, and approached Arno and
Elises relationship carefully by making
Elise such a vital part of the plot. You
couldnt cut her from the game and
have the same story. This is something weve wanted to do for a very long
time, Amancio says. We felt that with
this generation it was a good opportunity to crank it up a notch and have
a story thats a bit more serious and
more mature. Love stories are always a
hard thing in video games because ultimately they can very easily become a
tangent. By making Elise a Templar and
making that part of the core, its part of
the actual struggle of the character. It
prevents it from becoming a B-plot or
a tangent.
The Templars find themselves at an
interesting crossroads during the French
Revolution. Make no mistake; Elises
fathers death was no accident. He is
the victim of a coup dtat a shift in
power and ideologies in the Templars.
The French Revolution is the perfect
metaphor for this turn in power. This
is when the world became run by businessmen, and not by politics and not
by an aristocracy, Amancio explains.
This coincides with a shift within the
Templars. Before, it was like dogma
C ustomization
will dictate and rule. If we tell people

what to do with strong dogmatic views,
they will follow and if they dont, we
will beat the s--- out of them, and they
will follow.
One man reexamines those views
and thinks if you give the people what
they want, theyll enslave themselves.
You control them by keeping them
busy. This new leader wants to take
the order in that direction, and he
believes in his mind hes right, and thats
the true path the Templars wanted to
take, Amancio says. Its all linked in
history with the last official grandmaster of the Templars, Jacques de Molay,
who died in Paris in the middle ages.
Its a complex story around that. This
shift in power is really the revolution.
Somebody is pulling the strings behind
the revolution so the Templars can consolidate this new order.
Arno tries to track down the man
responsible for the death of Elises father
for most of the game, but he has to go
through many targets, a throwback to
the first Assassins Creed. In [Assassins
Creed], you remember all your targets
theyre very iconic because we take the
time to introduce you to these targets,
Amancio says. The game is called
Assassins Creed, so its about assassinations; heres the target, heres the
background, get to know the target, and
then assassinate them. This is something that we steered away from not
intentionally but I really wanted us to
go back to having these iconic targets.
Then in the end, when you finally have
the chance to assassinate these targets,
its up to you to find a way to do it in a
really cool way.
Arno, caught between love and duty,
gives the story plenty of potential, and
could give Ubis other star assassin,
Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a run for his
money. Right now people in Ubisoft
have been playing through the game
and the feedback on Arno has been
extremely positive. The one thing I
keep hearing is that Arno is a very likeable character; hes very attachable,
Amancio says.
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Customization boosts your skills in both co-op and in single-player. You earn skill points by completing missions and taking on activities in the world, and can use them to upgrade navigation, stealth,
or combat. Ubisoft says theres no right or wrong way to build a character; you can go as balanced or
extreme as you like. If you like to fight, you could build a tank so you stand a better chance against
multiple enemies. If you prefer sticking to the shadows, you can invest in the stealth tier to get your
lockpicking skill up. For easier navigation, you might invest in a roll or soft-landing ability.
Another way to customize your assassin and earn perks is with equipment and weapons. We got
a glimpse into the customization and its more than merely attire. You can customize your forearms,
legs, boots, chest, hood, and mask. Different gear is suited to particular play styles. For instance, one
hood might make you blend faster in crowds, and your belt might impact the amount of items you can
carry. Ubisoft estimates it has over 200 pieces to collect.
Weapons also have more variety this time around. You have a few guns at your disposal, but they
alert guards easily and you can only have so much ammo on hand at once. Ubisoft included some long
weapons, such as spears, pikes, and staves, so you can attack at a distance with more power.
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Sometimes you need a time out to assess what youre up against
blending co-op and

single-player
When youre not pursuing the main
storyline quests, the world is open for
exploration with up to three friends.
Co-op missions remain separate from
Arnos narrative and can be completed
solo as well. The co-op content has
different difficulty levels highlighted by
stars, and all have multiple degrees of
success to garner replayability. Some of
the co-op quests are better suited for
smaller teams. You can still play with a
larger group; it just means the mission
will be easier.
To join up with a friend, you need to initiate a Brotherhood mission on the map
by going to the icon, or you can invite
friends though the menu. It will then ask
if you want to play the mission together.
Then a five-second countdown begins
before you start. You can also find
ghosts of friends who are playing at

the same time. If your friend is at a joinable part of the game, you can hop right
in, starting from their latest checkpoint.
The missions make sense in the context of co-op: Youre performing them
as part of the Brotherhood. All of our
games are always about a character.
Thats normal, but we seldom talk about
his responsibility to the Brotherhood,
Amancio says. Why not make that part
of the co-op, brotherhood missions?
This is the stuff that typical Assassins
will do for the Brotherhood. It has nothing to do with [Arnos] own personal
quest, but hes an Assassin, and this is
what he has to do for the Assassins.
The cooperative missions center
on the Assassins trying to stop the
Templars manipulation of the French
Revolution. These are as close as
we will get in the game to actually
doing stuff for the French Revolution,

Amancio says. All this stuff is not about
Arnos story. Its about the Brotherhood
trying to figure out what the Templars
are up to.
The road to implementing co-op into
the open world was long and hard for
Ubisoft. After trying several avenues,
including competitive multiplayer, the
developers came back to the drawing
board because they found themselves
making two separate games, which is
exactly what they didnt want to do.
They circled back and looked at what
drives people to Assassins Creed: the
experience of being an assassin in a
historical setting. Why make the mul-
tiplayer separate? As data suggested,

when multiplayer was featured in a
mode outside of the campaign, only a
hardcore portion of the fanbase touched
it. People bought the game for the single-player, and then however good the
multiplayer may have been, it was not
the same [as the single-player] experience, Amancio says. I think people
didnt give that mode a chance.
Amancio worked hard to figure out a
way to make the multiplayer cohesive
to the experience. His team wanted
customization in single-player that carried over into multiplayer. This led to
them taking a cue from another Ubisoft
franchise, Watch Dogs. In Watch Dogs,
From E lise s S ide

Arno is the star of Unity, but his love
interest, Elise, is the star of her own
book. Ubisoft is planning a new novel
that lets you see her perspective on the
events from Unity. The story details her
involvement with the Templars, something that couldnt be shown in Unity
with Arnos allegiance to the Assassins.
It always bothered me that we could
never show that part all that stuff that
was happening, says creative director
Alex Amancio. This is where the chess
game is being played by all the Templars
and everything, and to see the aftermath. We wanted to expose that part.
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Taking A Slice O f
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H istory
Ubisoft doesnt want to spoil every historical figure appearing in Unity, but it
did share some key individuals that youll encounter in Paris.
King Louis XVI

No surprise here, as King Louis XVIs inexperience and cowardice made him
a central figure throughout the revolution. Louis didnt know what to do
when France was in such a bad financial state after The Seven Years War
and the American Revolution. He tried to run from Paris, only to be brought
back, imprisoned, and eventually beheaded by the sharp blade of the guillotine an event Ubisoft promises well see.
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette earned a lot of popularity through historical interpretations
of her that may have been embellished, but as the wife of King Louis XVI,
she had to go down with him. Some historians claim she was clueless to
the state of things, but were interested in seeing how Ubisoft portrays her.
Maximilien de Robespierre
no matter what, you always play as

Aiden Pierce in competitive scenarios.
What if they did something similar with
Arno, but with co-op? That way in every
players game they are Arno, complete
with their customized skills and appearance, but theyd look like another
member of the Brotherhood in another
players game.
This solved a big barrier. Its like
Batman no two people can be
Batman, and no one wants to be Robin,
Pontbriand says. Thats why everyone
is playing as Arno, because everyone
wants to be the master assassin. But
then you can customize so it still works,
so when you see your friends they still
look cool.
hands-on with co-op:
seeing the refinements
in action
During our visit to Montreal, my colleague Jeff Cork and I played a
Brotherhood mission together. Our mission, called Heads Will Roll, features
Robespierre and the Law of Suspects,
a decree passed during the Reign of
Terror as a way to arrest anyone who
looked suspicious. A wave of paranoia
is sweeping Paris; one wrong response
and you could be considered a counterrevolutionary. A spy named Paton
found some valuable Templar secrets,
which he shared with Robespierre.
Robespierre has him arrested as a
traitor, saying hes too gifted as a spy.
Our job? Free Paton and find out the
Templar secrets. The mission is split
into three acts: get the wardens key,
find Patons secret notebook, then save
Paton in prison before he gets executed.
Since this is our first time being
unleashed in Paris for hands-on, we
dont stick together. Were both too
mesmerized by the world and all the
things that we can do. An Assassins
Creed setting hasnt felt this wondrous
since I spent time in Venice as Ezio,
where the beauty and liveliness made
me forget about missions and get lost
in the atmosphere. Part of this is thanks
to the added realism. The buildings are
designed at a 1:1 scale, a first in the
series, and it shows; you feel the height
as you traverse them. These are also the

most buildings Ive seen on one street
in an Assassins Creed game. Small
touches like the lighting stand out, especially when entering interiors, which add
great diversity to environments. The
elegance and ambiance of Paris shines
through wonderfully.
I immediately climb up a building,
which feels natural and fluid, including the new ability to descend rapidly
by pressing RT and B. Haystacks are
still around for doing leaps of faith,
but youre not dependent on them like
before. The first thing I do when I climb
up a building is go into the interior; this
new feature opens up alternate strategies. You can go inside to avoid guards,
but must be careful because sentries
arent just on the outside.
I quickly notice some new assassina-
Robespierre will forever be associated with the Reign of Terror and the
guillotine. Paranoia started to get to people as they worried another nation
might try to reinstall their king. Insecurity bred needless bloodshed.
Robespierre didnt need much reason other than he didnt like the way
you looked at him that day to execute you. In the end though, Robespierre
got a taste of his own medicine and were hoping Ubisoft gives us front
row seats.
Marquis de Sade
Sade was a philosopher, writer, and an elected delegate to the National
Convention who is best known for his erotic works. Did we mention
he spent 32 years of his life in prisons and eventually wound up in an
insane asylum? Theres a reason sadist is derived from his name, and
its clear Ubisoft has appropriate plans for the character. Hes sort of a
Hannibal Lector, always a step ahead, always trying to mess with you,
says creative director Alex Amancio. He knows the answer; hes like, If I
tell you, it wouldnt be fun. Im just going to let you guess it. Hes sort of a
creepy character.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon was a gifted general, rising through the military ranks during the
course of the French Revolution. The narcissist also manipulated his way
to the power, assuming a dictatorship by the end of the French Revolution.
France didnt end up with the democracy it aimed for, so itll be interesting
to see Ubisofts portrayal of the self-obsessed general.
Stealth is more important since enemies arent pushovers. Use everything at your disposal
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The A daptive M ission
M echanic
Remember being detected by a guard and being desynchronized from

the mission? Thanks to the Adaptive Mission Mechanic, you wont have to
worry about that again. The mission adapts to what happens and doesnt
just follow one script or have one set of rules to succeed. For example,
say youre tailing an enemy and he spots you. The mission then turns into
a chase, eventually becoming a locate target mission once youve lost
him. If the target gets killed during the mission, you can loot him for the
key, but that doesnt mean there wont be consequences. More guards
might be waiting for you at the location now that a guard is missing.
Weve been improving how we did missions for a while, but we had never
fundamentally rethought the very core structure of how we do that, says
creative director Alex Amancio.
tion animations; you can run up, trip

enemies, and stab them in the chest.
Arnos assassinations also look cooler;
he has just one blade, but that doesnt
stop him from being creative. Because
you can now climb in interiors, you can
exploit windows for assassinations.
One lets me yank an enemy through the
window and throw him to his death.
The new cover system allows you
to hide easier, complete with peeking
moves. You can also go in stealth mode,
which softens your footsteps. Most
games stealth modes slow your character down, but in Unity, you still move
swiftly. This is useful for approaching
enemies from behind and easily sticking a blade in their back. However, its
not long before I get impatient and alert
more than one guard.
Remember those days where youd
accidentally trigger more of a response
than you wanted and have to run all over
the map, waiting for the alert level to go

down? Those days are over. The guards
are now governed by a new system that
has them investigate your last known
position. This makes it easier to move
away from the area, and sometimes you
can even exploit it to drop back in on
them from the other direction.
Stealth is encouraged in Unity, since
battles can turn deadly. Take on two or
three enemies at once and you should
be okay, but get five in the mix and
the battle often leads to a game over
screen. In this case, running away is
usually the best option. Before jumping into the fray you must consider the
enemy type and their weapon; maybe
dodging wont work on an agile enemy,
and forget trying to parry a giant ax. For
the first time in Assassins Creed, I pay
attention to the enemies and their patterns, as opposed to in previous games
where I hit the attack button without a
worry. With the higher battle difficulty,

death is imminent. Thankfully, if someone in your cooperative group dies, they
can be revived, but make sure you clear
the area first or youre toast. You have
only a short period of time to revive
teammates; if they perish, their wallets
take a hit before they respawn.
Ubisoft only showed us a small slice of
the combat. The A.I. is smart and often
teams up against you, and they have
a slew of offensive options and arent
afraid to exploit the bombs at their disposal. Thats not even touching on the
boss battles, which amp up the tension. Boss fights are challenging, not
because we added some quick-time
event, but because were using the full
extent of the fight system, says game
Sometimes a good assassin has to know when to run
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designer Alex Pedneault. The enemy

can pull off the same moves that Arno
can, and it creates a challenge in a
good way. Not so people can throw
their controllers on ground in frustration, but because its something weve
never had. For the first time, we have
boss fights that are about parrying at
the right time, making sure you dodge,
and not spamming the attack button.
Im also impressed by different factions roaming the streets and their
interactions, which are not only more
realistic, but they also arent blind to
each others presence. Thugs will attack
you no matter what, the police wont
attack unless provoked, and crowds
of commoners might lend you a hand
when youre in a jam. The interactions
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The game includes the infamous Catacombs of Paris,

providing you even more options for stealth
between these groups bring new depth

to the gameplay. Police target dissidents, so you could lure thugs toward
the authorities and watch them engage
instead of getting your hands dirty.
Cork gets to the wardens key first,
but I take out all the Templar targets in
the massive crowd, using eagle vision
to proceed to Paton. The crowds are
mesmerizing; the world feels more
alive and denser than previous games.
Couples hold hands, arguments occur,
and fights break out. Ubisoft says it can
have up to 30,000 people in a crowd.
These large gatherings are meant to be
both an obstacle and opportunity, but in
the case of this co-op mission, I cant
let myself get too caught up in them
since Im working against the clock. The
more time you take, the more people are
executed. We dont act quickly enough
to prevent the first casualty, but theres
still time to save Paton, and saving him
gains the Assassins an ally.
As we search for Paton, we pass a
cemetery, a landmark called Place des
Innocents. The cemetery is overflowing
with bones heaped in piles. A central

building in the cemetery is overflowing
with skulls in the attic. Historically, all the
decaying bodies caused such a health
hazard in Paris that it led to the creation
of The Catacombs of Paris, a network
of underground tunnels and caverns
that house the remains of millions of
people. Although the game predates
the catacombs by two years, Ubisoft is
including them to provide more stealth
opportunities to get around. Spotting
these amazing structures is part of the
fun. After we save Paton, were free to
explore together in the same session.
We make a side stop in the Notre-Dame
Cathedral, and the detail and scope of
the building leaves us in awe. Seeing
it is one thing, but trying to climb it
is another.
sticking the landing
Unity is full of promise; a blueprint for
a new breed of Assassins Creed for
this generation. But for Ubisoft, this
game is merely the starting point for its
new-gen ambitions. We want to focus
ful Renaissance architecture of Rome,

were enjoying the trips back in history.
Soon enough, well be exploring Paris in
Ubisofts biggest affair yet.
on unifying the franchise and make sure

that we continue to propose to fans
and players in general really entertaining experiences that all fit within our
universe, says brand content manager
Jean Guesdon.
Only Ubisoft knows where the story
takes us next. All we know is that from
the pirate-infested seas of the vibrant
18th Century Caribbean to the beauti-
Visit gameinformer.com/ac for a month of bonus

coverage including developer interviews, proles on
Arno and Elise, and insight into the new phantom
blade weapon
Present D ay S tarting A new

With Desmonds story over, Ubisoft took the present day setting in a very different direction for Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag. Unity is staying on a similar path; the present day is the start of a new cycle. Were at a good point
where we need to start anew without erasing anything thats happened,
thats all part of the mythology, thats canon, says creative director Alex
Amancio. While Ubisoft is keeping mum about the present-day plot, Amancio
did tease that it would coincide with the new generation of consoles. Our
players already read about this stuff and live Assassins Creed as if it was
part of reality, he says. We just want to give them a chance to do it more,
to cosplay better, so we decided to make players the main protagonists for
the story.
While Black Flag let you play as yourself as an Abstergo employee, Unity
takes it one step further by removing the middleman. Were removing that
Abstergo layer and you are the protagonist ultimately, Amancio says.
You still have a reason to go in and discover Arnos memories, but its ultimately you helping the Assassins. The present day is what gels everything
together and the spread that allows limitless possibilities, Amancio says.
I think we just need to find its voice, and seriously I think what we did, I
strongly believe this is where it has to go, and it has to go even further with
other games.
Amancio doesnt want to spoil much more, but he claims the first 20 minutes of Unity gives you the entire gist of where theyre going. Those first 20
minutes are cool, and theyre very, very surprising, he says.
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Assassins Creed
58
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{{
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An Assassin turns Templar

as a chapter concludes
platform
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
style
1-Player Action
publisher
Ubisoft
developer
Ubisoft Sofia/Singapore
Montreal/Quebec/Bucharest
Chengdu/Milan
release
Fall
by Jeff Cork
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cover story 59
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By now, Assassins Creed players are intimately

familiar with the Order of the Assassins. The
clandestine organization has been waging a war
with the Templars for centuries, even though the
battlegrounds are often invisible and the victories arent accompanied by trumpet blasts. Fans
interested in learning more about the power
struggle from the other side have had tantalizing glimpses through various comics and other
side content, but the series has overwhelmingly
sided with the Assassins cause. Thats about to
change with Assassins Creed Rogue.
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For several years now, we were

always thinking about, Templars
Creed. What if we could tell that? asks
Jean Guesdon, brand content manager
for Assassins Creed at Ubisoft. We
always said, This story isnt black or
white, its more gray somewhere. Its
hard to convey that in a very subtle
manner sometimes. Still, its always
been at the core of our intentions to
make sure that Templars were not
depicted as just evil, sadistic beings.
Players get to see that firsthand in
Rogue, as they play as a new character named Shay Patrick Cormac. With
Rogue, Ubisoft wasnt satisfied with
dropping a Templar into the world,
giving players control, and calling it
good. The creators felt it was important
that Shay was a character that veterans
of the series would find sympathetic
at least at first. Shay isnt your ordinary
Templar. He used to be an Assassin.

Basically, Shay starts off as a brash
young man, says narrative designer
Richard Farrese. He doesnt really
take his role seriously as an Assassin,
not because he doesnt believe in the
cause, but because hes young and not
quite wise yet.
Shay has a lot of questions about
why the Order does what it does, and
his unease eventually comes to a head.
Youre going to play many missions as
an Assassin, Farrese says. Youll see
Shay grow as an Assassin as well, up
until a certain point in the game where
he says, This is wrong, and I have to do
something about it.
Farrese wouldnt say what that pivotal
moment entails, but a nasty scar that
snarls across his right eye points to it
being more than just emotional trauma.
Shay is willing to fight for his principals,
even though it means betraying his

former comrades. He becomes a hunter
of Assassins, tracking down and killing the people he once vowed to fight
beside. As youll soon learn from our
demo, the hunt works both ways.
Rogue is set between 1752 and
1761 a critically important time period
in history and within the series mythology. In reality, it was the time of The
Seven Years War, a global conflict that
pitted much of Europe against itself (see
War of the Worlds sidebar on page 63
for more). In the game, it spans the era
in which Haytham Kenway organizes
the Templars Colonial Rite and sets
up the near eradication of Assassins
in North America. The cool thing is
weve gone with something that actually ties everything together, Guesdon
says. Its not just an addition to it. With
Rogue youll have something that will
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tie perfectly to AC IV so in a chronological order, youll have a link between

AC IV, AC III, and Unity. Farrese says
theres an overt link between Rogue
and Unity, but that it happens near the
final moments of the game. The thing
is, if we say something theres the risk
of spoiling two games, Guesdon adds.
There is a tie-in.
Players in Rogue divvy up their time
between land and sea throughout
the Eastern part of North America.
On his ship, the Morrigan, Shay sails
the rivers and frigid seas around
Newfoundland and Labrador. New
York City returns, though Ubisoft says
its been redesigned to allow for faster
on-foot navigation. We didnt get to see
the blossoming Big Apple during our
demo, though we did check out Shays
impressive abilities during a gang liberation side mission.
cover story 61
The Rogue Warrior

Our demo begins as we approach the
Lac Eternal settlement from Shays
ship. Its 1754, and he has fully committed to the Templars side. The mission is to destroy the gangs poison
reserves, locate and kill the gangs
leader, and in one humiliating extra, cut
down and burn the gangs flag.
Shay strolls off the deck of his ship,
heading onto the dock and up the steps
to the settlement. On the far side, we
see a high-walled enclosure, but the
buildings in the immediate vicinity are
modest and rustic. Before moving too
far ahead, Shay uses a familiar trick to
scout the area. Eagle vision has been
enhanced, and now a compass ring
appears around your character, pointing
out objectives and turning red to indicate serious threats.
A cluster of guards is stationed near
the front of the settlement, so Shay
takes a more stealthy approach, climbing onto a roof and then transitioning
onto a nearby tree. From there we hear
whispers an audio cue from Assassins
Creeds multiplayer (Rogue itself is single-player only), and a sign that one of
the new stalker enemies is nearby. Shay
enters eagle vision again, and sees the
Assassin lurking in a bush directly below
him. Its a perfect time to use the rope
dart, and in one fluid motion he throws
it at the unsuspecting enemy and jumps
over a branch and onto the ground. The
would-be assassin is left hanging helplessly in the air by the deadly tether.
Shay is safe, at least for the time being.
As you continue going through the
world as a Templar, you are hunted
back by your former associates, the
Assassins, who can air assassinate you,
surprise you, and use cover, says Ivan
Balabanov, general manager and producer at Ubisoft Sofia, the main studio
behind the game, which also developed Assassins Creed Liberation and
helped develop Black Flag. Because of
this, we needed to enhance the general
feedback of the player in order to avoid
unnecessary frustrations by being totally
surprised at all points in time.
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Ship-to-ship combat is a big component of the game, and Shays status as a Templar gives him
a technical edge. New nautical tricks include a prototype machine gun, aming oil, and more
Shay continues to move through the

settlement from the right side, and one of
the poison barrels pops up on the objective marker. He takes cover in a nearby
shed. The barrels are being guarded by
a few uniformed thugs. Shay may have
moved to the other side, but his desire
to stay in the shadows is tough to shake.
Fortunately, he has access to a new
high-tech weapon. Being a Templar has
its privileges.
The Assassins are industrious and

clever, but the Templars have traditionally had deeper pockets. In Rogue, that
means players have access to sophisticated new gear. Balabanov insists that
the items existed during the games time
period, whether as prototypes or as
items that were deployed but were often
prohibitively expensive.
Shays air rifle is a great example.
He pulls out the weapon and silently
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launches a firecracker round. The multipurpose projectile can be used to

attract attention or, in this case, puncture wooden casks of poison gas. A
cloud emanates from the barrels, along
with a helpful red-ring indicator to visually help players know if theyre out of
harms way. Just in case, Shay can pull a
bandana over his face as a primitive gas
mask to prevent being harmed.
Sensing something out of the ordinary, a handful of guards lurk around to
inspect the scene. Shay attacks them,
but hes quickly in trouble. He uses a
smoke grenade to temporarily stun the
enemies, and takes them out, completing a three-kill chain Abstergo challenge
in the process.
Shay approaches the walls of the fortified part of the settlement, which is
where the other objectives are. A few
other guards mill around the second
gas barrel, and Shay uses another new
weapon, the grenade launcher. Think
of this as a less subtle blowgun, with
primitive missiles that unleash shrapnel,
sleeping gas, or berserker gas. Shay
opts for the first option effective, but
also quite attention grabbing. A few fall
immediately, but they werent alone;
he is in gang territory, after all. Shay
leaves cover to take out a straggler
with a stylish pistol shot before rushing another, sword first. One gangster
remains, and Shay parries a few sword
thrusts. The encounter ends with Shay
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War O f T he Worlds
The Seven Years War serves as Assassins Creed Rogues backdrop. It was one of the first truly
global wars, fought in North and Central America, Europe, India, the Philippines, and West Africa.
Historians estimate that as many as 1.4 million people lost their lives in the war, which lasted
between 1756 to 1763.
In the United States, we often refer to it as the French and Indian War, which is a reference to
Englands enemies on that front the French and various Native American tribes that aligned with
it. The fighting in North America doesnt align precisely to the Seven Years War timeline. Here, it
began in 1754 and ended in 1760. The war was used as the basis for creative works like James
Fenimore Coopers novel The Last of the Mohicans.
In North America, it was largely a war over trade and territory. The French and British both
sought to expand their presence on the continent, which had a booming fur trade. Tensions
between the nations escalated following a series of incursions and territorial claims on both
sides, but the first real act of war didnt occur until 1754, when George Washington (a 21-year-old
major at the time) and his colonial troops confronted French troops in what is now Pittsburgh. A
French officer was among those killed in the ensuing battle, which set up the larger war.
The British were ultimately victorious, acquiring New France, which included lands that we now
know as Michigan, Minnesota, and Quebec. That victory came at a price, however, nearly bankrupting the British in the process. As Jean Guesdon, brand content manager for Assassins Creed
at Ubisoft, points out, the war directly set the stage for the war for American Independence, which
in turn inspired the French Revolution.
As you hunt Assassins, youll also nd yourself being hunted. Enemies use many
of the tools players are familiar with, such as smoke bombs and hidden blades
spinning his opponent around and doing

a behind-the-back stab.
A nearby pulley provides a speedy way
up the wall, and within seconds Shay
has a great overview of the gangs main
force. Entering eagle vision again, he
spies loads of gang members, but none
that have the captains telltale indicator.
Its no loss, since the ones he did see
will now be visible through walls.
Moving along the wall, Shay spies
another pile of poison barrels. Its not
being guarded, but several gang members are in the area, including one whos
tormenting some prisoners. Shay loads
up a sleep grenade and fires it into the
area. The larger group is quickly knocked
out, and Shay takes out a straggler with
an air assassination. He destroys the

final batch of poison manually.
The gangs flag is nearby an orange
banner with an emblem of three stars
and a dagger-wielding fist but thats
best left until last, especially since its
near the captain. These high-level thugs
are as skittish as they are deadly. If they
sense that theyre in danger, they take a
potshot before attempting to hide again.
Shay heads up a tree and onto another
rooftop to try to see the captain first.
Hes too slow, unfortunately; Shay sees
a quick alert, before a splash of blood
hits his arm.
Hearing whispers, Shay turns eagle
vision on again. From the vantage point
on the roof, he can see a would-be
assailant hiding in a haystack. You cant

blame him for trying whats always been
an effective strategy. Careless players
might find themselves on the pointy end
of an assassins blade, but its not going
to happen this time. Shay sees the captain nearby, and uses another rope dart
to sling the assassin up before attacking the captain. The leader, a thug in a
tricorn hat and striped pants, is tougher
than other enemies, but his skillful parries and attacks are of no use. Hes run
through with Shays sword, and the
Templar moves on to claim his final
prize. He cuts the banner down and puts
it in a nearby brazier to destroy it forever.
The settlement is now under Templar
control. In a traditional Assassins
Creed game, you might consider these
people free. Thats where Rogue differs,
at least in the abstract. The Templar
philosophy is about essentially creating a golden cage within which every
single human being can live comfortably within the confines of this limited
frame, Balabanov says. In other
words, its a part of the Templar mission
in general to improve the lives of the
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people around them.

I think thats one of the exciting
things about playing a Templar, Farrese
adds, in that youre experiencing all of
that from the other side. Now youre
part of the order, and you fight against
the chaos that the Assassins bring.
That reversal manifests itself in
gameplay, too. One of my favorite
activities of AC Rogue is what were
calling the Assassin Interception, says
Ubisoft Singapore producer Karl van
der Luhe. As you know from previous
AC games, you go to a pigeon coop
and get an Assassin contract. What
would a Templar see from that perspective? We had a lot of fun at the start
of the game saying, What would the
Templar see from all of these things that
youre used to doing as an Assassin?
This, for me, is one of my favorites.
Traditionally, players get their contracts
and then pursue their targets. What if
the Templar finds that pigeon? What if
he knows who the target is and wants
to stop the Assassin? Thats a question
that weve answered with gameplay in
Assassins Creed Rogue.
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This is the most recent in a long line of Shays backstabs
ice pirates
Ubisoft is painting Shay with as broad
a brush as it can, but we do know that
the character starts off with his sea legs.
He has his ship, the Morrigan, from the
start, and hes an accomplished seaman.
Its smaller than Edward Kenways ship,
the Jackdaw, since he has to navigate
through rivers and other narrow channels, and avoid the calving of nearby
glaciers. We see how he fares in a
naval-based demo.
This brief voyage begins in the North
Atlantic, with a fleet of ships visible in the

frigid seas ahead. Shay pulls out his spyglass, and we see theyre sailing under
the French banner. As a Templar, they
may as well be targets. Even though
there are five ships, you almost feel sorry
for them.
Shay sets course directly at them,
softening his targets with mortar fire
and then ramming the one closest while
firing a barrage from his front-facing
carronades. The rest of the battle may
feel familiar to Black Flag players, with
cannon fire, explosions, and on-the-fly

looting of fallen ships. There are, however, a few new tricks. Once again,
theres a distinct advantage to being on
this side of the Templar coin.
His ship is equipped with Puckle guns,
prototypical machine guns that tear
enemy ships to splinters in seconds.
Shays crew can also drop and ignite
trails of burning oil, which can be used to
keep ships from following or risk being
set alight. The seas are filled with their
own hazards, too: icebergs. These can
damage your ship if you arent paying
attention (theres a reason the carronades are so important). They also have
a strategic role in combat. You can
use them as cover, Van der Luhe says.
If you see the red lines of the enemy
ship thats about to fire, you can sneak
A chilles H eel ?
Ubisoft is guarding many of Rogues story details, but thanks to the time period
we can make a few educated guesses about some potential key moments. One
in particular holds promise.
In Assassins Creed III, players were introduced to Achilles Davenport. The
former leader of the Colonial branch of Assassins lived an isolated life following the loss of his family in 1755 and the destruction of most of his order eight
years later. He mentored the games protagonist, Connor, into becoming an
Assassin reluctantly at first, in part because doing so violated an agreement
he made with the Templars prior to abandoning his role. He also had an undercurrent of sadness and disappointment that was difficult to ignore.
The developers wouldnt provide confirmation, but Rogues timeline fits
neatly into the period preceding the Assassins decline and Davenports disillusionment. Is it possible that Rogues antihero, Shay Cormac, could have been
the Anakin Skywalker to Davenports Obi-Wan Kenobi? The dates line up and
it could also provide specificity to why Achilles hesitated so much in taking
Connor under his wing. Did he train Shay before the character turned Templar?
And if thats the case, has he forgiven himself?
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behind an iceberg at that moment and

you wouldnt have to brace, so you can
charge up your next cannon shot and
have the iceberg take the hit for you.
When you destroy an iceberg, it forms a
ripple wave. That can disrupt an enemy
ship for just a moment, so that can also
be part of your strategy.
With those ships out of the way, Shay
moves to investigate the wreck of the
Sapphire. It requires smashing through
a thick sheet of ice (a ship upgrade that
will presumably act as a gating mechanism to players as they progress).
Looking ahead, it seems that the French
are aware of his latest antics.
Several brown-sailed ships approach
quickly, with a single purpose: to ram the
Morrigan. Shay attacks, but not effectively enough. In seconds, we see what
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its like to experience a boarding mission

from the other perspective. Shays deck
is overrun with the other crew, and he
has to defeat five of these scallywags
and their captain before they take out
too many of his own crew. The captain
is clad in a brown cloak, complete with
an Assassin-like cowl. He falls, too, and
Shay faces the same options Edward
Kenway did in Black Flag: loot the ship,
send it to the fleet, or salvage it. He
decides to give the ship to a beaming
crew member, and the ship is added
to his fleet. As in Black Flag, players
can use these salvaged ships to conquer trade routes and generate income
and unlockables, though it now spans
the world.
Shay continues toward the shipwreck,
choosing to ignore a prisoner of war
escort mission but pausing to hunt a
narwhal. The hunt is similar to those in
Black Flag, though Shay wisely refrains
from peeling layers of clothing off. He
also has to steer his boat away from
chunks of ice.
The frosty climate means that one of
Black Flags mission types is a no-go,
but theyve been replaced with on-foot

exploration. It would be unrealistic to
have diving, so weve even gone a step
further, Van der Luhe explains. When
you go in the water, youll see your
screen freezing up and your health bar
going down, so you cant just go for a
lengthy casual swim like you could in
the Caribbean.
Shay approaches the wrecked
Sapphire, which contains a valuable
treasure: a piece of Templar armor. To
get it, Shay needs to find hidden keys,
as well as manage to scale through the
The aurora borealis may not the the most interesting thing
in Rogues skies; Halleys Comet passed by Earth in 1759
Shays air rie and grenade launcher are fantastic weapons,

whether theyre used to create diversions or pure chaos
icebound ruins themselves. The flotsam from the wreck has arranged itself
into an environmental puzzle, similar
to Assassin Tomb missions from previous games. As he hops from post to
post, we see several great auks dive
into the sea. These penguin-like birds
were hunted into extinction in the
mid-19th century.
As he works his way up, we see a
polar bear pawing around an ice cave.
Hunting will have to wait, as Shay finally
reaches the bow of the ship, which has
been raised high above the rest of the
sea. From this vantage point, we can see
Shays ship in the distance, as well as a
spectacular view of the northern lights.
closing a chapter
In a way, Ubisoft sees Rogue as closing a loose trilogy within the series.
Ezios tale was told in Assassins Creed
II, Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, and
Assassins Creed: Revelations. Though
its nestled between them chronologically, Rogue completes the story of
Haytham Kenway and the New World
that began in Assassins Creed IV: Black
Flag and Assassins Creed III.
Three is a good rhythm, Guesdon
says. For those who have the previous
games, it would make sense to have the
three games as a whole.
Haytham and Shay are clearly on
friendly terms. Kenway was on the
deck of Shays ship during the demo,
and while he didnt disembark to join
the action, he more than likely had
a keen grasp of what was going on.
Manipulation is an integral part of the
Templar cause, after all.
The time period and setting is ripe
for a good story, but it holds a special
place in Assassins Creed lore. It should
be illuminating to learn more about
these huge power shifts between the
Assassins and Templars, where what
we know as the good guys were swatted down at least for a while. And, of
course, well be seeing things from the
dark side. Ubisoft says those boundaries arent so clear, however, especially
where Shay is concerned.
Shay does things for the right reasons, or at least he thinks so, Farrese
says. Ill let you be the judge of that. \
Be sure to head to gameinformer.com/ac for more
information on the new Assassins Creed games,
including video interviews with Rogues lead writer
and the series creative director, a look at ACs evolving
tech, and more
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Destiny
Bungies beta offers new galactic insight
ungie is doing all it can to ensure that

its cooperative/competitive online
first-person shooter, Destiny, is fully
operational when it hits this fall. Following up
on the playable alpha build, the online beta
offers us a deeper look into the games intro,
leveling system, and cross-gen fidelity.
Platform
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Style
Online Multiplayer Shooter
Publisher
Becoming A Stronger Guardian
Progression caps off at level eight in the
beta build of Destiny. By the time you reach
that level, you gain access to supercharged
attacks, like a leaping smash or flaming pistol
rounds. You also receive enhancements to
vertical mobility, like a loftier double jump
or increased hover mobility. I continued
playing well after reaching level eight, and
was happily surprised by how many subclass upgrades I continued to accrue. As a
Warlock, my grenades became deadlier, with
glowing shrapnel that hones in on enemies.
I also unlocked handy gear upgrades like
decreased cooldown on my melee strike and
the ability to carry more ammo. These consistent enhancements, along with the steady
drip-feed of better gear, kept me invested in
the path of the character. The most agonizing
part is staring at all the powerful gear waiting
for me past the betas level cap.
Bungie's iron-sight aiming feels incredible
Activision
Developer
Bungie
Release
September 9
Introducing The New Solar System

The beta offers a glimpse at the beginning
of Destiny. A group of astronauts from our
time land on Mars, traversing the red terrain
to get a better look at a gigantic, moon-sized
sphere that fills the horizon. This sphere, the
Traveler, is a mystical interstellar being that
has graced humanity with the knowledge to
master space travel. However, the evils of the
universe followed the Traveler to the Milky
Way, setting the stage for battles with the
Fallen and Hive enemies. The action kicks
off far into the future, as a small flying robot
resuscitates your freshly created character
for an adventure in Old Russia. Beyond this
intro, storytelling is sparse in the beta. Were
hoping Bungie lives up its reputation for
interesting interstitial scenes to offer greater
context to all the fun.
A Warlock launches a devastating void grenade into a group of enemies
How Does Last-Gen Hardware Stack Up?

The Destiny beta offers us a first look into
how the ambitious game runs on last generation hardware. The PlayStation 3 and
PlayStation 4 versions both look remarkably
similar. The core of the game seems identical
for each, down to the pitch-perfect gunplay,
huge sprawling environments, and fluid animations. However, at this point the PS3 beta
build looks like someone smeared a thin layer
of Vaseline over your screen. On top of the
blurry appearance, the terrain of Old Russia
is noticeably missing texture detail and flora
pop-up is common when speeding along on
your personal jet bike. The PS4s crisp visuals
make it the obvious bet, but if youre holding
off on new-gen consoles you may want to
consider picking it up on last-gen hardware.
Just keep in mind that Bungie isnt supporting cross-generation multiplayer, in case you
were hoping to play with friends. Tim Turi
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Dragon
Age: Inquisition
A dance with dragons (and mages and Templars)
Platform
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
PlayStation 3
8BOXs0#
Style
1-Player Action/
Role-Playing
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Developer
BioWare
Release
November 18
68
f youve followed our coverage of Dragon

Age: Inquisition (beginning with our huge
cover blowout in issue 245), you know
about the changes BioWare has made to the
series. After stumbling with Dragon Age IIs
confined world and more aggressive action,
some fans expressed concern about the
series direction. After over an hour of handson time, it feels like the studio is hitting its
stride with an experience that borrows the
best of both previous titles.
Our adventure starts in The Hinterlands, one
of Inquisitions many zones, which is larger
than all of the playable space in Dragon Age:
Origins combined. Our Inquisitor is a female
Qunari mage, with a variety of spells from a
number of magical schools. Alongside her are
Sera, an archery-focused elf rogue; Iron Bull,
a hulking warrior; and Vivienne, a fellow mage
and former leader of the Circle.
Exploring The Hinterlands exposes greater
freedom than weve ever had in a Dragon
Age game. Creative director Mike Laidlaw
describes it as multi-region open world. Its
not quite the fully connected outdoor expanse
of a game like Skyrim, but rather offers massive zones similar to an MMO.
The world is dynamic, and culling wildlife
and foes diminishes their presence. After

a time, plants will grow back, animals
will return, and bandits will re-establish
their footholds. You wont be able to fully
clear an area, which is good news for avid
crafters (and those with a penchant for
thwarting highwaymen).
One of the most notable changes in Dragon
Age: Inquisition is a revamped combat system
that balances the strategic aspects of Dragon
Age: Origins with the responsive action of its
sequel. When tactical mode is toggled on, you
have full control of the camera in three dimensions to position your team and queue up
abilities. BioWare has added another control
element that provides even deeper manipulation of the battlefield.
Pressing the right trigger slowly advances
the battle in what Laidlaw calls engage
mode. This is supremely useful for timing
cross-class combos. For example, using
Blizzard could freeze enemies in the target
zone. Winding the clock ahead just a bit
allows you to see the results of your actions
with less chaos than unfettered real-time
battle, for a more satisfying feel of control.
The advantage became obvious when we
realized we could hold Viviennes Stone Fist
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spell or Iron Bulls Massive Blow for a split

second to more precisely target and time
them against frozen foes for bonus shatter damage. The visual effects are impressive, especially the aforementioned Blizzard
spell, which sees snow rapidly swirling
and covering the ground as dark clouds
gather overhead.
The ground catches fire, enemies become
encased in ice (and eventually crumble
with a death blow), and arrows and spells
bounce off of huge shields. More than ever,
Dragon Ages combat feels alive and logical
thanks to improved animations and smart
design choices.
All of this came into play while encountering
groups of warring mages and Templars (and
drew the ire of both factions). Using the terrain to our advantage and herding foes into
carefully placed flame walls let us stay in control of the battle and rout the opposing forces
in a most satisfying way.
Things werent nearly as easy when we
encountered an enormous Ferelden Frostback
dragon. This hulking beast set fire to the
ground from the sky, slashed with its claws,
and flapped its massive wings to knock us off
our feet. Targeting its feet and tail provided an
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advantage, as the beast was staggered and

wounded. The pace is quicker than dragon
battles in Dragon Age: Origins, but the winged
beast we fought wasnt any less terrifying.
Combat isnt the only place improvements
and changes appear. Character interactions
have also been tweaked to better fit with
Inquisitions more flexible open world. In
previous BioWare games, encountering certain NPCs triggered cutscenes during which
you would be offered dialogue options and
quests. Now, you have the option to speak
with most characters, who will attempt to flag
you down when youre near.
When close to someone who wishes to
speak with you, a semi-transparent dialogue
wheel appears at the bottom of the screen.
You can choose to engage by clicking the
right thumbstick or simply pass them by.
If you do choose to pay attention, you can
still back out before choosing a response by
clicking the thumbstick again. Once you begin
to converse, things play out in traditional
BioWare fashion.
Should you find yourself tasked with retrieving a lost item, it wont be quite as easy as
following a quest marker and looking for
something shiny on the ground. No longer do
you see the shimmer of lootable objects as

you wander. Instead, you need to search a
location by pressing the right thumbstick to
ping the immediate area. This makes items,
corpses, and crafting components such as
plants and ore appear.
Recipes you find have uses throughout the
game, with better results from higher-grade
ingredients. For instance, an armor recipe
can use basic leather (from bears and other
common animals), but you get better results
later in the game from using drakeskin. All
crafting happens at an Inquisition camp,
which means you wont be taking a break to
mix potions while demons are bearing down
on you. Party members can once again be
fully outfitted with armor (instead of the more
streamlined approach of Dragon Age II),
which means you will have use for the gear
you find but cant equip on your Inquisitor.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is taking the series
in exciting directions by capturing what fans
loved about Origins and the improvements
found in the sequel, while abandoning the
elements players rejected. Weve still only
scratched the surface, and there is more to
learn about the Inquisitor, the world, and the
perils facing Thedas. Michael Futter
Whether warrior or mage, the Inquisitor

will rally his (or her) forces to save Thedas
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WorldMags.net
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Meet your team of miscreants
Platform
PlayStation 3
8BOXs0#
Style
1-Player Shooter
(4-Player Online)
Publisher
2K Games
Developer
Gearbox, 2K Australia
Release
October 14
70
orderlands games are loved by fans

for their sharp writing, excessive loot,
and extensive replay value. The latter
is derived in large part from a colorful cast
of characters offering different play styles
and flexibility for solo excursions and group
play. We had the chance to take three of
Handsome Jacks team members out for a
spin on the surface of Pandoras moon.
Since The Pre-Sequel is running on the
Borderlands 2 engine, the skill tree layouts are
familiar. At the bottom of each, a capstone
ability ties together the already synergistic
skills in each group. Some of those trees culminate in a skill that modifies the characters
active ability, but at least one is more about
personality (and creating combat opportunities
in new ways).
Athena the Gladiator uses her shield in
battle, and her active ability allows it to gather
incoming fire (increasing its potential damage)
before being thrown toward an enemy. Her
Phalanx skill tree makes the most of this, with
abilities allowing her to gather friendly fire
damage, store and deal out absorbed elemental damage, and ricochet among up to four
enemies. Phalanx is a great co-op tanking
tree, especially since Athena can use it to automatically help allies up from a downed state.
For solo players, the Ceraunic Storm tree

is a better fit. Most of the skills capitalize on
Athena dealing shock and fire damage to
enemies to earn Maelstrom stacks. These
build up rapidly, but deteriorate over time (and
faster, the more you have). As you earn more,
youll deal more elemental damage, earn a
portion of your shields back, and increase
your swap and fire speeds. At the bottom of
the tree, you can unlock a skill that capitalizes on the zero-gravity slam (activated while
crouching in mid-air).
For those who want to mix melee into their
mayhem, the Xiphos tree ups gun damage
while adding a nifty bleeding effect to your
sword attacks. Further down the line, enemies
start exploding if they die while bleeding, youre
faster with your guns when your enemies are
spilling out on the dusty surface of the moon,
and your butt slam causes a black hole. The
capstone ability lets you chain together powerful melee strikes, with the cooldown timer reset
every time one inflicts a bleed or kills a foe.
If Athena is your co-op tank, then Wilhelm is
your support. His active ability summons two
aerial drones: Wolf and Saint. Wolf is a searchand-destroy drone, while Saint hangs back to
buff and heal Wilhelm and the party.
The Dreadnaught tree is the go-to for co-op
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support, as it infuses Saint with the ability to

overcharge teammates, heal them, increase
their shields, and protect them from elemental
damage. The Hunter-Killer line is all about
getting Wolf and Saint into the fight faster and
dealing more damage with the attack drone,
culminating in an upgrade that gives Wolf missiles in addition to its guns.
Those who played Borderlands 2 should
remember Wilhelm as a largely robotic boss
character. His Cyber Commando tree sets
him on the path to a cyborg lifestyle. Along
the way, you earn skills that replace Wilhelms
arm (and give him a powerful punch) and legs
(to enable shooting while sprinting). These
great visual effects come along with a cool
change to his voice, making him less human
as you progress.
The capstone skill in this tree is my favortite
so far, especially since I usually find myself
running headlong into combat. When
Wilhelms shields are empty, he gains access
to a shoulder-mounted cannon for a limited
time. Brash players will want to think seriously
about Cyber Commando.
Nisha the Lawbringer rounds out our
deep dive into (most of) the playable cast
of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Her active
ability, Showdown, auto-targets enemies and
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bestows increased gun damage, fire rate,

reload speed, accuracy, and bullet speed. All
of her trees are focused on hot lead, but with
great variation among them.
Riflewoman is your typical first-person
shooter run-n-gun tree, with upgrades that
boost non-elemental weapon damage, fire
rate, reload speed, and hip firing. She can
also unlock the ability to ricochet bullets off
walls, and The Unforgiven capstone skill not
only sends bullets from one enemy to the
next, but causes every hit target to explode
when it expires.
The Fan the Hammer skill tree is all about
killing faster and faster with each felled
enemy, stealing bullets to minimize reloading,
and doubling up your pistol with a duplicate
thanks to the One for Each of Ya capstone.
This version of Nisha is a speed demon with
explosive shots unlocked halfway down
the tree.
Nishas most interesting skillset is her
lawman-inspired Law and Order group. This
mixes her whip melee attack into things a bit
more, with the capstone Thunder Crackdown
dealing shock damage in a wide area. Most of
the abilities in this tree are based on stacks of
Order, which is earned by taking damage,
dealing butt slam damage, and killing (or
having an ally kill) an enemy.
Order stacks translate into instant healing, increased speed and damage, and more
powerful Thunder Crackdown melee assaults.
Law and Order pushes Nisha into the fray with
a tankier build that benefits from taking on
larger groups of enemies.
After playing with all three, the character
variations are clearly the reason to play
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. The combat
doesnt vary much from previous entries
(even with the new laser and cryo weapons).
The Oz kits limit your time out of oxygenated
environments, and are a bit more limiting
than I would like. I found myself standing just
inside doorways to replenish my air, breaking
up the action when I just wanted to continue
the fight.
The Aussie humor works, and one character
I met threw out so many culturally foreign
terms that I couldnt help but laugh. The
writing is as punchy as ever, and the partnership between Gearbox and 2K Australia is
paying off. I dont expect The Pre-Sequel
will woo many new fans, but for those that
have poured countless hours into the first
two Borderlands, it will be worth looking into,
even in a crowded holiday release season.
Michael Futter
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WorldMags.net
Skylanders
Trap Team
Its good to be bad
Platform
PlayStation 4
8BOX/NEs7II5
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
7IIs$3
Style
1 or 2-Player Action
Publisher
Activision
Developer
Toys for Bob
Release
October 5
72
or its fourth outing, Skylanders is back

with series creator Toys for Bob. Since
its inception in 2011, the original cast of
characters has grown into an enormous family
with a new gimmick each year.
After pioneering the toys to life genre,
Activision added bigger figures for Skylanders
Giants in 2012. Last year brought a host of
new characters that could be taken apart and
reconfigured with any of the other Swap Force
type figures.
This years conceit, the overlarge Trap
Master figures and their huge traptanium
weapons, tie in with the new story and portal
accessory. At the start of the game, perennial
villain Kaos breaks a host of baddies out of
Cloudcracker prison, where the titular Trap
Team is stationed. Its up to the Skylanders
from across all four titles to capture and reform
the escaped menaces.
Our hands-on opportunity takes us through
the tutorial level, which includes simple block
puzzles and an introduction to two of the
40-plus villains that can be captured, trapped in
crystals, and then summoned into battle at the
press of a button. Each crystal can hold a single
prisoner, but their contents can be swapped out
for any of the characters youve converted.
Wanted villains come in a variety of sizes.
Our first encounter is with Sheep Creep,
a deceptive criminal who hides two large
guns under his fluffy coat. Once defeated by
one of the Trap Masters, putting a crystal of
the Life element (villains have elements just
like Skylanders) in the portal sucks him in
and makes him available to be swapped in

during battle.
After they are trapped, the speaker on the
new portal delivers lines from the captive in
time with lighting that makes the crystals pulse
with life. Each of the villains can be called in for
a limited time, and each has distinctive moves.
Sheep Creeps cannons are at your disposal,
and he can also damage enemies with a
wool explosion.
The trapped villains offer fun play diversity,
but also help cut down on one of Skylanders
ongoing problems: It takes time to switch
figures and wait as they handshake with the
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portal. By pairing a ranged villain with a melee

Skylander, players can spend more time in
combat and less time waiting for characters to
pop in and out. Calling in a villain is instantaneous and works great.
The second villain, The Gulper, looms over
the entire stage. Rather than combat him
directly, our conquest of this enormous, sodadrinking slug is part of the level and requires
puzzle solving. It was a brief taste of whats
to come this fall, but the new mechanics and
clever trapping mechanic put a new twist on
a series that is no longer the scrappy new kid.
Michael Futter
A rock-and-roll werewolf? Sure, why not?
WorldMags.net
Introducing Gearshift
Gearshift slices, dices, and shoots gears from a distance
Gearshift introduces a
brand-new mechanic to the
Skylanders series. She has
three different gears she
can cycle through, each of
which puts her large hula
hoop-like cog to good use.
In her default mode,
Gearshift hits the enemies
around her as she spins
her huge traptanium gear.
Her second mode splits
the cog into two swords,
for directed melee strikes
against enemies.
Her third gear recombines
the two halves into a curved
construct. While swirling
around her, Gearshift can
shoot projectiles. These three
modes make her one of the
most versatile Skylanders yet
and a true joy to play with.
Now we just need another Viva Piata game!
Introducing Gusto
Gusto is an air elemental
Trap Master, who carries a
large boomerang that can be
used as a club or a projectile.
When upgraded, his
boomerangs return to dance
around him and protect him
from danger.
Gusto also has a powerful
set of lungs, and can damage
enemies by forcefully sucking
in the air around them. Then,
he can deal more damage
by ejecting the wind hes
stored up.
When surrounded, Gusto
can spin his boomerang
around to do damage in a
wide radius. He might not be
the most agile of Skylanders,
but Gusto packs a wallop.
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WorldMags.net
Hyrule Warriors
Dynasty Warriors meets Legend of Zelda this summer
Platform
Wii U
Style
1 or 2-Player Action
Publisher
Nintendo
Developer
Koei Tecmo
Release
September 26
74
f youre a fan of Dynasty Warriors and The

Legend of Zelda, then Hyrule Warriors is
probably your most anticipated game of
2014. Heroes, allies, enemies, and locations from several different titles in the Zelda
series fill the game. Players slash down
enemy hordes as Link, Zelda, Midna, Sheik,
and others with outrageous attacks and
exaggerated side weapons like massive
bombs. Even though The Legend of Zelda is
at the core of the game, it wont include the
Z word in the title.
The essence of the gameplay is different
from the Zelda franchise, so were deliberately
not using the Legend of Zelda title, says
series producer Eiji Aonuma. Its a similar
approach to the one we took to the previously
released Links Crossbow Training.
The story begins with a sorceress named
Cia opening portals to alternate dimensions.
This is an original world, one where the
events of previous games are passed on as
legends, and now it features time rifts that are
partially connected to the worlds of Ocarina of
Time, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword,
says Koei Tecmo producer Yosuke Hayashi.
Cia is summoning monsters into these alternate dimensions in an attempt to revive the
evil one, and Link and the other heroes are
trying to stop her. Basically, the story features
the characters of each world teaming up as
you run into them in order to save the world
from destruction.
The main story is told in Legend Mode.
Stages, or scenarios, last around half an
hour, with several battles and objectives
sprinkled around a large recognizable map
like Hyrule Field or the Palace of Twilight.
Players can burn through the campaign or
replay scenarios with alternate characters and

weapons to unlock collectibles like heart containers and Gold Skulltulas.
Adventure Mode levels go much faster and
include more variety. Earning high marks on
these challenges unlocks new characters and
weapons. The best part? It all takes place in
the world from the first Legend of Zelda game
(see sidebar).
Powering up Link and company works more
like the Warriors games than a traditional
Zelda title. Characters level up by slaying
enemies, earning more hearts and attack
power, and the Shop Mall allows more custom
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upgrades. The Training Ground allows you to

level up by paying rupees instead of defeating foes, Hayashi says. The Badge Shop
is where you use rupees and material items
to create badges that give you bonuses like
additional weapons/combo flows, a higher
number of special attacks, and so on. The
Junk Shop allows you to change the skills
associated with your weapons. Weapons
may also be dropped by defeated enemies
during battle, each with different skills and
attack strengths.
In a previous interview with Game Informer,
Hayashi said the team incorporated some
Zelda battles a giant Manhandla
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Ganondorf is one of several playable villians
ideas from fans excited by the initial reveal

of the game back in December. At the time,
he declined to offer specifics, but now
hes ready to talk. For one, we now have
Cuccos in the game, Hayashi says. They
will appear during battle, and youll have to
play the game for yourself to see what will
happen. In addition, weve made characters
like Ghirahim and Zant playable. We originally
thought of them strictly as enemy characters,
but went this route in response to people who
wanted to try playing as them, too.
These arent the only playable villains in the
game; Nintendo is also allowing players to
control longtime series antagonist Ganondorf.
[He] fights while carrying a large sword with
both hands its a giant blade, one a normal
person could never even budge, Hayashi
says. He mows down enemies as he swings
it, his expression never changing. He can also
infuse the sword with lightning, which he can
then launch to send multiple enemies flying.
Fans of co-op should be pleased to know
that Hyrule Warriors includes an atypical
local setup. One person plays on the television while the other uses the screen on the
GamePad. The game doesnt support traditional online multiplayer, but there is still a
way to connect with friends. The Adventure
Mode features a Network Link feature,
Hayashi says. This allows you to add a Link
to your maps whose level is based on other
users play data. If you come to this Links aid
and fight alongside him, youll get access to
special bonuses.
If youre looking forward to this strange-yetintriguing mashup, the wait isnt much longer.
Hyrule Warriors launches in North America on
September 26. Bryan Vore
Adventure Mode
Adventure mode takes place on the entire overworld
map from the original NES Legend of Zelda. Each
piece of the grid represents a different challenge,
represented by various icons. Some of the map sections
allow players to zoom in and control 8-bit Link directly
as he searches for secret missions. Once you accept a
challenge, like defeating 300 enemies in 10 minutes,
you are transported to a standard battle screen.
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WorldMags.net
Madden NFL 15
Everyones looking to improve
Platform
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Style
1 to 4-Player Sports
(6-Player Online)
Publisher
EA Sports
Developer
EA Tiburon
Release
August 26
76
fine line exists between making things

simpler and simplifying too much.
Madden NFL 15 does a good job of the
former. Like a coach, EA Tiburon does its best
to put players in a good position to execute
via some new tools designed to make them
better players. In my hands-on time with
an early build, some of the additions made
a positive impact, even for a Madden vet
like me.
Madden 15 makes you a better football
player both on and off the field. Before you
start a game, you can go into the Skills Trainer
mode and learn fundamentals such as how to
recognize defensive coverages or understand
specific wide receiver route concepts. These
are conveyed in text/voiceover form as well as
through drills. The mode has also added The
Gauntlet a mash-up of drills and boss battles
that gives you five lives to see how long you
can endure the escalating difficulty.
These drills are also present in the new Game
Prep area of Connected Careers. Each week,
you get a set number of hours (depending
on how much time until your next game) to
run players of your choosing through drills or
study sessions designed to give them more
XP or a boost in the new confidence player
stat. Confidence also goes up and down from
week-to-week based on players performance
and how the team is doing, and can raise or
lower their key stats. In Game Prep its applied
automatically, but all of the benefits in this new

practice mode fluctuate depending on the individual player, your position coaches, and how
well you perform in drills.
When youre ready to dive into the game and
put your knowledge to the test, the new playcalling menus are a little overbearing at first,
but provide good information. I like to mix up
the new format with traditional formation-based
playcalling for the best of both worlds. The suggestions tab tells you what your opponent likes
to run in that down/distance, while the strategy
tab offers plays that work best against certain
defenses, as well as the average yards gained
or lost in your previous attempts. My strategy
is digesting that info, backing out to the formations menu, and calling like I always have in
Madden. I also like that the game shows what
play the defense just ran and the result so I
can keep that in mind for next time. It will be
interesting to see how the game compiles all
the data from you and the community moving
forward, and how well it synthesizes it in order
to give you an accurate picture of whats
going on.
Finally, before you snap the ball, a new radial
right analog menu lets you see player mismatches and your players individual strengths
and weaknesses. All of this pre-play info is a
lot to process before youre hit with a delay of
game penalty, but its worthwhile.
Defense also benefits from the playcalling
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and pre-play info. In addition, EA Tiburon has

added defensive linemen moves and a visual
tackling aid. You can jump the snap like in the
old NCAA games, and, once engaged with a
lineman, steer him left or right before attempting to shed him to tackle a runner or press the
face buttons for defensive-line moves (no more
right analog stick). When youre going in for
the tackle, you can press L2 to bring up the
tackle cone. This tells you where your player
is facing before you go in for the kill. Its useful
information, but it does not guarantee youll
make the tackle, which is good. Many of these
visual indicators can be toggled on or off, but I
like them.
Some of these additions classify as gameplay
aids, and even with them on you may effectively play the game the same, but some areas
of Madden 15 also feel different. Most noticeable is the passing game, which features more
imperfect balls thrown by quarterbacks, new
catching animations, and revamped total-control passing that lets you place the ball in more
spots. Hopefully the game also has improved
its pass blocking on the edge and second
level, the general A.I. awareness, and its interior
running game.
Madden 15 features a number of ways for
you to improve your game, and I hope Im up
to the challenge. Given the so-so performance
of last years title, theres room for everyone to
improve. Matthew Kato
WorldMags.net
Your kicking arc sways with the wind
One of The Gauntlet's boss battles
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WorldMags.net
Pro Evolution Soccer 2015

Pro Evos new-gen debut could rekindle old glories
Platform
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Style
1 to 7-Player Sports
(1 to 4-Player Xbox One)
(22-Player Online)
Publisher
Konami
Developer
PES Productions
Release
Fall
onami chose to stay on last-gen consoles

last year, letting rival FIFA get a head
start on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Regardless, Konami spent the time productively. PES 2014 used the FOX engine for the
first time, and the results were largely positive. Developer PES Productions hopes to
make this investment pay off when the series
debuts on the new systems this fall.
The franchise is going back to the fundamentals to give players the ability to create
opportunities. Control is key; keeping the ball
and beating opponents is less about the power
of skill moves and more about basic concepts

such as using space, dribbling ability, controlled touches, and changing pace. PES titles
historically have a complex range of controller
inputs including linked feints for skill moves
but its unknown if these are being streamlined
to facilitate 2015s focus on the importance
of control.
Off the ball, A.I. players will hopefully play
a better team game with runs, tactics, and
defensive marking that adjust at quick intervals to keep up with the action. In general,
Konami wants to extend its player ID feature
Hopefully the added player control will dovetail

nicely with the games new shooting system
78 previews
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to replicate the real-life abilities, looks, and

even the emotional state of licensed players.
The series has always relied on a plethora of
player stats, and if done accurately, this new
evolution of player representation could make
a visual and gameplay difference.
PES online component previously has been
barebones, but its a focus of this years title.
Optional microtransactions allow users to add
both players and managers to their online
Master League clubs. A necessary evil in these
transactions are agents (also in offline), who
voice player demands. These need to be met,
lest you have an unhappy player on your hands
who disrupts the rest of the club. Form is also
important to your success, and Konami plans
to push live updates (including transfers) for
some of its licensed teams and leagues.
I wasnt disappointed that the series didnt
immediately jump on to the new home consoles last year launch games can often be
rushed, after all. However, Konami and the
series need to seize this opportunity and
establish a firm presence on the new systems.
Part of this is establishing franchise building
blocks early to build off of in successive iterations whether thats rock-solid controls or
restoring features to the Master League career
mode that were left off of last years game. The
Pro Evolution/Winning Eleven series was at the
height of its form in the PS2 days, and it cant
afford to sit idle another console generation.
Matthew Kato
WorldMags.net
Soma
Horrors of the deep sea
ike Frictionals previous work, Amnesia:

The Dark Descent, Soma is a survival
horror adventure that is as much about
exploring environments thick with tension as
it is about running and hiding from mysterious creatures that can kill you in seconds.
This suspense is palpable in the new demo
we recently played.
While investigating the underwater research
facility called Pathos-2, the protagonist Simon
finds the majority of its staff either missing or dead. In a search for answers, Simon
hijacks an underwater recovery vehicle and
sets off for the mysterious site Theta mentioned in several of the researchers notes.
Unfortunately, a shock wave hits Simons sub,
disrupting its electronics and sending it on a
collision course with the bottom of the sea.
After a momentary tumble, Simon is
plunged into eerie silence. The lights in the
sub go out, and he cant find a way to turn the
power back on, leaving him trapped inside the
watery tomb. After a few moments of frantic
searching for a way out, a series of sparks
light up the front door as someone begins
cutting through the hull from the outside. The
subs door swings wide and Simon comes
face-to-face with a small robotic drone.
Simon thanks his rescue party before stepping out onto a dim seabed.
As players explore their environment, they
slowly piece together the narrative. For
example, as Simon explores the area surrounding his crash site, he finds another derelict recovery sub. Inside is the dead body of
a woman named Maggie. All of the personnel
on Pathos-2 have been outfitted with black
boxes that record the last 20 seconds of their
life. Simon taps into Maggies black box and
listens to her scream about a man named
Akers who she claims cant be trusted.
Maggies fit is followed by a series of short
gasps as she dies of oxygen deprivation.
A few nearby objects add to the mystery.

Maggies camera is filled with pictures of a
mysterious blue figure floating near her sub,
but most of them are distorted and difficult
to make out. A nearby radio has a record of
conversations between Maggie and a man
named Strasky that explain how she was sent
to retrieve Akers, but, after she left the facility,
some of the other researchers began arguing
over whether they should leave Akers quarantined from the rest of the staff. Maggies current state implies that Akers might not have
been fond of that idea.
Frictional says most of Somas puzzles
involve narrative and environmental exploration. For example, near the end of our demo,
Simon is trapped at the bottom of a sunken
ship. In one of the ships rooms Simon can
see an escape hatch and a ladder leading to the top of the ship. Unfortunately, a
cable runs through the wheel that lowers
the ladder, jamming it and preventing Simon

from escaping.
While pouring through the contents of a few
nearby rooms, it becomes obvious Simon
isnt alone in this sunken vessel. Through the
ships waterlogged hull, Simon hears the soft
screech of what sounds like an electronic
banshee. Simon eventually finds a cutting
torch he can use to slash the cable and lower
the ladder, but as he does, he alerts the ships
other inhabitant to his presence. As Simon
climbs up the ladder, he sees a blurry blue
figure out of the corner of his eye. Simon tries
to run and hide, but its too late; his pursuer
quickly catches up to him, and we catch only
a brief glimpse of the pale figure before the
screen goes black.
Simons hunt for answers is likely to get him
killed a lot, but that wont stop us from investigating what happened to the researchers on
Pathos-2. Ben Reeves
WorldMags.net
Platform
0LAY3TATIONs0#
Style
1-Player Adventure
Publisher
Frictional Games
Developer
Frictional Games
Release
2015
previews 79
WorldMags.net
Tales From The Borderlands

A case of he said, she said
Platform
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
0#sI/3
Style
1-Player Adventure
Publisher
Telltale Games
Developer
Telltale Games
Release
Summer
80 previews
hen Telltale announced it was working on an episodic adventure series

based on Gearboxs loot-obsessed
shooter series, Borderlands, we questioned
whether the screwball universe was conducive to meaningful, player-driven storytelling.
After a 40-minute demo that set up the main
characters and narrative arc for the season,
were still not convinced.
Tales From The Borderlands focuses on
two playable protagonists: Rhys, a Hyperion
data miner looking to make his way up the
corporate ladder, and Fiona, his shady friend/
rival who we still dont know much about.
In the first episode, the two characters take
turns retelling recent events to a third party,
which the player then plays through, crafting the direction of the story. This narrative
structure is perhaps the best thing Tales has
going for it, as it introduces the concept of
an unreliable narrator to the mix, allowing
the characters and by proxy the player to
embellish the story with larger-than-life antics.
Unfortunately, our demo features few of
these moments, and focuses primarily on
Rhys, a character with virtually no redeeming qualities. Rhys is smug, selfish, and
tries overly hard to be clever, but even with
Telltales standard multi-choice dialogue
options, he rarely has anything interesting or
funny to say. Rhys is determined to one-up
his smarmy boss, Hugo Vasquez, by buying
a vault key out from under him via a shady
dealer named August. Players learn about
the deal while overhearing a phone call in
Vasquezs office, then hacking his computer
with Rhys cybernetic eye while his boss
isnt looking. The simple interactions are
what weve come to expect from a Telltale
adventure game, but they feel slow and out

of place in the Borderlands universe, like a
Star Wars film that focuses entirely on scenes
of the Galactic Senate.
Things eventually heat up when the surreptitious deal leads Rhys to Pandora, accompanied by his cowardly best friend whos just
waiting to be sacrificed, Vaughn. The sheltered yuppies stick out like sore thumbs on
Pandora and it doesnt take them long to rub
a group of psychotic bandits the wrong way.
The ensuing battle highlights how Telltale
is attempting to capture the action of the
Borderlands series. Rhys takes control of a
Hyperion mech, and can choose between
several weapon types, then aim them at the
attacking bandits. These actions are more
elaborate than those found in The Walking
Dead and The Wolf Among Us, but its still
not compelling. In the same way that nobody
plays Borderlands for meaningful story
choices, nobody plays a Telltale game for the
QTE action sequences.
Once the bandits are dispatched, Rhys
meets up with August and his distrusting
girlfriend, Sasha. The sale quickly falls apart
as Sasha objects to Vaughns unplanned
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presence, and the Telltale representatives

dialogue choices only make matters worse.
Eventually, August calls the deal off and tries
to walk. Without warning, Rhys punches
through Augusts chest and pulls out his
still-beating heart. Sasha swoons at Rhys
display of bravado and falls lovingly into his
arms, as Vaughn kneels down and makes it
rain cash in slow motion.
Fiona promptly calls B.S. on Rhys spontaneous power fantasy, snapping the narrative
and the player back to present day. Now its
her turn to recall what really happened, but
as Fiona prepares to launch into her version
of the events, the demo ends.
Our look at Tales From The Borderlands
constituted only part of the first of five
planned episodes. During that time, some
jokes landed, more than a few fell flat, and
numerous callbacks to characters and elements of the series reminded us of what we
love about Borderlands. Beyond those superficial references, however, most of Tales
From The Borderlands reminded us of what
doesnt matter in Borderlands. Now the
rest of Tales needs to prove why it should.
Jeff Marchiafava
Rhys can choose between the offensive capabilities of this Hyperion

mech during combat, but the action sequences still arent very engaging
WorldMags.net
The Legend Of Korra

Fight like the Avatar
ew licensed franchises today are as ripe

for a game adaptation as The Legend of
Korra. In the Nickelodeon TV series, protagonist Korra is the latest life of the Avatar
a reincarnating link between the spiritual and
physical worlds. Korra possesses the unique
ability to control or bend all four elements:
air, fire, earth, and water. For the upcoming Legend of Korra downloadable game,
Activision teamed up with Platinum Games to
create an action experience aiming to capture
the intensity of the shows battles. I played a
bit of The Legend of Korra, and Im optimistic
that it can appeal to hardcore Korra fans and
stylish action enthusiasts alike.
The story, by series writer Tim Hedrick,
takes place between the second and third
season of the show. After a strange encounter with a vanishing old man, Korra awakens
to find she has lost her bending. Determined
to get her powers back, Korra sets out with
mentor Tenzin to Air Temple Island and other
locales from the show, where she encounters
enemies old and new.
Cel-shaded graphics do justice to the animation of the show. All the areas I saw looked
just the way they should; at Air Temple Island I
could see the spinning air-bending training ring
in the background, and Republic Citys Aang
statue towered in the distance. All the shows
voice actors are reprising their roles for animated cutscenes and in-game dialogue, so the
game sounds authentic.
Combat is the central focus, and should
feel pleasantly familiar to action gamers. With
fluid dodging, blocking, countering, and a
deep combo system, its clear that Platinum
Games was at home adapting the series
trademark kung fu. Dynamic camera angles
and over-the-top counter and finisher animations evoke games like Bayonetta with a
Legend of Korra twist, and after each fight the
Members of the Triad bending gang are a little tougher than typical
enemies, and use earth, water, and re bending against Korra
player receives a ranking based on his or her

performances. The shows martial arts have
been faithfully recreated in Korras combat
animations, as each form of bending has its
own easily distinguishable style modeled after
the series choreography.
The difference between bending styles
extends beyond animation, as every element
has its own combo attacks based on light
attacks and heavy finishers. At any point
during a combo, Korra can focus her chi by
holding down the button, charging up a light
or heavy attack into a more damaging attack.
A charged water whip might instead produce
an ice attack, for example. Korra can also
switch between styles on the fly, unleashing
flashy multi-element combos like launching
an opponent with earth bending and then juggling him in the air with water. Each element
has its own strengths: Water bending is good
for distance fighting, earth controls multiple
enemies with knockbacks and launches, fire
dispatches enemies one-by-one quickly,
and air is versatile. Each element levels up
as Korra uses it, unlocking new attacks and

combos. In tight situations, Korra can even
tap into the Avatar state to deliver devastating
special attacks.
Korra will need all the abilities at her disposal. Across the levels, the player faces off
against technological chi-blockers and their
mech-tanks, the Triad bending gang, and
more. Multiple difficulty levels are offered,
and even the casual setting was surprisingly
demanding. Along with the fighting-focused
areas, The Legend of Korra features an endless runner-style minigame between levels
featuring Korras pet polar-bear dog, Naga,
and a pro-bending mode separate from the
story, featuring all the rules from the show
and several tournament-style tiers of difficulty.
The Legend of Korras faithfulness to the
show is bound to please fans, but its stylish
visuals and dynamic combat have the potential to make it a good game in its own right. If
you enjoy the cartoon, action games in general, or both, you should watch for this downloadable title later this fall. Harry Mackin
WorldMags.net
Platform
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
PlayStation 3
8BOXs0#
Style
1-Player Action
Publisher
Activision
Developer
Platinum Games
Release
Fall
previews 81
WorldMags.net
Homeworld Remastered Collection

The intergalactic hunt for Hiigara begins again
Platform
PC
Style
1-Player Strategy
(8-Player Online)
Publisher
Gearbox Software
Developer
Gearbox Software
Release
Winter
82 previews
he 90s were a heyday for terrific PC

strategy games like Warcraft and
Civilization. Later in the decade, developer Relic traded out the real-time strategy
genres standard 2D gameplay perspective with ambitious 3D space exploration. Homeworld and its sequel delivered
universe-spanning adventure like few
games before it. Gearbox has not forgotten
Homeworlds legacy. Since acquiring the
franchise rights in 2013, the developer has
been hard at work on HD remakes of the two
celebrated RTS titles.
The story of Homeworld is about a civilization, Kharak, which discovers a crashed
spaceship with technology far exceeding its
own. This new tech, along with a map pointing toward their homeworld of Hiigara, sparks
a united industrial effort to blast off into the
stars. In the single-player campaign players
harvest asteroids for resources, expand their
fleet with new ships, and battle rival factions
in open space. In addition to remaking both
games with gorgeous new high-definition
visuals, Gearbox is also unifying the multiplayer experiences of each game under a
single umbrella.
Puritanical fans of the original 1999
Homeworld and its 2003 sequel, Homeworld 2,
should be happy to know that the Homeworld Remastered Collection includes
the original games in addition to the
updated versions. Speaking of the original
Homeworld titles, Gearbox is working closely
with former Relic developers to ensure the
remake lives up to the series vision. This
new collection should be the perfect opportunity for would-be space explorers to fire
up their hyperspace modules on the hunt for
Hiigara. Tim Turi
3D battleelds add a unique layer to real-time strategy
Your eet harvests resources from asteroids to expand its numbers
WorldMags.net
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Gauntlet
Co-op specialists tackle an old favorite
rrowhead Studios is rapidly making a

name for itself in the cooperative game
space. The excellent Magicka games
offer a tongue-in-cheek take on the classic
fantasy wizard, and the upcoming Helldivers is
a hotly anticipated sci-fi cooperative shooter
on Sony platforms. The studio owes a lot to the
original 1985 Gauntlet, which helped establish
the potential for multiplayer dungeon crawl
experiences, so its appropriate that Arrowhead
is taking its own swing at the classic franchise
in the upcoming downloadable revival.
While the new Gauntlet can be played solo,
just a few minutes playing that way establish
that something important is missing. The
cooperative vibe is central to what makes
the game fun, and with each added character, the onscreen craziness becomes more
compelling and tense. Like in the original
games, players choose between four main
characters (see sidebar) that have their own
distinct abilities and strengths. The separation between characters goes deeper than
different onscreen actions. Controls are also
different for each of the four characters, each
optimized to match that characters style.
The elfs twin-stick shooting is a far cry from
the warriors button-mashing axe attacks.
The adventure finds the four heroes summoned by the villainous wizard Morak to run
a gauntlet of fearsome dungeons in pursuit
of the shards of an ancient sword. Morak
offers a running commentary to the heroes as
they progress, praising their feats of strength
and agility, and ridiculing them for their mistakes especially when someone shoots the
all-important, health-restoring food. Moraks
comments are just one of a few ways that
Arrowhead acknowledges the clichd quality

of the Gauntlet fantasy formula, and while the
combat remains intense, the team isnt afraid
to poke a little fun from time to time.
Levels are brimming with enemies, and in
keeping with the tone of the original arcade
classic, the bad guys tend to be destroyed
much easier than in most action/RPGs of
recent years. The challenge comes instead
through the sheer number of attackers, and
the devilish attack patterns they use to bring
you down. Enemy archers sometimes aim
and hold their shots until you stop moving.
Shielded enemies keep their defenses high
whenever youre facing them, waiting to
attack until youve shifted your attention to
other foes. Monster-summoning stones endlessly produce enemies, just like in the old
games, forcing the party to wade deep into
a sea of monsters to stop the flow. Spike
and blade traps add an extra layer of challenge, threatening your already fragile health
bar. Some players may balk at the surprising
challenge presented by many of the levels,
which demands smart teamwork to survive.
Dungeons are filled with gold and keys to
open inaccessible areas, along with explosive
barrels that might be placed next to cracked
walls to uncover a secret chamber. Tracking
down the extra gold is worth the effort,
because in between missions youre able to
head to the shop to upgrade. The merchant
provides new armor and weapon options for
your adventurer, along with ability-adding
relics that map to the shoulder buttons.
These abilities offer an intriguing way to customize your character, granting your warrior a
burst of speed, or your wizard the chance to
create illusionary mirror images of himself.

I only played the first few levels of Gauntlet,
hopping back and forth between heroes as I
tried to pick a favorite. But even those brief
hours left me both nostalgic about the old
games and excited about Arrowheads new
direction. Its odd that Gauntlet remains a
PC-only title, as its controller-based interface
is the best way to play. Regardless of platform, Arrowhead is looking like it will have
another cooperative title to help solidify its
position as a leader in the field. Matt Miller
Platform
PC
Style
1 to 4-Player Action/
Role-Playing (4-Player Online)
Publisher
Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer
Arrowhead Studios
Release
September 3
Choose Your Hero
In the new zones, trivial quests will no longer

require pickup, discussion, or turn ins to complete
Thor the Warrior

Red-tinged Thor leads at the front of the pack, rapidly
tapping his main attack button to clear the way. A
leaping forward slash does significant damage, while a
whirlwind strike takes out every enemy closing in. By
aiming the right stick, he can charge forward, knocking
foes aside that stand in his path. Thors attacks necessarily put him near large groups of enemies, so his
health can drop suddenly if overwhelmed.
Thyra the Valkyrie
The blue-clad last of the valkyries wields spear and
shield as the other front-line attacker. Her spear
thrust can be devastating to a line of enemies, and
her boomerang-like shield throw calls to mind
a certain star-spangled Avengers hero. When
overwhelmed, Thyra has an aimed shield block on
the right stick that can offer some protection as she
moves to safety.
Merlin the Wizard
The most challenging character to master right out
of the gate is the old, yellow wizard. Drawing clear
inspiration from Arrowheads own Magicka games,
taps of the face buttons prep one of nine spells that
Merlin can cast at will. Different combos lead to everything from a freezing ray to a spinning vortex of fire.
Learning each spell and when to cast it is essential
for success.
Questor the Elf
The fast-moving green elf focuses on ranged attacks,
but with a handy trick when overwhelmed. The
simplest controls of all the four characters still require
some skill to use well; aiming the right stick sends out
a flurry of arrows in that direction, just like any classic
twin-stick shooter. He can also tap a button for a quick
dodge that makes it easy to avoid traps and swarming
enemies. When surrounded Questor can drop a bomb
to gain a few precious seconds. Unfortunately, the elf is
also the character voted most likely to shoot the food.
WorldMags.net
previews 83
WorldMags.net
ArcheAge
This Asian MMO entrenches itself firmly in the sandbox
Platform
PC
Style
MMORPG
Publisher
Trion Worlds
Developer
XL Games
Release
2014
84 previews
he new free-to-play MMORPG ArcheAge

sets sail for the West this year as Trion
Worlds brings the title over from Asia.
Developer Jake Song of Lineage fame is
realizing his vision of a game that combines
traditional MMO aspects such as dungeon
crawling and leveling with a sandbox-style
world. Players can choose which style of
gameplay syncs up with their preferences and
engage in massive-scale competitive multiplayer, single-player exploration and farming,
or guild-centric crafting and sieging.
ArcheAges open world allows players to
craft and battle with ships, fight over trade
routes and territory, and start their own farms
and houses right out in the world itself. Forget
instanced housing; players can make changes
to the landscape and the actual game environment. Zones are designated as safe areas,
battle areas, or areas that shift between safety
and war, so players always know where they
should set up camp based on these factors.
A focus on a player-driven economy forms
the backbone ArcheAge, with the worlds
many resources up for grabs. Crafting
encompasses everything from weapons and
armor to vehicles and food. Travel is major

component of play, from standard personal
mounts that are commonplace in todays
MMO space to massive ships and special
gliders that allow players to travel great distances in the air.
These methods of transport lead to new
systems of combat and exploration. A solo
player on a rowboat may discover a wayward island with some treasure buried off
the coast. A group of seasoned wayfarers on
warships may choose to square off against
a massive kraken. Want to go on a fishing
raid? You can.
With a focus on the world and travel,
ArcheAge does not offer an easy form of
instant travel via a looking for group system.
Players can teleport, but they need to use
WorldMags.net
reagents in order to use these systems.

The largest dungeon in the game currently
is suited for around 10 players, but other
open-world encounters and bosses may take
many more.
ArcheAge also includes a player-run judicial system to punish players engaging in
unsavory activities. Evidence is needed to
conduct a trial, so you must discover a murderers bloody footprints to bring the felon
to justice. Imprisoned characters can try to
break out of jail or work off their time, but
these courts essentially give players the ability to police themselves.
With sandbox MMORPGs in short supply
compared to the more common theme-park
model, were excited to see where ArcheAge
takes us later this year. Daniel Tack
WorldMags.net
World Of Warcraft: Warlords Of Draenor

For the next expansion, Blizzard takes a streamlined approach
orld of Warcraft has been around a

long time, and this next expansion is
the perfect opportunity for Blizzard
to dial things back on several levels, provide
a welcoming point of entry for new players,
and add some new features and mechanics.
If youve never played WoW but always had
a few friends trying to pull you in, now might
be the time to look into one of the genres
longstanding titans.
Blizzard is cutting back numbers on items
and stats to bring things back down to a
manageable level. Players wont be hitting for
meaningless millions of damage, as this stat
squish keeps things the same without the
ridiculous numbers on items, hits, and heals.
Questing is experiencing another minor shift,
as many of the kill and fetch missions have
been moved to tasks to be completed when
the player enters an environment rather than
having associated adventures clog up the
quest log.
Newcomers can enter the game at level 90
alongside all other players and be on relatively
even ground on the trail to the new level 100
FROSTlRE2IDGEISJUSTONEOFTHENEW
ZONESPLAYERSCANEXPLOREIN$RAENOR
cap. This is a significant shift that gives new

players the ability to party up and be on par
with seasoned veterans that have been playing the game for years.
Blizzard is also cutting down on ability
bloat so players wont have racks and racks
of hotbars featuring abilities that might only
be used once in a blue moon. With the new
player experience in Warlords of Draenor,
having instant access to a hundred different
abilities and passives might be overwhelming, so players will be eased in gently by the
expansions intro, learning a few different
core abilities and slowly moving into the full
play experience.
Players get to experience WoWs take on
player housing for the first time with the introduction of garrisons. Players can build up a
base of sorts, complete with all kinds of beneficial buildings that confer special abilities,
bonuses, items, and high-tier crafting materials and recipes. Buildings are unlocked and
built via questing and resource collection, and
can be slotted into locations of varying sizes
on the garrison map.
Within the garrison structure, players also

get to use the follower system for the first
time. Players recruit NPCs to their garrison,
sending them on missions. These missions
are simulated encounters, with players sending out multiple followers to tackle various
challenges and opponents.
A mission where a player sends out an
Undead and Tauren hero to fight a Gronn
may take 30 minutes or so, but there will be
a wide range of available missions and tasks.
Your followers level up as they complete
missions and bring back treasure chests
based on their level of success. Its a fun
minigame where players queue up their army
of followers to complete tasks while they go
about their regular dungeon crawling, PvP,
or questing endeavors.
World of Warcraft has continually proven
itself year after year, expansion after expansion. With few changes to the successful formula, acessibility for new players, and player
housing, Warlords of Draenor is poised to
continue the legacy. Daniel Tack
WorldMags.net
Platform
0#s-AC
Style
--/20'
Publisher
"LIZZARD%NTERTAINMENT
Developer
"LIZZARD%NTERTAINMENT
Release
7INTER
previews 85
WorldMags.net
Path Of Exile: Forsaken Masters

Enlist the aid of new allies
Platform
PC
Style
1 to 6-Player Online
Role-Playing
Publisher
Grinding Gear Games
Developer
Grinding Gear Games
Release
Mid August
86 previews
ath of Exile is bringing something for

everyone in the upcoming Forsaken
Masters expansion. While the Sacrifice
of the Vaal expansion catered to endgame
players, Grinding Gear Games is taking a
holistic approach with Forsaken Masters to
ensure that all players have plenty of content
to explore. In this upcoming expansion, players can recruit the talents and services of the
seven titular masters and engage in an allnew housing system that offers players their
own towns and guild hubs.
Players come across the masters as they
move through traditional game zones, and
each adds their own special quests and
events. Initially, the masters give the players
tasks to perform in given zones, such as an
assassination mission, but as players help the
masters, they increase their reputation with
each. Players can then invite them to their
hideouts to assist with crafting and high-end
item customization.
Masters can level up and unlock a wide
range of special abilities and items that players can barter for. These expensive items are
refreshed daily, and the masters occasionally
have unique items and other high-end goods.
These purchases all use in-game currency,
but Grinding Gear Games is considering
offering town decorations and a pet playground as microtransactions.
In addition to being special evolving vendors, the masters function as an avenue for
players to curb the randomness involved
with crafting and customizing their items.

For example, the Marauder master allows
you to customize mods on your gear such
as fire resistance. It wont be quite as potent
as a rolled fire resist value, but its an option
for players looking to gain easy access to
desired modifiers.
The Shadow master holds the secrets to
socketing options, allowing players to link
sockets and change socket colors in a much
WorldMags.net
easier fashion than current options allow.

Players familiar with the game know that it
can take thousands of hours to try to get
a perfect six-socket item just the way they
want; the Shadow master should help players
roll the slots they need.
Getting a few masters to the hideout should
be a task that many players can accomplish,
but gathering a larger roster will require quite
a bit of effort and play time. Daniel Tack
WorldMags.net
Strife
S2 returns for round two
2 Games Heroes of Newerth was one of

the first entries that brought the MOBA
to the forefront outside of Warcraft III
modded maps, and now the studio is back
with another free-to-play genre title. Strife
doesnt stray far from the three-lane map
template so often associated with MOBAs
today, but it attempts some things to separate
itself from the rest of the burgeoning crop.
Fast movement speeds, a slightly smaller
map to play in, pets, crafting, and a focus on
reducing potential toxicity are at the forefront
of Strifes approach. No more fighting over last
hits; a resource-distribution system ensures
that working as a team gets everyone paid.
Theres also Krytos the maps signature

NPC monster that players can team up and
tackle. In other games, this huge creature
would be a source of large experience gain,
currency, and other boosts. In Strife, the team
that bests Krytos actually recruits the monster
to push a lane, contributing to a team push
victory into the opposing base.
Pets have both active and passive boosts
and can be leveled up. If youre a fan of
defensive characters, for instance, the turtle
Tortus might be for you. If youre into gold
gain, Luster is a good go-to companion. Pets
provide accents to your characters and can
be collected for multiple play style options.
Crafting allows players to take core items

and modify them to their specific tastes
and goals. Perhaps one item has health and
damage on it but your character builds dont
need the health, so the item can be modified
to suit you.
All of this customization is tied to in-game
currency acquisition and account-level
unlocks as players move through the game.
Players do not have to use any sort of currency to unlock characters.
Were interested in seeing how S2 applies
the knowledge gleaned from Heroes of
Newerth for this second go at one of PCs
most popular genres. Daniel Tack
Platform
and pitched Dawngate in 2011 as a vision

for EA to move into the MOBA space. After
getting a green light, it began building out a
full-fledged team.
The three-lane map template that serves as
the basis for many MOBAs is modified significantly in Dawngate, moving to a two-lane
system that may not seem like a huge shift
but has powerful implications. Without three
lanes to manage, the five-player team can
allocate players differently, with two in each
lane plus a jungler and perhaps a dedicated
roaming position to set up ganks and focus
on other elements of gameplay, such as Vim

font acquisition.
The map features a total of four Vim fonts
that provide secondary objectives to capture
and hold, and provide crucial extra resources
to the team that owns them. If the game bogs
down and the team in the lead is finding that
the push into the final base is too tough, they
can fall back and capture the Vim fonts to get
a serious edge.
Waystone is also doing a few interesting things outside the map, as players pick
roles before the game even starts and get
rewarded for playing in a specific fashion. If
youre playing a carry role and last-hitting is
the most important thing youre doing in lane,
theres a role to select that will give you additional rewards for doing your job.
The same goes for other traditional MOBA
team positions, such as support, jungling,
and ganking. This system rewards players for
playing correctly and can make setting up
balanced teams a little easier on everyone.
With a cast of colorful, flavorful characters
and some changes to the tried and true
MOBA template, it will be interesting to see
how Dawngate fares for casual and competitive players when it moves into full release. If
the game piques your interest, you can sign
up and play the beta now. Daniel Tack
Platform
PC
Style
10-Player Online Action
Publisher
S2 Games
Developer
S2 Games
Release
TBA
Dawngate
Joining the crowded MOBA fray
ota 2 and League of Legends already

command massive audiences, but thats
not stopping EA from jumping into the
increasingly crowded MOBA scene. Its freeto-play effort, Dawngate, follows the well-worn
path of its influences. As with many other titles
in the genre, players can unlock new characters and customizations through both in-game
currency and microtransactions as they play
match after match, but developer Waystone is
bringing a few critical changes as well.
The core team from Waystone Games came
over from Maxis after developing Darkspore
WorldMags.net
PC
Style
10-Player Online Action
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Developer
Waystone Games
Release
TBA
previews 87
WorldMags.net
MONTH
Divinity: Original Sin allows Larian Studios to show off what it
means to be a great PC RPG. While some aspects of the title
take things back to a different age of gaming, a modern style,
complete freedom, and an incredible turn-based combat system set this title apart from the often derivative homages to
the golden age of computer RPGs.
AWARDS
THE SCORING SYSTEM

Outstanding. A truly elite title that is nearly perfect in every
way. This score is given out rarely and indicates a game
that cannot be missed.
Flawed. It may be obvious that the game has lots of

potential, but its most engaging features could be
undeniably flawed or not integrated into the experience.
Superb. Just shy of gaming nirvana, this score is a high

recommendation because the game reviewed is headand-shoulders above its competition.
Bad. While some things work as planned, the majority of

this title either malfunctions or it is so dull that the game
falls short as a whole.
Very Good. Innovative, but perhaps not the right choice for
everyone. This score indicates that there are many good
things to be had, but arguably so.
Painful. If there is anything thats redeeming in a game of

this caliber, its buried beneath agonizing gameplay and
uneven execution in its features or theme.
Average. The games features may work, but are nothing

that even casual players havent seen before. A decent
game from beginning to end.
Broken. Basically unplayable. This game is so insufficient

in execution that any value would be derived in extremely
small quantities, if at all.
Limited Appeal. Although there may be fans of games

receiving this score, many will be left yearning for a more
rewarding game experience.
Diarrhabies: diarrhea that gives you rabies.
10
9
88
PLATINUM
Awarded to games
that score between
9.75 and 10
GOLD
Awarded to games
that score between
9 and 9.5
SILVER
Awarded to games
that score between
8.5 and 8.75
OF
GAME THE
MONTH
The award for the

most outstanding
game in the issue
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For more information on the age classication ratings in our reviews, head to gameinformer.com/ratings
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ONLY AT
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Sniper Elite III

Rebellion misses the mark
6.5
03s0#
Concept
Blast German soldiers in the
face from hundreds of yards
away with brutally detailed
X-ray kills
Graphics
Impressively detailed at
a glance. Upon closer
inspection, enemy soldiers
move like clunky puppets
Sound
Lots of German and Italian
chatter mixed with annoying
sound effects that play when
youre exposed
Playability
The core sniping mechanics
work well, but clumsy stealth
mechanics and a variety of
bugs sully the experience
Entertainment
Shattering enemies skulls
with a well-placed rifle round
is satisfying at first, but the
see-through kill gimmick gets
old quickly
Replay Value
Moderate
90 reviews
Style 1-Player Shooter (2 to 10-Player Online) Publisher 505 Games Developer Rebellion Release July 1 Rating M
hooting someone in the face with a sniper

rifle is nasty business. The Sniper Elite
series has made a name for itself by
embracing these skull-busting kills in all their
gory detail. Developer Rebellion has ratcheted
up the brutality of these slow-motion X-ray
sequences with detailed musculature on every
skeleton. Unfortunately, boring campaign
missions and frequent bugs hold back Sniper
Elite III from its sharpshooting potential.
Rebellion swaps out the grim, bombed-out
European cities of the previous entry with
the bright, rugged terrain of Africa. The arid,
sun-bleached environments look beautiful at
first, but despite the exotic surroundings, the
mountainous terrain and dirt roads all start to
feel the same after a while. The illusion dissolves further thanks to the erratic, dim-witted
Nazis mucking up the scenery. The German
soldiers have stiff, robotic patrol routes and
swivel in place unrealistically when they get a
bead on you.
Sniper Elite IIIs linear campaign is all about

sneaking through Nazi encampments among
the baking sands (but theyre never called Nazis
and all the swastikas have inexplicably become
palm trees on their banners). Sometimes missions call for you to place explosive charges,
offer supporting fire, or assassinate top-ranking
German officers. Its old hat for the military
shooter genre, and I eventually began mindlessly chasing down objective markers without
thinking much about it.
The campaign objectives all serve as a
framework for the solid long-range gunplay
and mediocre stealth elements. Lining up
shots with your rifle adheres to the familiar
routine of pressing a button to hold your
breath and dial in a shot. As in Sniper Elite
V2, lining up a good shot and pressing the
trigger initiates a satisfying slow-motion kill
sequence. The camera follows your bullets
dramatic path from the rifle barrel all the
way to the doomed soldier. For headshots,
the X-ray vision shows the projectiles grisly
path through the skull, complete with bonesplintering entrance and exit wounds. Femurs
split, eyeballs pop, and testicles explode
in these gruesome finishers. The macabre,
unflinching executions are satisfying at first,
but the thrill wears off after seeing someones teeth erupt from their mouths for the
umpteenth time.
For a game with the word sniper in the
title, I used my silenced pistol an awful lot.
You crumple quickly when facing off with
too many enemies, so avoiding attention is
important. This strategy is at odds with using
a loud sniper rifle, however, so you mask your
noise using thunder or backfiring generators.
This mechanic is fun and novel, but I routinely
avoided sniping when these obscuring noises
werent available. You cant fire off more than
a couple shots without having to relocate
so enemies dont find you. I understand the
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logic, but you can still run away from your

sniping perch and then just head back when
the enemies lose your trail. It comes off as an
annoying, half-baked attempt to keep players
circulating around the map.
Speaking of annoyances, Sniper Elite III is
filled with considerably more bugs than its
predecessor. The game has a weird habit of
resetting objects in the world when loading
a save. Sometimes vehicles that blew up 20
minutes ago explode again or corpses wiggle
around sporadically. Other times the effects
are more troublesome, like one instance when
an enemy vehicle suddenly appeared near my
location and gunned me down instantly each
time I reloaded. While most of the hiccups are
aesthetic, they disrupt the mood of the high
stakes trek behind enemy lines.
Whether you beat or abandon single-player,
competitive and cooperative multiplayer
modes are available. I enjoyed the tense,
long-distance free-for-all sniper battles that
tested my patience and perception. Laying
down traps and relocating after taking a shot is
more gratifying when facing off against human
players rather than the idiotic A.I. foes. The
entire campaign is also playable cooperatively,
which helps spice up the mundane missions.
Synchronizing your shots and covering one
anothers back injects excitement into the
ho-hum mission structure. However, Rebellion
has ditched split-screen co-op and doesnt
support matchmaking, so hopefully you know
someone with a copy of the game if you want
to try it out.
I openly admit that I love gory kills and living
the hero sniper fantasy, but Sniper Elite III
only partially delivers on the latter. If you cant
get enough of dramatic, transparent shots of
enemies getting shredded by sniper fire, Sniper
Elite III has you covered in spades. If youre
interested in more motivation beyond the glory
of the kill, however, look elsewhere. Tim Turi
WorldMags.net
Magic 2015
Duels Of The Planeswalkers

Polish and customization make a great pair
Style 1-Player Strategy (2-Player Online)
Publisher Wizards of the Coast
Developer Stainless Games Release July 16 Rating T
SILVER
E
Transformers:
Rise Of The Dark Spark
A slapdash insult to fans
Style 1-Player Action (4-Player Online) Publisher Activision
Developer Edge of Reality Release June 24 Rating T
ctivision and Edge of Reality have squandered

the goodwill established by High Moon Studios
strong Transformers Cybertron games, releasing a
product that fails on several fundamental levels. It isnt
entertaining, doesnt remain true to either of the disparate storylines (which should never have been linked),
and cant overcome technical performance issues.
The story sees the Autobots and Decepticons competing over a MacGuffin called the Dark Spark. Two
sections starring the movie characters bookend a
larger middle section set on the Transformers home
planet, but the occasional moments that nod to the
broader lore are ruined because the fundamental
crossover concept is so ill-advised.
The Transformers franchise doesnt exactly live and
die by great storytelling, so the narrative missteps
could be forgiven if the action held up. It does not. The
first few minutes of gameplay offer an ample illustration of Rise of the Dark Sparks most potent problems.
Within minutes of hitting start, youre in the first of
many wave-based fights that last too long. Bland,
colorless buildings frame the environment as a poorly
animated character runs forward along concrete platforms that exhibit little texture or variation. Enemies
begin to spawn and run around in haphazard patterns
that stand in for competent A.I. tactics. Level design
and encounters are a mess throughout the campaign,
including a few misguided attempts at platforming
challenges and several points where checkpoints are
too infrequent and set before cinematic sequences
never a good idea.
The return of the popular wave-based Escalation
mode manages better than the single-player offering.
New upgradeable defense installations fill every one of
the eight varied four-player Escalation maps; laying out
turrets, healing stations, and decoy holograms to bolster
your teams defense is rewarding. However, Escalation
is not without its problems. Awful enemy spawn placement, too few ammo drops, and the absence of difficulty
modes all pull down the experience.
Even with a passable cooperative experience, Rise
of the Dark Spark feels rushed and haphazard in
execution. If Activision cares to know, fans are indeed
hungry for a new Transformers game just not one that
shamelessly tries to make us trade our hard-earned
cash for junk. Matt Miller
5
03s8BOX/NEs7II5
03ss0#
Concept
Shatter the positive progress
of the franchise established
through the earlier Cybertron
games by merging with the
movie continuity and releasing
an incomplete game
Graphics
Muddy textures, jittery
animation, overly reflective
metal the visuals are
outdated and appear hurried
Sound
The gravitas of Peter Cullens
voice acting can only carry you
so far. The endlessly looping
music and voice cues push far
past that point
Playability
Shooting and movement
controls are functional, and
transforming between vehicles
and robots can still be fun
Entertainment
A shameless cash-in attempt
is only redeemed by passable
cooperative multiplayer
Replay Value
Low
ven with many online card games entering the

digital market, Magic: The Gathering still earns its
place among the best. Magic 2015 Duels of the
Planeswalkers takes the classic tabletop card game
and packages it so its easy to learn and play. Though it
is an annual series, this years installment finally makes
a change that players have been begging for: the ability
to build their own decks. New players can use an automated deck builder to make sure things come together
nicely without moving into advanced customization,
and a solid variety of starter decks to suit any playstyle
are available right out the gate.
Players unlock packs and cards as they move
through the planes and encounters. In addition, the title
allows players to unlock collections and packs of cards
at various price points. This progression loop is fun and
effective for moving through the campaign and getting
together a collection for online play, but players looking
for specific cards to complete the perfect deck for
online duels may feel obligated to purchase some digital boosters. If youre on the iPad version, you can play
through the tutorial and Innistrad for free before making
a purchase to unlock the full game.
I started with the black/red starter deck, which focuses on stealing opposing creatures and then sacrificing them. After a few matches I had some spiffy new
cards to consider adding to my deck, including Magic
2015s new Indulgent Tormentor. Theres a good variety
of cards to be had from Magic 2015 and from some
of the most popular recent sets including favorites
from Theros, Ravnica, Innistrad, and Zendikar. Difficulty
can be adjusted based on player preferences, so
newcomers can jump right in against mild opponents
and receive plenty of tips as they play cards. As with
previous iterations of the series, the UI and gameplay
feel excellent and intuitive.
While previous versions of Duels of the Planeswalkers
often included an additional game mode like sealed
deck play or Planechase deck customization is the
only real extra here. Its a huge jump for the series and
a fantastic addition to the game, but having another
one of the signature game modes would have been
nice. As it stands, players are restricted to traditional
campaign crawling, extra NPC duels, and standard
multiplayer modes.
Magic 2015 Duels of the Planeswalkers is an excellent option for gamers interested in learning how to
play Magic: The Gathering. Deckbuilding mode gives
seasoned veterans an option to dive into the complexity immediately, and new players can become more
comfortable exploring the customization that makes
Magic great. Daniel Tack
8.75
8BOX/NEss0#
I/3s!NDROID
Concept
Travel through the planes
while building up a deck and
collecting cards
Graphics
Slick and stylized UI brings
the card game to life on
digital platforms
Sound
Nothing special here,
but sounds are appropriate
for alerting players to
game actions
Playability
As with the rest of the series,
if you are looking for an entry
into the world of Magic:
The Gathering, Duels of the
Planeswalkers is the best way
to learn
Entertainment
Deck customization has been
something players have
been asking for with this
series, and its a wonderful
inclusion here, with the card
pool borrowing from some of
Magics recent sets
Replay Value
High
The Wii U
Difference 4
Rise of the Dark Spark is
available on modern home
consoles and PC, and it
performs similarly on all of
them. Unfortunately, the
Wii U version leaves out
the occasionally enjoyable
cooperative escalation
mode one of the only
reasons anyone might enjoy
the game.
WorldMags.net
reviews 91
WorldMags.net
Tales
of Xillia 2
Back for another round of banter and battles
7.75
PS3
Concept
Reunite the old cast with
two new characters while
confronting the mysteries
surrounding Rieze Maxia
and Elympios
Graphics
The graphics are subpar,
and jarring framerate
issues are distracting. Old
cast members have been
redesigned for a fresh look
Sound
Competent voice actors
bring sincere emotion to
the scenes. The music gets
repetitive, though
Playability
The controls are smooth, and
the difficulty can be changed
on the fly to match your
mastery of the mechanics
Entertainment
Outside of a few bad
choices, Tales of Xillia 2
tells an intriguing story
with wonderful character
interactions, and the
battle system is fun
and challenging
Replay Value
Moderate
92 reviews
Style 1 to 4-Player Role-Playing Publisher Bandai Namco Developer Bandai Namco Release August 19 Rating T
he original Tales of Xillia won me over

with the mature issues it tackled and the
enhancements to the series real-time
battle system and overall structure. This sequel
continues to build on its interesting characters
while adding some new gameplay features,
but Tales of Xillia 2 stumbles compared to
its predecessor.
Tales of Xillia 2s issues first appear in the
pacing; the plot starts slow, taking about 10
hours to get interesting. Part of this is due to
a debt-paying mechanic introduced early to get
players to engage with the side content and
to better prepare for the challenging battles.
The debt plays into the story and begins as a
great way to get acquainted with the world,
but later it becomes an annoying roadblock
since you cant progress unless you pay off a
portion. The frustration mounts quickly, since
the side quests rely heavily on fetching objects
and hunting monsters, which is not engaging.
The only worthwhile extra content is the side
chapters for the returning characters.
The narrative improves as it progresses, and
held my interest more than its predecessor.
Set a year after the events from the first game,
Xillia 2 has interesting beats (like exploring
alternative timelines), but its shining stars are
the character relationships. The new protagonists, Ludger and Elle, have a growing, heartfelt bond thats fun to watch. Elle stands out
as a child dealing with the hardships of losing
a family member and finding her place in the
world, quickly becoming my favorite character.
The returning cast is also redeeming. I thought
Leia was dead weight in the last entry, but
Tales of Xillia 2 makes her much more interesting as she strives to become a successful
journalist. Moments like these make me recommend playing the first game before entering
Xillia 2. Its not required, but one of the highlights is seeing how the old cast has grown.
Tales action battle system, which plays out

like a fighting game, continues to improve, and
is more fun than ever. Battles are fast-paced
and frantic, and youre equipped with a wide
variety of skills to handle the baddies. You can
swap weapons this time around, taking down
enemies with dual blades, a sledgehammer, or
guns akimbo. Each weapon plays differently
and works better for certain enemy types. In
addition, a transformation skill also provides
more powerful attacks for a short period, saving
you from jams during tough boss battles.
Bandai Namco also brings back the wonderful link system, which pairs up two characters
for bonuses as they flank enemies. The longer
Ludger links up with another character, the
more his affinity increases. Affinity also increases based on your responses in dialogue, giving you a reason to choose your words carefully. The affinity system is an excellent addition, as building relationships nets you new
combat skills.
Learning special attacks and skills has
changed. Instead of Xillias sphere grid-like
upgrade system, which I enjoyed immensely,
this entrys progression system focuses on
WorldMags.net
elemental properties. You equip orbs, each

with a number of the six elements, to learn
and upgrade attacks and skills. Some orbs
contain overlapping skills, so if a character
already knows an ability, the new orb improves
it. I didnt enjoy this as much as the previous
streamlined system, but its solid nonetheless.
Tales of Xillia 2s biggest crime is how much
it reuses content. You visit new places in
Elympios, but the Rieze Maxia environments
are ripped from the first game. On top of that,
you visit dungeons, towns, and fields multiple
times, and its even worse if you factor in the
side content. Many of these places arent anything to write home about, as the majority of
dungeons are linear affairs devoid of puzzles.
At least fields are cluttered with collectibles
that help for customization and upgrades, but
the lack of new environments is disappointing.
Tales of Xillia 2 has its flaws, but it also
has plenty of what fans of the series love:
Challenging battles, great character interactions, and a story full of twists. Im still continually lured in by the series, I just wish this
entry felt like more than a sideways step.
Kimberley Wallace
WorldMags.net
Wayward Manor
A truly ghastly experience
Style 1-Player Puzzle Publisher Moonshark, Inc. Developer The Odd Gentlemen Release July 15 Rating NR
he indie studio behind The Misadventures

of P.B. Winterbottom teamed up with
Neil Gaiman the award-winning writer
behind novels such as Stardust and American
Gods to create a new puzzle game about
a ghost who terrorizes the inhabitants of
a house. The concept sounds intriguing.
Unfortunately, the final product is such a
messy and unpredictable experience that I feel
haunted by the ghost of disappointment.
Set in the 1920s, the tale begins when the
eccentric Budds family moves into an old
Victorian estate. Players take on the role of a
disembodied specter who bullies the Budds
until they run screaming from their new house.
Gaimans macabre, poetic prose stands on
par with much of his work, but the story itself
it not compelling. The sparse narration does
not give much insight into the characters, so
kicking the Budds out of their own home is
never rewarding.
Unfortunately, Wayward Manors weak
narrative is actually its strongest element; the
gameplay falls even flatter. As a ghost, you
float above each room and possess certain
objects in order to scare each rooms inhabitant to the breaking point. In theory, this concept sounds ripe for unique puzzle challenges.
In practice, Wayward Manor is a confusing
5
PC
Concept
As a ghost, make statues shake
and set off mousetraps, scaring
a family until they flee from
their home
Graphics
Even for an indie game,
Wayward Manors boxy characters, humble environments,
and simple animations leave
something to be desired
and repetitive experience that often left me

wondering what to do.
One of Wayward Manors biggest problems
is that few of its puzzles are clever enough
to be called puzzles. Most of the time youre
turning on old-timey record players or opening
windows so gusts of wind push objects across
a room. Many of these tasks are repeated
over and over I cant even tell you how many
bottles I knocked off rafters and onto peoples
heads. Even when Wayward Manors puzzles
are more involved, they dont make sense,
and youre free to click on every object in

the environment until you hit the lucky
combo that frightens whoever happens to
be around effectively removing any need
for strategic thinking.
I kept asking myself, Is this really the
same studio that made The Misadventures
of P.B. Winterbottom? At one point, I actually shut down the game because I thought
maybe Id booted up the wrong title by mistake. Wayward Manor isnt frightening, but
it sure scared me away. Ben Reeves
Sound
Narration by Neil Gaiman does a
fine job setting up the story, but
the sound effects for acquiring
new fright powers are grating
Playability
The simple puzzles dont take
a lot of work to figure out, but
random clicking could get you
through most of them
Entertainment
Youll enjoy turning this game
off more than you enjoy any
aspect of its gameplay
Replay Value
Low
DEGREE PROGRAMS IN:
Game Art
Game Development
800.226.7625
Winter Park, FL
$ "!%#&' $"!!!"'
"$ !"&

WorldMags.net
$%" " "#"!"#"#"! "!""!"!!$!"#!##"!!""!"!
fullsail.edu
( #
Game Design
WorldMags.net

A truly divine RPG
OF
GAME THE
MONTH
Style 1-Player Role-Playing (2-Player Online) Publisher Larian Studios

Developer Larian Studios Release June 30 Rating NA
GOLD
0#s-AC
Concept
Travel through an open world
on a grand quest featuring
turn-based combat
Graphics
One of the best-looking
games featuring the isometric
old-school style
Sound
An excellent soundtrack keeps
things heated in combat and
serene when appropriate.
Plenty of spoken dialogue and
sizzling fireballs are on point
Playability
The action point system is
straightforward and deep.
With little direction offered,
players need to do a lot of
their own research, tests,
and exploration
Entertainment
Plan to lose hours of your
life thanks to great character
customization, stellar combat,
random loot, puzzles, bosses,
and mysteries
Replay Value
High
e are currently amidst a great resurgence

of PC RPGs that borrow from the greats
of ages past while taking advantage of
modern quality-of-life improvements, graphics,
and sound. Divinity: Original Sin isnt just a
great turn-based RPG; it stands tall on its own
as an amazing title where players can truly blaze
their own paths through the world as elemental
wizards, crafty rogues, and brutal warriors.
You begin by choosing two main characters
from a selection of presets. These templates
are free to edit completely, but provide new
players with some general class choices that
come packaged with appropriate starting skills
and stats. These two characters remain with
the player, while two additional party members
can join early on to create a full team of four.
Combat is turn-based, but never delves into
a snoozefest. With no resources like mana or
rage, action points do everything from firing
ricocheting arrows to summoning ice elementals. Its all about positioning, careful use of
action points, and elemental combinations.
94
Heres one satisfying sequence: create a patch

of poison, blow it up with a fire spell, then lay
down a steam cloud and electrify it to place
opponents in a state of perpetual stun. If
youre not bringing any mage types into the
fray, dont dismay all classes have ways to
deliver elemental attacks, which are the crux
of combat.
Seemingly impossible encounters and epic
boss battles can often be overcome by taking
advantage of the environment or the elements.
Have someone strong on your team? Have
them hurl an oil barrel into the center of a pack
of enemies. No fire arrows, flame spells, or other
items on your team to light it up? Have a rogue
flick a candle into the mix. The options a player
has at their disposal is staggering at times,
and there will be many moments as you move
through the game where something will click
and youll say to yourself Wait, I can do that?!
If you want to be the traditional hero and
follow quests by the book, thats your choice.
If you feel like killing every NPC you come
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across, thats your choice too. These decisions have consequences, but problems have
many solutions. In one situation, I was faced
with a suicide-explosion enemy positioned
right next to an NPC I wanted to save. I
chose to deal with the issue by simply using
a rain spell to put out the bombs fuse, but
a teleport skill or stealth character probably
would have handled it with equal finesse. You
can even use these skills outside of combat,
which means you can prepare for a fight with
flame creatures by laying down a rainstorm,
use explosive arrows to blow up landmines
found by your perception skill before you ran
into them and died, or use telekinesis to grab
items from dangerous areas.
After digging into your abilities, you can also
experiment with the crafting and bartering
systems. I spent little time engaging in crafting during my run, but the option to create
skillbooks and other various useful items is
available. Instead of just using hard currency,
players can also dump various goods from
WorldMags.net
Elemental combinations and interactions are the core of combat
Fail to dodge a giant reball? Youre gonna have a bad time
their pack into trade windows with vendors,

who will give you credit for it at the store. Every
NPC has an attitude toward the player, and
these attitudes can be modified with gifts or
skills that allow players to make better trades.
Whether youre making deals, killing town
guards, or playing the hero, Divinity: Original
Sin encourages you to explore the things that
interest you. Will you spend hours in town
without battling a single enemy talking to
citizens, probing for information, and engaging in dialogue between your characters? Will
you eschew the conversation and charge right
out into the wilderness to battle beasts and
undead? Will you wander from house to house,
closing doors and taking down the inhabitants
of the city until your pockets are bulging with
stolen coin and treasure?
What Larian has done in this respect is
incredibly impressive, and it gives the player
true freedom and consequence for each action
made. Its possible to complete the game by
the book or as the annihilator of worlds, so
while decisions have consequences, nothing

you do should lock you out of a playthrough.
Just in case, save smart, save often, and
try everything.
Youre free to bring a friend along to control
your second character with the games co-op
mode, and the modding community is sure to
create additional scenarios to explore that will
keep the title fresh long after your initial playthrough. My first run took about 60 hours, and
Im sure I missed plenty.
The experience is not without a few minor
quibbles, such as disastrous misclicks that can
occur from enemy/camera positioning and the
inability to always have items show up on the
ground. The complete freeform gameplay in
Divinity: Original Sin can be quite daunting and
frustrating, especially as a player navigates the
minefield of the early game without any real
direction. Embrace the lack of handholding and
complete freedom, and you have an incredible
title that provides many hours of entertainment.
Daniel Tack
WorldMags.net
reviews 95
WorldMags.net
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May-14
Child of Light
Jun-14
6.5 Aug-14
Dark Souls II
Kinect Sports Rivals
Doki-Doki Universe
7.5 Feb-14
Aug-14
Entwined
5.5 Aug-14
Infamous Second Son
8.5 May-14
Metal Gear Solid V:

Ground Zeroes
Apr-14
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Lego The Hobbit
Jun-14
Peggle 2
Mercenary Kings
Apr-14
Plants Vs. Zombies:

Garden Warfare
Metal Gear Solid V:

Ground Zeroes
Rayman Legends
Strider
May-14
6.5 Aug-14
9
Apr-14
8.75 Apr-14
Thief
Tiny Brains
Tomb Raider:
Definitive Edition
Towerfall Ascension
Apr-14
5.75 Feb-14
Rayman Legends
May-14
6.5 May-14
9
Apr-14
8.5 May-14
9.75 May-14
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z
Drakengard 3
Jul-14
Earth Defense Force 2025
Apr-14
Apr-14
Feb-14
Super Time Force
8.5
Mar-14
South Park:
The Stick of Truth
Strider
Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Watch Dogs
Faith, The
Smoke & Mirrors, The
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
Thief
Apr-14
Lego The Hobbit
Jun-14
9.25 Mar-14
Lightning Returns:
Final Fantasy XIII
Mar-14
Tomb Raider:
Definitive Edition
Trials Fusion
Jun-14
Aug-14
Watch Dogs
8.5
Jul-14
Wolfenstein: The New Order
the score
Jul-14
Jun-14
Luftrausers
8.5 May-14
Apr-14
8.75 Apr-14
Fable Anniversary
Mar-14
Aug-14
7.5
Jul-14
Dec-13
7.5
Apr-14
Jul-14
8.75 Apr-14
Apr-14
Earth Defense Force 2025
Jun-14
7.75 Aug-14
Last of Us: Left Behind, The
6.5 May-14
XBOX 360
2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil
Jun-14
5.5
Jul-14
8.5 May-14
Aug-14
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes 7
May-14
BioShock Infinite:
8.5
Jul-14
MLB 14: The Show
8.5
Jun-14
Bound By Flame
Jul-14
Jul-14
6.5 Aug-14
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Mar-14
Child of Light
Jun-14
NASCAR 14
Apr-14
9.75 May-14
8.5 May-14
Grid Autosport
Dark Souls II
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z
8.5
Gran Turismo 6
Jun-14

A Crooked Mile, The
Jul-14
9.25 May-14
Walking Dead: Season Two

Episode 1: All That Remains, The 8.5 Feb-14
Walking Dead Season Two
Episode 2: A House Divided, The 8.75 May-14
Episode 3: In Harms Way, The 8.5 Jul-14
Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade

7.5 Aug-14
Remix Hyper Edition EX +
Trials Fusion
Feb-14
Final Fantasy X/X-2

HD Remaster
8.75 Apr-14
Transistor
Watch Dogs
Jul-14
Strider
Titanfall
9.25 Mar-14
7.75 Apr-14
1
6.5
6.75 May-14
8
R.B.I. Baseball 14
Jul-14
Deception IV: Blood Ties

EA Sports UFC
PLAYSTATION 3
5.5
Grid Autosport
Mar-14
7.75 Aug-14
Apr-14
Lego The Hobbit
Jun-14
Lightning Returns:
Final Fantasy XIII
Mar-14
May-14
Metal Gear Solid V:

Ground Zeroes
6.5 Aug-14
NASCAR 14
Apr-14
R.B.I. Baseball 14
Jun-14
South Park: The Stick of Truth
8.5 May-14
Strider
8.75 Apr-14
Super Time Force
8.5
Jul-14
Titanfall
Jun-14
Trials Fusion
Jun-14
Aug-14

Episode 3: In Harms Way, The 8.5 Jul-14
Watch Dogs
Faith, The
7.5
Jul-14
Dec-13
8 | Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition

Platform Xbox One Release June 25 Rating T
Id rather play a faithful recreation of a classic than an attempt that

tried, and failed, to tinker with what made it great in the first place.
Another World holds up well all these years later, and it remains a
captivating must-play for sci-fi fans. Jeff Cork
7.5 | The Wolf Among Us:

Episode 5 Cry Wolf
Platform PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
9 | Dark Souls II: The Crown Of The Sunken King
Release July 8 (PS3, PC), July 9 (Xbox 360) Rating M
Platform PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC Release July 22 Rating T
The zones themselves are among the most labyrinthine in Dark Souls II
and include a huge amount of dead drops and lethal traps, which are often
served up under duress from unwavering foes. This creates an atmosphere of
claustrophobia and keeps an uncomfortable pressure bearing down on the
player throughout the entire DLC experience. Daniel Tack
7.25 | Lifeless Planet
6 | Tuffy The Corgi And The Tower Of Bones
Platform PC Release June 6 Rating NA
Platform Vita Release June 24 Rating E
The aspects of Lifeless Planet that succeed elevate it past

the technical shortcomings, but only so far. You will find a
compelling world and a story worth experiencing,
but you do so at the expense of well-polished animation
and gameplay. Kyle Hilliard
96
I didnt walk away from the finale amazed,

yet I did feel satisfied. Episode 5 ends smartly,
leaving you with something to think about
one last mystery for the detective in you to
examine. If only that last moment wasnt the
only one in the five episodes that made me
feel that way. Kimberley Wallace
the score
Tuffys unforgiving design and reliance on rote memorization harken back to a time when I had nothing better
to do than memorize tricky platforming sections. Theres
a reason Ive moved on from those types of games, and
why most developers have, too. Jeff Marchiafava
WorldMags.net
Visit gameinformer.com/mag
for the full reviews
WorldMags.net
Novelist, The

7.5

A Crooked Mile, The
8.5
Jun-14
Jul-14

Apr-14
6.5 May-14
Wii U
5.75 Apr-14
Professor Layton and

the Azran Legacy
Our Darker Purpose
8.75 Apr-14
Resident Evil: Revelations
Rambo: The Video Game

Rekoil
SteamWorld Dig
Feb-14
Tomodachi Life
Aug-14
Yoshis New Island
May-14
South Park:
The Stick of Truth
Shovel Knight
8.75 Aug-14
SteamWorld Dig
May-14
8.5 May-14
8
Strider
Feb-14
8.75 Apr-14
Thief
Titanfall
Apr-14
9.25 May-14
Dr. Luigi
Mar-14
Towerfall Ascension
May-14
Apr-14
Transistor
Jul-14
Trials Fusion
Jun-14
PC
Tropico 5
8.5
Jul-14
Aug-14
A Story About My Uncle
7.75 Aug-14
Age Of Wonders III
7.5
Jun-14
5.5
Jul-14
Among The Sleep
7.75 Aug-14

Banished
Banner Saga, The

BioShock Infinite:
Bound By Flame
Broken Age: Act I
Jun-14
Danganronpa:
Trigger Happy Havoc
8.5 Mar-14
Deception IV: Blood Ties
6.75 May-14
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster 9

Luftrausers
Ys: Memories Of Celceta
8.5 Feb-14
iOS
Jul-14
Boom Beach
Watch Dogs
8.5
Jul-14
FTL
8.5 Mar-14

Faith, The
Dec-13
7.5
Apr-14

A Crooked Mile, The
8.5
Jun-14
Jul-14
Jun-14
Jun-14
9.25 May-14
Goat Simulator
Hearthstone:
Heroes Of Warcraft
Jun-14
May-14
JazzPunk
6.5
Apr-14
Luftrausers
8.5 May-14
Mercenary Kings
Moebius: Empire Rising
6.5 May-14
3DS
Bravely Default
Mar-14
Jun-14
8.5
Jun-14
Apr-14
Conception II:
Children Of The Seven Stars
Jun-14
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
6.5 Aug-14
Mario Golf: World Tour
Jun-14
7.5 Mar-14
Pokmon Battle Trozei
Jun-14
Volume XXIV
Number 9
Editor-in-Chief
Andy McNamara andy@gameinformer.com
Executive Editor
Andrew Reiner reiner@gameinformer.com
Managing Editor
Matt Bertz mattbertz@gameinformer.com
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Matt Helgeson matt@gameinformer.com
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Associate Editors
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7.75 Aug-14
6
Jun-14
8.25 Jun-14
Hitman Go
Jul-14
Icycle: On Thin Ice
Feb-14
Joe Danger Infinity
Mar-14
Kero Blaster
Aug-14
Monument Valley
Jun-14
Jul-14
Rpublique Episode 2:
Metamorphosis
Rpublique: Exordium
7.5 Mar-14
Room Two, The
8.25 Feb-14
Tengami
7.75 May-14
Trials Frontier
Jun-14

Episode 3: In Harms Way, The
8.5
Jul-14
Issue 257
STAFF
Publisher
Cathy Preston cathy@gameinformer.com
Mar-14
7.75 May-14
6.5
Apr-14
TxK
War Of The Vikings
Apr-14
8.5 May-14
OlliOlli
8.5 May-14
8
Jul-14
Daylight
Nidhogg
Jul-14
Battleheart Legacy
9.75 May-14
Conception II:
Children Of The Seven Stars
8.5 July-14
Child of Light
Diablo III:
Reaper Of Souls
VITA
Borderlands 2

Episode 3: In Harms Way, The
8.5 Mar-14
Castle Doctrine, The

Dark Souls II
Apr-14
8.75 Aug-14
Shovel Knight
5.5
9.25 Mar-14
Apr-14
Feb-11
8.5 Sep-13
6.5 Feb-11
8.75 Aug-14
7.75 Aug-14
Jun-14
Shin Megami Tensei IV

Shinobi
Shovel Knight
Pushmo World
May-14
8.75 May-14
Child of Light
Donkey Kong Country:
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8.25 Apr-14
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Jul-14
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Pac-Man,
Off The Grid
by Jeff Cork
Looking back at an iconic characters

strange forays into other game genres
Nintendo recently announced that

Pac- Man would be joining the roster
in the upcoming Super Smash Bros.
While the idea of watching the beloved character smack other heroes around might seem
a little strange, its not the weirdest thing hes done. Since he first rolled onto the scene
in 1980, hes been a master of reinventing himself. Here are some of the most unusual
games the mascot has appeared in during his long career.
1983
1982
BABY PAC-MAN
PROFESSOR PAC-MAN
Platform: Arcade
No cure seemed to exist for PacMan fever in the years immediately
following the games debut. The
only treatment, in U.S. distributor
Bally Midways eyes, was to release
sequel after sequel. While most were
slight riffs on Pacs basic design
adding keys, faster monsters, and
new mazes this one stood apart,
in large part thanks to its atypical
design. Baby Pac-Man navigated
a barren maze, which could be
populated with dots by playing the
attached mini pinball table.
Platform: Arcade
Rather than iterate on yet another
maze game, Bally Midway opted
out entirely with Professor PacMan. Instead, the character put on
a graduation cap and took players
to school. There, theyd answer a
variety of puzzle-based questions.
The game, along with Baby PacMan, was one of the breaking points
between Namco and Bally Midway
over unauthorized sequels. The friction eventually led Pac-Man creator
Namco to dissolve its working relationship with Bally Midway.
1984
98
1993
PAC-LAND
PAC-ATTACK
Platform: Arcade
Mario is often our go-to memory
when we think about old-school
platforming games, but Pac-Man
did it in arcades a year before
the plumber hit the pavement.
Nintendos game was arguably
better in most ways, but it was fun
to see Mr. Man stretch out his legs
and go for an adventure. Though
the perspective may have shifted,
perhaps he and Mario can reminisce about the old days in Super
Smash Bros.
Platform: Super
Nintendo/Genesis
Pac-Man boxed himself up again
in this puzzle game. While screenfilling blocks were his most immediate concern, he did make time
to gobble up those pesky ghosts.
Players directed falling slabs into
position, some of which included
Pac-Mans nemeses. Connect a
Pac-Man icon with those ghosts,
and our hero goes into a feeding
frenzy as he binges his way through
all connected ghosts providing
combo opportunities.
WorldMags.net
1994
WorldMags.net
1996
PAC-MAN 2:
THE NEW ADVENTURES
PAC-MAN VR
Platform: Arcade
The current wave of virtual
reality has been trying to
shake public perception of the
concept standing in a weird
cage with a weird headset
and holding a weird controller.
That concept was popularized
by Virtualitys arcade-based
games. The company, which
also made Dactyl Nightmare,
tried its hand at a first-person
Pac-Man game. Its laughably
crude by todays standards, but
its probably the closest thing
you can get to experiencing life
through the characters eyes.
Platform: Super
Nintendo/Genesis
This is probably the oddest
entry in the bunch. In this
action/adventure game, players interact with Pac-Man by
shooting power pellets from
a slingshot. You can choose
to be helpful, plinking away at
points of interest to catch his
attention, or just be a jerk by
peppering him with direct hits.
Either way, its trial-and-error
gameplay means you get your
fill of seeing Pac-Man whimper.
2005
2005
PAC-MAN
PINBALL ADVANCE
PAC-PIX
Platform: Nintendo DS
Nintendos dual-screen
handheld allowed players
to scribble directly onto the
touchscreen. Pac-Man is one
of the most simple-looking
characters in gaming. Youd
think allowing players to
draw their own version of the
hero would be a cinch, right?
Instead, we watched in horror
as our misshapen creation
fumbled around the screen,
eating ghosts while probably
wishing he were one, too.
Platform: Game Boy Advance

His round body and family
history make Pac-Man a perfect candidate for digital pinball, and Namco obliged with
this handheld entry. Players
use the flippers to help keep
Pac-Man rolling, full, and
happy. While the ghosts
remain a perpetual annoyance, his biggest enemy is
gravity. Fortunately, his openmouth smile doesnt interfere
with his smooth rolling.
2010
2011
PAC-MAN PARTY
=10
Platform: Wii
Minigame collections were
all the rage on the Wii back
in 2010. Pac-Man tried his
noblest to get in on the craze,
with poor results. It featured
dozens of bland minigames,
and reinforced the idea that,
aside from Pac-Man himself,
there simply arent enough
memorable characters in his
world to support all types of
games. Perhaps he should
leave the partying to Mario
and friends.
Platform: Android
If you enjoy Bejeweled-style
match-three games and
want to practice arithmetic,
this is your chance to combine your passions. Okay,
so its not the best way to
learn math, and its not an
especially great game. Still,
its further evidence of how
versatile Pac-Man truly is,
and how the genre-hopping
character is absolutely here
to stay. \
WorldMags.net
classic 99
WorldMags.net
ssassins Creed has established a web of historical fiction connecting figures throughout
time to one of the two competing factions in the series. Select (A) for a member or ally of
the Assassins, or (T) to indicate a member, ally, (or puppet!) of the Templars, and find out
how well you know the secret truth behind history. by Matt Miller
1.
Alexander II (1818-1881), emperor of
Russia, king of Poland, grand prince of Finland
2.
Brutus (85 BC-42 BC), Roman senator,
ally of Julius Caesar
3.
Henry Ford (1863-1947), founder of the
Ford Motor Company
6.
Frank A. Vanderlip (1864-1937),
banker, assistant secretary of the
U.S. treasury
7.
Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), inventor,
electrical engineer, futurist
8.
Marco Polo (1254-1324), explorer,
Venetian merchant
4.
Xerxes the Great (518 BC-465 BC),
king of Persia
9.
5.
Rashid ad-Din Sinan (c. 1132-1191),
the Old Man of the Mountain
10.
Dante Alighieri (c. 1265-1321), poet,
writer of The Divine Comedy
Alexander VI (1431-1503), pope
11.
Niccol Machiavelli (1469-1527),
diplomat, philosopher, writer of The Prince
12.
Manuel Palaiologos (1455-1512),
Byzantine nobleman
13.
Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), politician,
leader of the Nazi Party
14.
Fang Xiaoru (1357-1402), Confucian
scholar, bureaucrat
15.
George W. Bush (b. 1946), businessman, former president of the United States
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1-T, 2-A, 3-T, 4-T, 5-A, 6-T, 7-A, 8-A, 9-T, 10-A, 11-A, 12-T, 13-T, 14-A, 15-T
Assassin Or Templar?
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