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PRE-OWNED GAMES
AND ACCESSORIES
 The Return Of
Assassin’s Creed
E
arly in the life of the series, I looked
forward to Assassin’s Creed games
with a level of anticipation that few
franchises could match. The original
game, its sequel, and the amazing
Brotherhood all hold special places in
my personal video game hall of fame.
At the time, I couldn’t see how anything
could possibly go wrong, but I think it all
started to fall apart for me with Assassin’s
Creed III. I enjoyed it, but I could feel the
ANDY McNAMARA execution starting to erode.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF I knew for certain it was flying off the
andy@gameinformer.com tracks with Black Flag, but even though
the story had officially gone off the deep
Read my column or end for me, I fell in love with the pirate-
comment on this letter at focused gameplay. However, the story of
gameinformer.com/mag Desmond and a larger mystery around
or follow @GI_AndyMc the Templars and Assassins was what
had pulled me into the series. That rivalry
gave the great gameplay meaning, and
Black Flag stated clearly that the series
was headed in other directions.
From there things just got worse. I was
unable to finish both Unity and Syndicate.
Some people thought Syndicate was a
step in the right direction, but I didn’t
agree. I don’t think I was alone; other
gamers seemed to drift from the series
as well. Was it the lack of execution?
The change in story direction? I guess
we will never know, but despite all this,
I feel the universe of Assassin’s Creed
has so many possibilities that it can
weather the storm. The core premise
that lets the games jump through place
and time is a powerful one. But without
innovation and the time and care to make
visit gameinformer.com daily for the latest and greatest, and follow @gameinformer on Twitter

the games as great as their promise, it is

easy to see why those two entries didn’t
live up to my expectations.
I was happy that Ubisoft finally learned
its lesson and took the series off the
yearly release cycle to right the ship. Even
though the series lost some of its luster
over the years, it can still turn the tide and
go from a sinking ship to a redemption
story. We all love a great comeback.
The pressure is on. If Assassin’s Creed
Origins fails to engage, I feel the future
of the franchise will be in peril, but things
look to be on the right track. Check out
our cover story and let us know what you
think. I know I’m looking forward to it.
Enjoy the issue.

Cheers,

4
 games index

A Place for the Unwilling . . . . . . 24

Arms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Assassin’s Creed Origins . . . . . . 36

14 25 Fun Video Game Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Learn how Lara Croft was almost Lara Cruz, which video
12 Red Dead Delay
Rockstar Games is
no stranger to delays, and
Bloodstained:
Ritual of the Night . . . . . . . . . . 66

game can claim to be the first in space, and what the heck the Red Dead Redemption 2 is Bye-Bye Boxboy . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Nintendo Comboy is, among other rapid-fire facts. no exception. Cities: Skylines –
Xbox One Edition . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Cosmic Star Heroine . . . . . . . . . 92
06 Feedback Danger Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

24 Impulse: Indie Tales Darksiders III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Of Imprisonment Dead Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
25 The Good, The Bad, Deformers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
And The Ugly
Destiny 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
26 Gamer: Dreadnought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
The Heroes Of Fitness
28 Top Ten Guardians
18 Game Development In Co-op Mode
Video game development is undeniably a team effort, but
this month we look specifically at two-person development teams
Ever Oasis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

and how they make games without driving each other crazy. Far Cry 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
30 Interview: Ian Dallas
Farpoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
32 Gear: Figure Happy
Fidelio Incident, The . . . . . . . . . 93
34 Opinion:
Final Fantasy XII:
What’s In A Name? The Zodiac Age . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
35 Timeline Fire Emblem Echoes:
Shadows of Valentia . . . . . . . . 91
60 Previews
Full Throttle Remastered . . . . . . 93
76 Reviews
Ghost of a Tale . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
94 Classic:
The Saturn Spiral 60 Darksiders III
At one time its future
was uncertain, but we’re
64 Far Cry 5
Ubisoft’s open-world
shooter series always man-
Gnog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Hey! Pikmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
96 Game Over: Spreading happy to see the Zelda- ages to surprise. Is that true
The Assassin’s Creed inspired series will continue. of the new entry? Indivisible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Injustice 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Late Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 . . . 62
Little Nightmares. . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Mages of Mystralia . . . . . . . . . . 87
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. . . . . . . . . . .90
NBA Playgrounds. . . . . . . . . . . . 93

74 Ever Oasis
This action/RPG Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

50 Destiny 2
We’ve spent time with Destiny 2 and are letting you know
what to expect from Bungie’s follow up.
from the studio behind the
3DS Zelda remakes is one
worth keeping an eye on.
Prey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Pro Evolution Soccer 2018. . . . . 72
Rick and Morty:
Virtual Rick-ality . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Rime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Silver Case, The . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Strafe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Surge, The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Syberia 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

79 Injustice 2
NetherRealm delivers 80 Rime
This emotional adven-
84 Perception
It turns out navigat-
ing horror environments
Ultra Street Fighter II:
The Final Challengers . . . . . . . 89

a worthy follow-up to its ture surprised us with its well- without the aid of sight can Warhammer 40,000:
Dawn of War III . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
2013 DC fighter. crafted, somber journey. be terrifying.
What Remains of Edith Finch. . . 83
5 contents
feedback

A number of readers were hot for Hellblade this month, while

others wrote in with killer game ideas, business strategies, and
a request for friendship advice. What? We give good advice!

Hello, Hellblade! Comparing someone to George the news of MS purchasing Red Dead
Thank you for your coverage of Lucas is a bit of a dubious compli- Redemption 2 in its entirety would get
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (issue ment nowadays, but we get what gamers’ attention and possibly sell
289). Heavenly Sword wasn’t my favor- you mean – Ninja Theory is certainly millions of Xbox Ones. I realize the
ite PS3 game, but I enjoyed it and was trying to forge new ground in both up-front price would be enormous, but
intrigued at what a “spiritual succes- Hellblade’s story and production. wouldn’t the eventual payoff be worth
sor” might be like. The more I learned Here’s hoping Hellblade turns out it? It’s not like MS doesn’t have access
of Ninja Theory’s goal to bring triple-A to be Ninja Theory’s Empire Strikes to that kind of money.
quality to an indie game, the more Back, and not its Phantom Menace. Tim Johnson
interested I became. Too often when For more on Hellblade, head to Holyoke, Colorado
I see a new indie game, I’m repulsed gameinformer.com/hellblade.
by its crappy graphics and “retro” style. While buying a franchise from
I’ve also been burned at the other end A Modest Proposal Rockstar would almost certainly be
of the spectrum by games that look I’ve followed video games for the out of the question, Microsoft did try
gorgeous, but are less mechanically or better part of 30 years, so I con- this tactic when it forked over $2.5
thematically interesting than popping sider myself pretty knowledgeable in billion for Minecraft. However, MS
bubble wrap. In this era of gaming, regards to the industry. I understand didn’t stop selling the block-building
why can’t we have both? What really why companies have first- and third- sim on other platforms, and based
elevated Hellblade to a must-buy, party exclusives, but there’s one thing on its recent Play Anywhere initia-
however, was when I learned of the I don’t get. Seeing as how gamers are tive, the company simply seems dis-
depths of Ninja Theory’s research and always complaining about Xbox’s first- interested in strict console-exclusive
commitment to the meaningful por- party lineup, why doesn’t Microsoft properties. As such, we doubt we’ll
trayal of psychosis. I’m happy to see just use its deep, billion-dollar wallets see another billion-dollar buyout –
Ninja Theory following in the footsteps to buy certain franchises? I would think even if Microsoft can afford it.
of possibly the most successful inde-
Contact Us pendent filmmaker, George Lucas, by
Send your questions, showing us that ingenuity and drive
comments, and rants to can deliver high-quality production on
feedback@gameinformer.com a small budget.
for a chance to be featured Quentin Hudspeth
in the magazine! via email
6
 You Win Or You Die Short Answers
I can’t believe no one has jumped on To Readers’
the opportunity to develop an open- Burning
world RPG set in the Game of Thrones Questions:
universe. I know the Telltale series is
out there, but you are still more or less “Is Sakura coming to
beholden to the storyline set down by Street Fighter 5?”
George R.R. Martin and the TV show. Not during season two.
My friends and I are always talking
about how awesome it would be to “How did Bubsy in Claws
create a character and complete quests Encounters of the Furred
in Westeros with the main objective of Kind not make your worst
making your House as influential as subtitle list?”
possible. Given the seemingly ever-
growing fan base surrounding the Because the list wasn’t
books and TV show, this seems like it Top 10 AWESOMEST
would be an instant classic/no-brainer/ subtitles?
slam dunk. Do you think we will ever
see something like this down the line? “Any new info on hockey-
Maybe after the show has ended? mask Jason from the
A.J. Litchfield Friday the 13th game?”
via email Yeah – he’s standing
right behind you!
A half-dozen Game of Thrones
video games have surfaced over the
years, including a browser-based Worst Opening
MMO that’s currently in develop- Line To
ment. Unfortunately, none of them A Feedback
Personal Foul deliver the open-world, choice-
My friends and I were recently discussing video games, when Letter:
driven mix of action and political
I brought up the topic of sports games. I made the point that strategy that GoT fans want to see. “You’re review was
sports games fans are different because we get excited over little We can always hope that some- almost correct.”
things like updated rosters, more realistic gameplay, and more one will do the series justice in the
future, but at this point we’d just be
extensive career modes. One of my friend’s responses shocked Question
content getting our hands on the
me. He told me I wasn’t a gamer, and that sports video games final two books. Of The Month:
aren’t considered real games. He said a real game is Warframe
What do you want to see
or some other game. I have since cut all ties to this friend for his in the new Assassin’s
attitude (he also said sports are stupid and that I shouldn’t like Creed game?
them) and for other reasons I will not add. Thoughts?
Thomas Michael
via email

We’re confused…do gamers outrank jocks in high school

nowadays? Either way, we’ve heard people complain that
video games aren’t a real sport, but never that sports
games aren’t real video games. Still, we wouldn’t recom-
mend ending a friendship over one stupid opinion, no
matter how phenomenally stupid it is. Now two stupid
opinions, on the other hand…

(Left) Ubisoft Montreal’s

gi spy

Jean Guesdon and

Raphael Lacoste gave
us the full rundown on
the latest chapter in the
Assassin’s Creed saga.
(Right) This month we
said farewell to another
team of inspired interns:
Manon Hume, Jordan
Leendertsen, and Zak
Wojnar. Thanks for all
the hard work!

PHOTOS FROM THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY

feedback 7
 On Your Mind More Co-op Concerns
In issue 289, you responded to a
60-year-old gamer’s query about split-
screen co-op (No Country For Old
Co-op Partners). I loved the respect
you showed us older gamers who enjoy
playing with our kids (or getting better
on our own during school hours). Is
there any chance that a console might
give us two video outs or run a game
on two monitors? It’s a bit of an invest-
ment buying two consoles and two
copies of each game to play side by
side. I would certainly pay an extra 100
or 200 for that ability. Thanks again for
the old gamer props!
Jeff Koch
via email
Steal This Idea! After reading the letter on co-op, I was
In issue 289, we asked readers what characteristic Sony and reminded of my childhood. I grew up in
Microsoft should copy from Nintendo. Respondents wrote in the ‘90s when some of the best games
with several suggestions, some more helpful than others. featured co-op modes that made sib-
lings like my brother and I grow closer.
I believe they should put more of an emphasis on couch co-op. I really wish couch co-op would make
a comeback. I’d also like to see a Top
In recent years, local multiplayer is becoming more and more
10 Co-op Games list in a future issue to
of a rarity. While headsets do allow for communication, it’s not make people remember the good old
the same as being next to each other. Although PlayStation and days of gaming.
Xbox are ahead of Nintendo in many ways, designated offline Eric Nyman
modes are where Nintendo has the edge. via email
Gabe Schraer
Hellblade Hoopla Alas, there really isn’t a multi-display
solution for consoles, and while set-
More Couch Co-op! Nintendo has always been accessible to non-gamers, as seen ting up more than one monitor on
Nintendo’s with games that almost anyone can play, like Wii Sports. PC is straightforward, few develop-
Noteworthy Ideas Microsoft tried to piggyback on the company’s successes with ers offer split-screen support on the
the Kinect and Sony with the Move controller, but Nintendo platform. As for a Top 10 Co-op list,
Review Complaints we can do you three times better:
remains the champion of pick-up-and-play games. I believe
Darth Clark Fans Issue 233 contained our list of the
that Sony and Microsoft should focus more energy on first-party
(Scary!) Top 30 co-op games of all-time, and
casual games to entice a new market of players. you can check out our picks for the
Emily Lewis best couch co-op games of this gen-
eration at gameinformer.com.
As a longtime Nintendo fan, the answer is simple: Sony and
Microsoft should learn the savvy business move of withhold-
ing stock of their products. My five-month ordeal of calling
stores daily for the NES Classic – only to find out it is now
discontinued – has bolstered my level of faith and loyalty to
Nintendo to a level where I would die for them.
Grant Coscia

(Left) Community super

fans Keith Norberg,
Kathryn Scrafford, and
Hilary Wilton were all
smiles after the Game
Informer panel at this
year’s GlitchCon.
(Right) U of M
journalism major Dalton
Tuskowski got a quick
tour of the G.I. vault
after his one-on-one
with Reeves.

(continued on page 10)

8 feedback
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gallery 1
WINNER
1 Evan Pataki
The only way this art would be any cooler is if it was airbrushed onto
the side of a van.

2 Heather Martini
Either Spawn is squatting on the top of a boulder, or he
just took the biggest dump in superhero history.

3 Maleah Walker
We’d totally play a chibi version of Journey.

4 Caylee Lovinfosse
If your dreams involve a talking, psychedelic whale, you
know you’re doing something right.

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

(Left) Move over, Mickey – The

first stop on Reiner’s family trip to
Orlando was this year’s Star Wars
Celebration, where he introduced
his daughter Evi to the military
might of the Galactic Empire.
(Right) The Video Game History
Foundation director Frank
Cifaldi spent half the month
embedded in the G.I. offices,
examining a treasure trove of old
games, documents, and other
paraphernalia. Learn all about
his archeology expedition at
gameinformer.com/gishow.

10 feedback
connect
RED

NOTABLES
14 25 fun facts about
video games you
likely didn't know

18 game development
in co-op mode

24 impulse: indie tales

of imprisonment

26 gamer:
the heroes of fitness

34 opinion:
what's in a name?
dispelling the myth
of game purity

12
DEAD DELAY
Rockstar postpones Red Dead Redemption 2
into spring 2018

by Matt Bertz

Much to the dismay of impatient fans, Rockstar

Games decided the sequel to one of the best
games of the last console generation needs
more development time. Originally scheduled
to launch this fall, those itching to explore the
“vast and unforgiving American heartland” of
Red Dead Redemption 2 must now wait until
next spring.
“We are very sorry for any disappointment this
delay causes, but we are firm believers in delivering
a game only when it is ready,” Rockstar said in an
official statement.
Given the lack of information about the game
made available to the public thus far, the delay
wasn’t surprising. It also shouldn’t be too upsetting
considering Rockstar has a good track record of
delivering quality games after a delay. The last title
that the company pushed back, Grand Theft Auto V,
shipped with a high level of polish and is still a
mainstay in game sales charts despite originally
releasing in 2013.
Along with the delay news, the studio released
a fresh batch of screenshots showcasing the
game’s gorgeous landscapes, remarkable atten-
tion to detail, and fearsome outlaws. Rockstar still
hasn’t given us a good glimpse of these charac-
ters’ faces, but several images now have featured
a burly man wearing a duster and cowboy hat
with a braided twine band. Could this be the
protagonist? Multiple images show dual-wielding
pistols as well, with one character holding two
different revolvers.
Rockstar says we’ll see more of the game this
summer, so we should find out soon.

connect 13
 ou may have an encyclopedic knowledge of a

Y game, but you likely don’t know all of the stories

behind it – even if you complete every side quest
in an RPG or prestige a dozen times in a multi-
player shooter. Some of these tales stretch into the realm
of the weird, draw inspiration from the strangest of places,
or can be oddly touching. Other stories don’t make a lick of
sense. We rounded up 25 little tidbits that should give you a
greater appreciation of some of video games’ biggest hits.

by Andrew Reiner

14
 1. The Nintendo Comboycultural imports following World War
South Korea put a ban on Japanese
didn’t mean South Korean gamers
II, and it wasn’t lifted until 2004. That
dai Electronics distributed Nintendo’s
didn’t get to know Mario. Hyun

1
was called the Hyundai Comboy,
product in South Korea. The NES
ed by the Supe r Comboy and Comboy 64.
which was supersed

2. Batman: Arkham Asylum wa

almost rhythmic s
During the early stages of developm
ent, Batman: Arkham Asylum
was prototyped as a rhythmic actio
n game. The second prototype
focused on 2D fighting, which woul
d pop up whenever enemies were
engaged, and involved colored circle
s bashing into each other. Both
of these failed attempts fueled the
basis of the final combat system.

3. Super Mario and Nine Inc h Nails

3
r Mario games are named
Supe
Many of the Koopalings from the
mus icians. Mos t peop le can see the pattern in Ludwig,
after famous
Wha t you may not know is Super Mario
Iggy, and Lemmy’s names.
is named Reznor, named after
World’s fire-breathing triceratops
Nine Inch Nails , who also created the soundtrack
Trent Reznor of
for Quake.

4. The lion that would eat itself

Scribblenauts almost launched with
a strange bug, in which a lion
would eat itself if bacon was glue
d to its back. The odd occurrence
was found in the late stages of A.I.
finalization.

5. The lunch bell nuke when a Fat Man nuke is

The satisfying “ding” that rings out
bell from Bethesda Softworks’
launched in Fallout 3 is the lunch

7
mod eled after an actual nuke launch-
cafeteria. The Fat Man itself is
Tactical Nuclear Recoilless Rifle,
er called the M-388 Davy Crockett
in the 1950s.
which was developed

6. Master Chief is a radio DJ

The voice actor who has played Mas
ter Chief in every Halo game to
date is more famously known as
Steve Downes, a radio DJ dating
back to the late 1970s. Downes was
most recently on Chicago’s
WDRV “The Drive.”

7. Lara Croft was originally Laura Cruz

ed to make an interactive
want
Core Design animator Toby Gard
ng for treasure in Egyptian
movie starring a male character looki
deem ed too close to Indiana Jones,
pyramids. The character was
h American woman named Laura
and was quickly switched to a Sout
up wanting a U.K. friendly name, so Core employ-
Cruz. Core ended
settled on the name “Croft.”
ees dove into a phone book and

8. A famous game developer is

Final Fantasy VII named after
Chinese video game creator Xing
han Chen’s name may not ring any
bells, but you are likely familiar with
his design work on the games
Journey and Flower. Xinghan work
s under the name Jenova Chen.
He was inspired by Final Fantasy
VII, and took the name of the
character Jenova when he started
working in games.

9. The first video game in space

The Game Boy version of Tetris was the first game played in space.

8
In 1993, Tetris traveled aboard a Soyuz TM-17 rocket to the MIR
r
Space Station, where it was played by Russian cosmonaut Aleksand
A. Serebrov. The game was later sold at an auction for $1,220.

connect 15
10. Prince of Persia: Ass

game was called Princ

assin’s Creed
successful Assassin’s Creed
Ubisoft’s long-running and highly
series was originally going to be a
e of Pers
of a female assassin tasked with
ia:
Prince of Persia spinoff. The
Assassins, and it told the story
protecting a prince in Jerusalem.
Ubisoft rejected the idea as it
10
After roughly a year of deve lopm ent,
enough. The game was reworked to the
didn’t focus on the prince
Assassin’s Creed we know today.

11. Barack Obama campaigned

During the 2008 presidential elect
in 18 games
ion, Barack Obama purchased
ad space in 18 games that ran in
10 states. The “Vote for Change”
billboards were in Burnout Paradise,
Skate, Madden, and more that
targeted the demographic of ages
18 to 34.

12. Left 4 Dead in The Cab in in the Woods

n in the Woods, a gallery of
Cabi
Toward the end of the movie The
nds. Along with other iconic film
monsters is shown for a few seco
are from the video game series
monsters, two of those creatures
ed gam ers can clearly see a Boomer and Witch.
Left 4 Dead. Eagle-ey

13. Rigged against the Bulls

NBA Jam creator Mark Turmell is

at beating the then-rival Chicago

such a huge Detroit Pistons fan
that he rigged his game so the Pisto

and anyone on the Bulls took a last-

code in the game so they would aver
ns would have a better shot
Bulls. “If there was a close game
second shot, we wrote special
11
age out to be bricks,” Turmell
told ESPN the Magazine.

14. Nintendo’s drug is the banana

15
Legend II, the player encoun-
In the Game Boy title Final Fantasy
but Nintendo’s censorship
tered a group of opium smugglers,
ldn’t allow that to fly in the U.S. version. Instead of
guidelines wou
ers were forced to peddle bananas in
selling opium, the drug deal
the back alleys of this world.

15. Deleting James Bond

In the Nintendo 64 game GoldenEy
e 007, Rare originally intended
to include Roger Moore, Timothy
Dalton, and Sean Connery as
playable characters in multiplayer.
That plan was scrapped prior to
release, but the character models
for these famed actors were still
on the cartridge. In 2005, a group
called The Rare Witch Project
cracked the game’s code and foun
d them.

16. The U.S. Air Force loves PlayStation 3

-
In 2010, the U.S. Air Force created the Condor Cluster, a heteroge
neous supercom puter built using off-the-shelf commerc ial compo-
nents, including over 1,700 PlayStation 3s. This particular system
is about half a petaflop, or capable of about 500 trillion calculations
per second," said Mark Barnell, the director of high-performance
computing at the Air Force Research Laboratory. "In the current
time that we can measure it, it's about the 35th- or 36th-fastest
computer in the world. The Condor Cluster cost $2 million to build.

17. Sonic the Hedgehog is inside

A gene and protein that separates all of us
your right brain from the left,
and determines you have two eyes
is called sonic hedgehog.
The gene’s symbol is SHH. The nam
e wasn’t inspired directly

16
by the game, but a comic-book serie
s. A British post-doc
named Robert Riddle drew inspiratio
n from a Sonic comic his
6-year-old daughter was reading.
The gene appropriately has a
spikey appearance.

16
19
18. Lengthy Smash Bros. fan fi
With 4,061,12
ction
9 words spread across 220 chapters,
fan-fiction story called The Subspace a Smash Bros.
Emissary’s Worlds Conquest
is one of the longest works of litera
ture in the English language. The
book is written by someone named
Christian, who writes under
the name AuraChannlerChris. The
longest published novel is Jules
Romains’ Men of Goodwill at 2,07
0,000 words and 8,000 pages.

19. Xbox was almost the DirectX Box

with the DirectX team to discuss
In 1999, Microsoft’s Ed Fries met
a PC with a hidden Windows OS
a new idea called the DirectX Box,
be marketed like a cons ole machine. The first mockup
that would
a silve r X with a PC board inside. As the
of the DirectX Box was
ent, Wind ows was dropped, the
project moved through developm
ged, and it was even tually renamed Xbox.
console look chan

20. Final Fantasy VII was a Nin

ten
Numbered Final Fantasy games were do exclusive
Nintendo exclusives until Square
Soft realized the Nintendo 64 wasn
’t capable of achieving its vision for
the next installment in the series.
That game was Final Fantasy VII.
to the storage limitations of cartridge Due
s, Square created Final Fantasy VII
exclusively for PlayStation. An ad
for the game mocked Nintendo’s
medium, saying “Someone get the
guys who make cartridge games

23
cigarette and a blindfold. Possibly a
the greatest game ever made is avail
able only on PlayStation. Good thing -
, if it were available on cartridge,
it’d retail for around $1,200.”

sor
21. Gandhi, the aggreshi’s aggression rating was the
In the first Civilization game, Gand
didn’t want to make war. However,
lowest score of one, meaning he
ocracy, his aggr ession dropped two points.
if a player chose dem
the number looped around to
Instead of falling to negative one,
est aggressio n rating poss ible. Democracy turned
255, the high
Gandhi into a nuke-firing titan .

22. People are blocks

Ever wonder where all of the peop
le in the Mushroom Kingdom
are? In the manual for Super Mari
o Bros. on NES, a short story
summary says the Koopas turned
all of the land’s people into
blocks, stones, and field horse-ha
ir plants. Think of that the next
time you make Mario jump into a
block.

24
23. The smells of soccer and racing
Gran Turismo 2 shipped with
The U.K. versions of FIFA 2001 and ’s
sniff” discs. If you scratched FIFA
the peculiar idea of “scratch and Turismo 2’s disc
Rubbing Gran
disc, you would “smell the pitch.”
smell.”
would deliver an “authentic pit-stop

24. The many names of Soda Pop

The wonderfully named Soda Popi inski
nski from Mike Tyson’s Punch-Ou
originally boxed under the guise Vodk t
a Drunkenski in the arcade game
Super Punch-Out. In an unlicense
d port to Commodore 64 called
Frank Bruno’s Boxing, his name was
changed to Andra Puncharedov.

25. A little-known Halo 4 cameo

Richter visited 343 Industries

25
Comedians Conan O’Brien and Andy
n, in which they recorded audio
for a spoof skit in an episode of Cona
spac eship. This audio made it into Halo 4
for dockworkers aboard a
need to stand next to two specific
in a level called Shutdown. You’ll
coup le of minutes to trigger their dialogue. \
dockworkers for a

connect 17
 Inside the lives of families and couples
that make games together

18
Building and sustaining a healthy relationship has its From Perception’s developer duo running a studio
share of ups and downs, and mixing that with game from home while taking care of four kids, to the fam-
development can be an even greater feat. Although ily trauma that drove That Dragon, Cancer’s creators
the term “don’t mix business with pleasure” suggests to build an emotional game, it’s clear that for some,
relationships and work should remain separate, some making games is best accomplished when it’s a two-
couples in the games industry believe otherwise. way street.

by Elise Favis

Two Is Better Than One at and how things are working,” Bill dark on your honeymoon, but code
says. “Because I’ve collaborated with tools?” jokes James.
Putting aside differences is one Amanda for so long, it’s easy for me Working under the same roof, and
thing, but for Amanda and Bill Gard- to forget that she doesn’t know every often in the same room, James and
ner, the creators of horror game last little inside-baseball term we have Michelle are careful to not push each
Perception, differing backgrounds in games.” other’s buttons. They describe them-
ended up influencing their work in They may have different back- selves as “emotional sponges of each
positive ways. By combining their grounds, but their love of games is other,” often sharing similar highs and
diverse talents and applying them to- mutually strong. Video games are a lows. But this doesn’t mean working
ward the game, they found innovation family affair, and often they play with together is always smooth sailing.
through each other’s strengths. their four kids. Even their infant daugh-
Perception’s concept, which puts
you in the shoes of a blind woman
ter, Rinoa, is named after the Final
Fantasy VIII character. Despite different
Clashing Perspectives
who uses echolocation to navigate a career paths, their similar interests in Working closely with a significant other
haunted house, is something Bill came movies, shows, and more has made can be tough, with emotions stronger
up with in grad school after a creative collaboration easier. than they would be with an average
exercise. Following the closure of “We’ve been together for 17 years,” coworker. Communication and open-
Irrational Games, his prior employer, he Amanda says. “I can reference a scene ness are key to success, but some-
switched over to the indie scene and or thing and know we’ve seen it to- times other factors come into play.
began collaborating with his wife to gether. It definitely cuts the time down Before Michelle came into his life,
make Perception. because you don’t have to explain it.” James always worked solo. As both
With Amanda’s background in Amanda and Bill aren’t the only programmer and creative lead of Ska
English and Bill being a games- couple that see collaborating on Studios, James sees his work largely
industry veteran, the two come from video game development as a posi- as his brainchild. Sometimes this bal-
significantly different areas. Learning tive experience. James and Michelle ance of control leads to minor conflicts.
the ropes happens on both sides, with Silva, who have been married for five “We try really hard to work together
Bill better understanding the ins and years, developed action/RPG Salt & and have a shared vision,” James says.
outs of literary references, and Amanda Sanctuary together. “But the problem is I’m the coder and
rethinking how a story can be told for The two are so passionate about I attach everything together. Subcon-
an interactive medium. their work that even during their sciously or otherwise, I tend to just do
“If you’re a couple working together, honeymoon they would spend eve- it my way.”
it’s very important to take a step back nings working on their game. “I mean, Despite these difficulties, James and
and constantly evaluate where you’re what are you supposed to do after Michelle don’t recall ever having

Following Irrational Games' closure,

Bill Gardner began working on
horror game Perception with his wife

connect 19
 Amy and Ryan Green created That Dragon,
Cancer to cope with the death of their young son

a significant fight that affected their

work. Comparatively, Perception’s
Collaborating On Real-Life Experiences the game to convey, because of their
Christian faith, resilience, and love for
Amanda and Bill had qualms about When Amy and Ryan first began their son.
working together, but also managed to making That Dragon, Cancer, a game Amy says after hearing the game
push through. about their young son Joel’s battle with pitch from Ryan, she felt apprehensive.
“That was something I was person- cancer, they believed wholeheartedly “I told him that’s not a game,” she
ally a little bit apprehensive about go- he was going to live. When he passed says. “No one wants to play some-
ing in,” Bill says. “We had collaborated away at the age of five, the game’s thing terrible. It was terrible to live
for years and years on everything. I tone and premise shifted, and so did [through]. But I think at that point I just
knew her perspective, I knew her style, the couple’s relationship. wasn't as aware of the whole genre of
and all of that. But you know, when At one year old, Joel was diagnosed meaningful games.”
you’re actually working in the trenches with a cancerous brain tumor. Nearing Following positive reception from
together, you never know how it’s go- the age of two, doctors told the Greens the game’s reveal, both Amy and
ing to go.” he had three weeks to four months to Ryan felt it was clear that the game
This uncertainty can be a deal-break- live. Despite this, Joel kept living for had promise – not just as a way to
er for some, and certain couples that a few more years. The couple began process the difficult emotions from the
work on games together face problems working on That Dragon, Cancer, feel- trauma, but to share their story in a
that can become unsolvable. This is ing as though they were “documenting meaningful way.
what happened to Jessica Curry, who a miracle.” To make both their relationship and
stepped down from working along- When Joel passed away midway game work, Amy and Ryan had to
side her husband Dan Pinchbeck at through the game’s development, Amy be incredibly honest with each other.
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture explains that the creative direction Instead of struggling to communicate,
developer The Chinese Room in 2015. “pivoted a little bit.” Nonetheless, hope often they are guilty of communicating
In a lengthy blog post, she noted how was a strong emotion they wished for too much.
working alongside her husband caused
issues. Whether it was the press giving
all the credit to her husband, or even
Dan himself discrediting her, she felt
it was wise and healthy to step away
from working alongside him.
“On a personal level I look back at
my huge contribution to the games
that we’ve made and I have had to
watch Dan get the credit time and time
again,” Curry wrote in the post. “I’ve
realized that the only way I’m going to
get credit for the work that I do is if I
take a step away from Dan.”
This decision, while difficult, helped
the couple move past this problem.
As for Amy and Ryan Green, a couple
from Colorado, they turned to game
development to cope with trauma
and heartbreak.
20
 Wavering faith and a sense of de-
spair were constant issues, but were
then used as fuel for That Dragon,
Cancer. For example, midway through
the game, Amy sits in a boat while
Ryan struggles to stay afloat in the
water. It’s a symbolic moment that
gives insight into the friction between
the two.
When difficulties arose, Amy would
look to her faith for answers, feeling
strongly that things would prevail,
whereas Ryan could feel hopeless. “It
was challenging to have Ryan some-
times be so despairing when I felt so
full of faith,” Amy says.
Despite the hardships, neither Amy
nor Ryan ever considered stopping
production on That Dragon, Cancer.
With their faith and empathy for one
another, they managed to continue Salt & Sanctuary is a game made by
James and Michelle Silva, who have
development. Ryan explains that he been married since 2012
sees the game as a “gift to his family,”
and a snapshot of their life when Joel
was still by their side. away from the kids. “As much as it’s fun to work all the
Bill and Amanda find working from time when you’re working on games,
A Balancing Act home can be hectic, explaining that
kids’ schedules are “complicated” and
it’s better for your health and your
relationship to get out of that zone for
As Perception reached its funding goal that they must constantly adapt, but a while and like go out somewhere
on Kickstarter, Bill and Amanda were both are thankful to be as involved as together, work out together,” Michelle
expecting their third child. Halfway they are in their family’s home life. says. “I’ve found that when we go do
through production, Amanda became “It’s great to be able to just walk a workout class together, we’re much
pregnant again. With a house of four upstairs [to be with the kids]. Just happier together afterward.”
young kids that also acts as the game’s being able to go out, that is my way Mutual interests and a combined
studio, a philosophy of flexibility runs of getting a breather,” Bill says. “It’s passion drive these couples toward
deep for the Gardners. sort of grounding to reality because successful game development, but
“You have to be flexible and you have outside of that, I’m always entirely in it’s not always easy to collaborate.
to have no expectations,” Amanda the game world.” As games become more advanced
says. “You have to understand that you Like most things, balance and and demanding to make, working as
never know what’s going to happen.” moderation can be healthy. For Salt a couple is not always ideal. But with
The Gardners’ development studio, & Sanctuary’s James and Michelle collective patience, communication,
The Deep End Games, consists of Silva, they believe this is their secret to and a balanced life, the couples behind
Amanda, Bill, and their sound designer, success. To wind down after a stressful games like Perception and Salt &
as well as hired contractors that work day, the two do activities together, Sanctuary prove it’s possible, as well
remotely. Perception was mostly such as playing games or taking as rewarding, to make games collab-
brought to life in the couple’s basement a workout class. oratively with loved ones. \

connect 21
Gaming For All
How the industry is striving
by Javy Gwaltney
to accomodate disabled gamers

“I
like proving people wrong,” says Michael Begum, one of the best Street Fighter allows him to throw his head around to control
players in the world, unable to help flashing a cocky grin. I can’t blame him. actions in games.
“Every single week we get inquiries from
Begum, a.k.a. BrolyLegs, has more than earned it, making a name for himself
developers asking us how to make their
and rising to the top as the number-one ranked Chun-Li player in Ultra Street games more accessible,” he explains. “All of
Fighter IV. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Begum achieved that ranking by only play- these companies – Paradox, Harmonix, EA,
ing the game with his mouth. Activision – they come to us and ask us to
Born with arthrogryposis, a condition that prevents muscle growth, Begum spent most help.” The willingness for developers to work
on accessibility is what Spohn considers to
of his gaming life learning how to play with controllers not built for people with physi- be the biggest improvement in accommoda-
cal disabilities. “My first game was Super Mario Brothers 3 for the NES,” he recalls. “I tion in games over the past decade. He recalls
put my wrist on the d-pad and I could move my hand to use the directional pads and I how Ablegamers took a camera crew to GDC
could put my chin on the buttons. As long as the television was on the floor, I could see in 2009 and asked more than 200 developers
the screen and play.” if they thought about disabled people when
making games. Only three of them said yes.
Begum’s not alone in his struggles with having to rig controllers or devise strategies One person even laughed and walked away.
to play video games. A recent study revealed that one in five Americans are physically “It’s been a great improvement in attitude
disabled. How is the gaming industry accommodating this portion of the population? since then,” he says. AbleGamers isn’t the
We chatted with players, developers, and advocates about progress in accessibility and only consulting group either. Former Game
Informer intern Joshua Straub runs DAGER
video games to learn more.
System, a website that rates games by acces-
sibility and also consults with developers.
Understanding The Obstacles Luckily, people are willing to take on Cathy Vice, a popular game critic and ac-
When I put out a public query to our read- that challenge. cessibility advocate who writes under the
ers, asking them about their disabilities and The Ablegamers charity began life in 2003 pseudonym IndieGamerChick, has epilepsy
how it affects their gaming lifestyles, my inbox as a blog for EverQuest. The organization has and is also appreciative of how far the industry
received more than 300 emails. Many detailed changed a few times over the years, going has progressed. “Five years ago, it was un-
how conditions like blindness, cerebral palsy, from an info dump for the disabled to its cur- common to see developers, indie or otherwise,
missing limbs, and deafness get in the way rent form as a charity and nonprofit-consultant include accessibility features. Since then I've
of enjoying games. It soon became clear that organization for developers. “We bridge the spoken with hundreds of developers, including
the number of disabilities capable of impeding gap between the desire to play video games directors at major third-party studios, about
someone’s enjoyment poses a daunting prob- and the abilities that people have,” says COO accommodating players like me.”
lem for those who want to make video games Steven Spohn. Born with spinal muscular atro- Vice believes that it’s her responsibility
more accessible. phy, Spohn wears a modified head array that to manage her epilepsy and not place that
22
bur den on developers. However, she also
thinks that accessibility features are becom-
ing more natural: “These days, most devel-
opers have accessibility in mind from the
drawing-board stages of creation… [Accessi-
bility options] feel like they were meant to be
there, not grafted on years after the fact.”

The Road Ahead

While a lot of progress has been made on
the front of accessibility, there’s still room for
improvement. Karen Stevens, who’s been
working as EA’s accessibility advocate since
2013, is one of the people working at a major
publisher seeking out how to improve ac-
commodations for disabled gamers. Stevens
has played a critical role in getting accessibil-
ity features in Madden NFL 17, which include
brightness options and colorblind support.
Other EA titles that include notable acces-
Steven Spohn heads up Ablegamers,
sibility features are Battlefield, SimCity – both a charity and non-profit consultation
have colorblind settings – and FIFA, which company that helps to make games
lets players customize their controls. more accessible for the disabled
EA allows people to send accessibility-
related feedback to a public email address.
“What I’m using the feedback for is to see
what would make sense to happen next,”
Stevens explains. “That doesn’t necessarily
mean any feedback I hear will happen next.
It just means that feedback is already on our
radar, and that’s a step in the right direction.”
Other developers have taken up the
mantle of accessibility advocacy recently as
well. The number of accessibility options in
Uncharted 4, which let players choose their
targeting preference and let them hold down
a button during quick-time events instead
of rapidly pressing it, were heralded for how
considerate they were. At the behest of fans’
requests, NetherRealm Studios patched in
an accessibility mode for Injustice: Gods
Among Us that filled the game with audio
cues to help visually impaired players during A younger gamer uses a modified
controller created by Ablegamers
battles. Begum notes that Street Fighter at a disability awareness event
letting him remap his controller is what lets
him play to the level where he can compete
in tournaments.
In spite of all the progress made, new
technology integrated into gaming brings
new problems. Virtual reality is an experience
that’s closed off to a large number of dis-
abled gamers. “VR for people with disabilities
is amazing – except when it sucks,” Spohn
says. “If you’re somebody who has one hand
or limited vision, you’re not going to be able
to participate in a lot of what VR has to offer.”
He also has concerns about the Nintendo
Switch, which doesn’t allow third-party modi-
fications yet, keeping people with disabilities
from playing the console. “We get so many
people asking us, ‘Hey, can I play Switch if
I need assistive technology?’ and every time
I tell them no.”
Still, as noted by disabled gamers, critics,
and developers: it’s hard to deny the genuine
improvements the industry has made over
the past decade. From colorblind options in
menus to controller modifications and studios
explicitly seeking out how to make games
more accessible, disability advocates seem Disability advocate Joshua Straub
prepared for the long haul and ready to strive meeting with president of Sony
for a world where everyone everywhere can Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida at
Global Accessibility Awareness Day
play video games. \
connect 23
impulse Indie Tales Of Imprisonment
by Matt Miller

e often group games around their genres or gameplay

W
adventure on each subsequent escape
attempt, and permanent upgrades
traits, but I sometimes enjoy examining the shared purchased along the way help to give
themes that developers are tackling, especially you a better chance at survival.
Developer Motion Twin has a great
in the indie scene. This month, I spent time playing three eye for tight movement and jumping,
extraordinary titles united under concepts of feeling trapped, varied weapon styles, and challenging
enemy patterns that demand atten-
facing imprisonment, and longing for escape. tion and learning. Secret rooms and
passages reveal additional money
and item rewards. Teleport locations
allow for quick traversal to discovered
pathways. Intriguing new abilities and
armaments appear gradually, and
once unlocked, appear with regular-
ity in subsequent playthroughs. Dead
Cells is currently tuned to extreme
difficulty, but its taut gameplay is hard
to turn down. You can try it yourself in
early access right now, or wait for its
polished final release in 2018 on PC
Ghost of a Tale
PS4, Xbox One, PC
and as-yet undetermined consoles.
Your childhood friend has commit-
ted suicide, and left you his fortune
In Ghost of a Tale, developer SeithCG Ghost of a Tale has a sumptuous and business. But to claim your
brings its expertise drawn from years visual palette, filled with details that inheritance and care for your friend’s
of Hollywood animation work to create meld a classic medieval fantasy with bereft widow and mother, you must
a charming tale about an anthropo- a world of sentient rodents. The set- move to a fog-shrouded city. Here
morphic minstrel mouse named Tilo. ting recalls properties like the Redwall it quickly becomes apparent that
The adorable fellow faces constant novels, Mouse Guard comics, or The you are trapped in the city’s steady
danger, starting with being locked Secret of Nimh animated film, juxta- march toward oblivion. That’s the
away in a dank dungeon. The action/ posing cute creatures with serious and Lovecraftian setup of A Place for the
adventure that follows mixes explora- often bleak imagery. The atmosphere is Unwilling, a strange new narrative
tion and item discovery with a need to imposing, leading to a constant desire game from developer AlPixel Games.
confront foes, like rat dungeon guards, to scramble toward freedom. Puzzles Citing inspiration from Majora’s
in brief bursts of more active play. are simple but fun, like pushing a bar- Mask and Sunless Sea, the pacing is
Enemies are inevitably stronger than rel onto an unsuspecting rat on a lower gradual but inexorable. Time passes
you, so it’s through speed, wit, and level to clear a route, or using a slowly as your explorations continue, and
taking advantage of numerous hiding draining oil lantern to navigate a floor it’s increasingly apparent that a ter-
spots that Tilo must survive, reminding littered with mouse traps. I was happily rible fate looms in the future for all the
me of the dynamic that characterized surprised by the polish and engaging people you meet.
the classic Oddworld games. moments of discovery, and after a few Figures on the gloomy streets are
hours with the early access build, I had shrouded in shadow, but you can
to accept the need to wait until later explore the narrative arcs of 15 citi-
Dead Cells
PC, Consoles (TBA) this fall for its release on Xbox One zens through conversation and inter-
and PC. A PS4 release is planned for action. Instead of a win-or-lose story,
the first half of 2018. the storytelling focuses on natural
Dead Cells opens after an imprison- exposition and character develop-
ment ends in brutal fashion. A body ment. Branching narrative paths for
sits by a headsman’s block in the the characters and their city explore
deep recesses of a forgotten dungeon, the inevitability of death, and at least
decapitated and left to rot. A glowing one of the major threads examines the
green energy slips across the floor to devastating income inequality between
inhabit the corpse and bring it back the poor and wealthy. Weaving
A Place for the Unwilling
to its feet, and from there it’s unclear through it all, classic Cthulhu mythos
PC whether you are the green substance, elements sneak into the story, presum-
the revivified human, or some mix of ably leading up to the disaster that
the two. Regardless, the 2D action in waits at the end of 21 in-game days.
the chambers beyond mixes the preci- I only saw some of the early conver-
sion combat and platforming of the sations and character introductions
Castlevania games with a rogue-lite during my explorations, but A Place
challenge that sees you repeatedly for the Unwilling is awash in moody
returning to your starting prison art and mystery, leaving me eager to
cell after each death. Procedural discover the rest of the city when the
generation changes the layout of your game releases on PC in 2018. \
24 connect
 g.b.u.
The Good

THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY

Quotable

“Regarding the
new IP – it is
a title that we
Developer Dontnod has announced it is a year into the development of a new LIFE IS STRANGE title, and that the first game had initially
sold three million copies. The French company didn’t say whether the new project will feature any of the characters from positioned for
the first game or any other details about the project. Dontnod is also currently working on Vampyr, an action/RPG set to fiscal year 18. It
release later this year.
will be a mul-
tiplayer game
with a strong
The Bad live operation.”

PC fans can finally get in on the action in DESTINY 2, but they’ll have
to wait to do it. The much-anticipated sequel is coming to PS4 and Xbox
One on September 8, but at the time of this writing, the PC version still
doesn’t have a release date. For more info on Destiny 2, turn to page 50.

Ubisoft CFO Alain

Martinez simulta-
neously announces
HALF-LIFE 3 looks further away than ever,
a new game from
now that Valve writer Chet Faliszek has left
the company while
the company after 12 years. Faliszek was
saying its release is
a writer on Half-Life 2: Episode One and
being pushed back
Episode Two, as well as the Portal and Left
into 2018-19 due
4 Dead series. Fellow writers Erik Wolpaw
to the strength of
(who worked with Faliszek on the previ-
the company’s cur-
ously mentioned titles) and Mark Laidlaw
rent and upcoming
(Half-Life, Half-Life 2) have also departed
titles, including the
Valve in recent years. \
just-announced
Far Cry 5.
The Ugly
connect 25
gamer

Names:
The Heroes Of Fitness Timothy Spencer
and Nicole Du Cane
Getting pumped up with your favorite games Location:
Minnesota

T
he Heroes of Fitness are married couple Timothy Spencer (Senior
Website:
RKC Kettlebell instructor) and Nicole Du Cane (COO at Dragon Door). heroesoffitness.com
Hailing from the fitness industry where they met in Minneapolis, Twitch:
MN, these streamers are combining two things they love, fitness and video twitch.tv/
games, with an interactive exercise routine that’s tailored to the games heroesoffitness
they play. Despite their focus on Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm, their name
actually comes from the old classic Heroes of Might & Magic II.

interview by Daniel Tack

How did this whole thing piloted and controlled by two people), from families getting involved, mar-
get started? and that’s become sort of a stream ried couples and their kids, they all
Nicole: A lot of gamers want to feel favorite. We’ve had a Heroes of the get into it, especially if we’re doing
better, they want to look better, they Storm caster tell us that we play a something like Let’s Dance. I never
want to get healthy, but there’s not mean Cho’gall and that more pros predicted that.
necessarily a lot of approachable ways should get married to take advantage
geared toward gamers. of the character. How did you get started in gaming?
T: I started out with Atari, Nintendo,
Timothy: These can be outward gim- How do you incorporate fitness the typical console wave. I started PC
micks and usually the things are into gameplay? gaming when I was really young, got
unhealthy, like energy drinks or other N: We have a monthly PDF so people into all the Blizzard games, Command
things that aren’t actually healthy, so can follow along at home. Depending and Conquer, Ultima Online, and then
we try to bring actual health and fit- on the game we’re playing we have World of Warcraft. I went through a
ness information to table. a different routine, it could be body- phase where I was really really into
weight training; it could be kettlebells, WoW where it was affecting my health.
N: We’re not saying you need to go it could be yoga. With Heroes of the I swore off video games for almost a
super hardcore and become some Storm we do a short little five minute year where I became really dedicated
crazy crossfit jock to look and feel break between each match, or on Dark to strength training, eating correctly,
well. If you’re sitting for hours and Souls we’d do it every time we’d die. and that’s where I got into exercise
hours gaming, that’s not really good For longer period games like Horizon science and all that. But I couldn’t
for your body. You just need reminders Zero Dawn, we schedule something resist, and worked my way back
to get up and move, so we thought roughly every hour. into gaming.
here’s an easy way to get people up
and moving when they’re waiting in a T: For more action oriented or quick N: I had a younger brother, and we’d
queue or waiting for their party to get match games usually every 15-25 play together on console all the time.
ready, and just support people in their minutes we’re getting up. People I didn’t get into PC until way later. I
fitness journey. will come to the chat and tell us how would sit there and help him with The
much this has helped people get into Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as
How did Heroes of the Storm a healthy lifestyle, whether they lost he couldn’t read the cutscenes fast
become your flagship title? ten pounds, got the motivation to stop enough, and we played a lot of Smash
T: Heroes of the Storm is our core title, drinking pop, and all kinds of things. Brothers and Mario Kart. Lots of
we sort of got into it playing Cho’gall Nintendo, but eventually I got into Halo
together (Cho’gall is one character N: Surprisingly we’ve also heard and other competitive games.
26 connect
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Company or its affiliates. © 2017 MARVEL
top ten GUARDIANS
by Kyle Hilliard

Guardians
Destiny
The defenders of The Last City take their jobs seriously.
So seriously, in fact, that they made their job titles their
whole identity. They’re the guards of humanity’s last
outpost, so there is no room for confusion.

Guardians
Trico The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Last Guardian Dug up from a different era of Hyrule, the Guardians
Guardians are a surprisingly popular name in the world of video games. Case-in-point: are imposing octopus-like robot monsters that come
The Last Guardian. With its ambiguous world and story, it’s never outright defined who complete with their own terrifying piano soundtrack.
exactly is the titular Last Guardian. It could be the boy, but most put their money on Breath of the Wild’s most iconic enemy, they already
Trico, the adorable bird-cat hybrid and true star of the game. have their own Amiibo action-figure and everything.

Auron Guardians Guardians

Final Fantasy X Journey Halo 5: Guardians
In the world of Final Fantasy X, Summoners are powerful Journey is a pleasant experience free of strife and Bungie, who used to make Halo but now makes Destiny,
magic users that require protectors. These protectors are danger – until you meet the Guardians. These gigantic, called their new protagonists Guardians. Then Halo,
called Guardians, and Auron is the coolest among them. imposing, floating creatures represent Journey’s handled by new developer 343 Industries, used the
He’s worked to protect multiple Summoners through the only non-existential threat. Being the lone danger word Guardians as the subtitle for Halo 5. Weird, right?
course of his long life and wears a cool red duster. in an otherwise safe experience makes them even Anyway, they’re very cool.
more intimidating.

Guardian Deities The Guardian Guardians The Guardian

Pokémon Sun & Moon The Guardian Legend Guardians StarCraft
Pokémon Sun & Moon’s Alola region is This 1988 NES game stars a Guardians is a forgettable arcade beat- In StarCraft, the guardian is a Zerg unit
made of four islands that have unique “sophisticated aerobot transformer” em-up from 1995, but it would be unfair that can hurl bombs from far away.
Guardian Deities. Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, called the Guardian who must destroy to not include a game called Guardians They’re crab-like creatures who fare
Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Fini each handle the alien planet Naju, which is on a on a list of top 10 Guardians. How poorly in space. Why they’re called
an island, and each is of the “We may collision course for Earth. She must could we not include such memorable guardians isn’t totally clear, as they
be running out of ideas” school of travel to Naju and convince it to self- characters as Zeldia, Skullbyule, Tulks, don’t ever seem to guard anything.
Pokémon design. destruct mid-flight, which is a pretty and of course, P. Belva on this list! They just throw bombs.
awesome mission.
28 connect
Be the breakthrough. ™

Breakthroughs are the patients

participating in clinical trials, the
scientists and doctors working
together to advance the fight
against cancer, and the brave
survivors like Tonya who never
give up. Let’s be the breakthrough.
To learn about appropriate
screenings and clinical trials
or to help someone with cancer,
go to su2c.org/breakthrough.
#cancerbreakthrough
 photo: Michael Roud
interview

Shaping Experiences
Amid the shooters, role-playing games, and annual sports iterations, the game industry has an
expanding niche for more subdued and contemplative experiences. Under the creative direction of
Ian Dallas, independent studio Giant Sparrow has created two acclaimed entries in this developing
genre: The Unfinished Swan in 2012, and What Remains of Edith Finch in 2017. We spoke to Dallas
about the release of his latest title, interactive storytelling, and why he hasn’t played Gone Home.

What Remains of Edith Finch many different voices talking about aggressive one-upmanship – that’s
released recently, so how are things the game – especially to see people my perception of the dialogue out
going at Giant Sparrow? on Twitch playing the game live and there. But actually, a lot of people
I think we’re all glued to Twitter and discussing things with people. It’s are willing to sit down and emotion-
Slack, looking at all of the reviews and been surprising how emotionally open ally engage with the game in ways
comments. It’s just weird to have so some of the players are. Usually I hear I didn’t expect.
30
 game is as long as it needs to be –
interview by Joe Juba and particularly with Edith Finch,
we were very concerned about CAREER
pacing. When you’re dealing with HIGHLIGHTS
What’s the team doing right now? we were working on the game, I concepts like awe and the sublime,
There are a lot of weird PC-specific thought, “As soon as we come up it’s really easy to go off the rails a 1987
bugs we can fix for people who have with a really solid ending and we bit…The whole game is about throw- Dallas receives an
very, very old laptops…the game know how all of this is going to work, ing people into unfamiliar territory NES as a gift from his
is running at 12 frames per second then I won’t be concerned about and having them succeed beyond grandmother. He plays
Super Mario Bros for a
for them, and they’re having a good influences from Gone Home.” But what they expected, then waltz into
week straight
enough time that they’re getting a lot it just so happened that day didn’t the next sequence. And that falling-
of the way through it, but then run- come until a couple weeks ago. It down-the-rabbit-hole sensation is 2000
ning into problems we never encoun- was really, really close to the end ultimately part of what makes it feel Dallas graduates
tered. We’re also looking into some when things crystallized and became magical – and short. Because you from Yale and gets
as-yet-unannounced ports of the solid. Since then, I just haven’t had are kind of breathlessly barreling a job as a comedy
game and whether or not that would the ability to give Gone Home the through from beginning to end, you writer for the parody
make sense. time and respect I feel it deserves. don’t have time to get stuck and take newspaper The Onion
We didn’t really look much at other yourself out of it. Players have an 2007
The Unfinished Swan released games during development. The expectation of a game being a cer- While interning at
in 2012. How is being an indie success of Gone Home, Firewatch, tain length, and it’s hard to give them Telltale Games, Dallas
developer today different than it Soma, Dear Esther, Everybody’s a sense of what to expect ahead writes for Sam & Max
was then? Gone to the Rapture – that did make of time. 2007
It’s hard to say, because I don’t really us feel like, “Okay, this isn’t going to Dallas goes to
understand what being an indie be as much of an uphill slog as we Interactivity means games can grad school at the
developer is like today. I feel like I thought it might.” Coming a couple tell stories in ways other media University of Southern
understand it even less than I did in years after games like that, it’s been can’t. How does that affect California’s interactive
2012. From my perspective, the big- nice that we don’t have to defend your approach? media program. One
gest change has been that there’s our game’s existence as much. This gets back again to a question of his prototypes
so much more feedback out there. of terminology. I don’t really look at it is about throwing
So many voices on Twitter, Twitch, Has the industry moved beyond as “story” as much as a moment, or paintballs at a
YouTube – the game has so many debating whether these are games an experience, or an emotion. I look white landscape
more eyes on it. And it feels like all of or not? at What Remains of Edith Finch as a 2008
the different platforms have matured I would say there’s a level of accep- way of building to some peak experi- The paintball game
a lot and carved out niches. In 2012, tance, but I don’t think we’ve moved ences, and a way of coming down (now called The
I had some fear that everything on yet…I think there’s a lot of use- from those. There’s a story that helps Unfinished Swan) is
would become iOS – it would all be less discussion that doesn’t seem to provide context and anticipation shown at the Sense
phones and tablets. Their growth go anywhere about, “Is this a game? and surprise, in the same way that of Wonder Night
curve was this hockey-puck shape, Is this not a game?” A lot of that is music does. But I don’t think this is in Tokyo
and then that kind of went away. because we just don’t have a really a game that is about music, just like 2009
There are games that work well on good term for it. “Walking simulator” I don’t think this is a game about Sony sees Dallas’
tablets and phones, and then there is a lovely thing that has come up as story, either. It’s part of those things, The Unfinished
are games like ours that are better a pejorative, but has been embraced. but for me, this is a game about the Swan presentation
suited to people sitting down and We’ll see how that develops. But sublime – about creating moments online and invites
really giving a couple of hours to it. it’s easier than it was, and there are that feel simultaneously beautiful him to make it into
people who have identified them- and overwhelming. a full game
Have you ever had to change selves as the types of gamers who
2009
course based on how want these experiences, which is What role does music play in shap- Dallas officially
other games have altered great. It’s not like every game that’s ing that experience? founds Giant Sparrow
gamers’ expectations? trying something new has to find a Sometimes we’d end up with some- to develop The
Because the things we make are totally new audience; you can kind of thing that didn’t feel the way we Unfinished Swan
so different in what they’re trying to piggyback off of other games, which wanted it to for various reasons.
do, we’re not really looking at other is great for gamers as well. Players would have very different 2012
The Unfinished
games as points of comparison. One experiences with it emotionally, and
Swan releases to a
thing that did come up early in devel- If we haven’t found the right term the music was the final hammer blow
positive reception.
opment of Edith Finch was Gone yet, what do you think we should we could strike, which can be very Dallas begins work
Home. We were about six months in call them? specific. It’s often a subconscious on a new game
when Gone Home was announced, I would say that it’s more of an expe- element for players, but in terms of loosely based on
and that was a point when we were rience. A tool for exploration? That’s the direction you can give to a com- his childhood in
like, “Huh! This is a game that is a pretty long-winded way of describ- poser, it’s very surgical. “Let’s do Washington, which
also about a woman coming back ing it… I don’t have a good descrip- about 15 percent more whimsical.” eventually becomes
to her family house in the Pacific tion, other than it’s fair for people to You can do that! That is, honest-to- What Remains of
Northwest in modern day. That’s a lot say, “This might not fit my definition goodness, a thing you can ask the Edith Finch
of overlap.” I’m somewhere between of a game.” But I think it fits anyone’s composer to deliver. But “15 percent
2017
embarrassed and proud that I haven’t definition of “interactive experience.” more whimsy” on the gameplay, What Remains of
actually played Gone Home yet. I’ve even if you could do it, would have Edith Finch launches
heard it’s completely different, but I Both of Giant Sparrow’s so many other effects. The timing of to critical acclaim,
was anxious that we might be doing games have been compact. this changes, or the animation has to praised for its clever
something related to that. Has length been a concern change, or all these other problems. mixture of gameplay
during development? The music was a really good way for and narrative
Is that just a time issue, or a delib- I feel a little embarrassed at the end us to give it almost an aftertouch at
erate move to avoid having it influ- of these things, looking up from our the end. The ball is going towards the
ence Edith Finch? work and saying, “Oh, it’s actually hoop, and we can blow it a little bit to
First one, and then the other. When a pretty short game!” But I think a get it to where we want it to be. \
connect 31
 Breath Of
The Wild
Deluxe Link
Nendoroid
Link’s adorable face is the only thing Ganon
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32
2
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company’s latest creation is this beautifully-sculpt-
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3
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THE NOVICES
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GOLDFARB

4
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C-3PO, the robed scrap hoarders known as Jawas, up after a successful
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Unfortunately, the
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5 cleaning quickly proves
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$3.99
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connect 33
opinion

What’s In A Name?
Dispelling the myth of game purity

by Joe Juba, Senior Reviews Editor

was playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and despite ba sic framework, players are largely doing

I
enjoying my time with it, a lot of little things bothered me. Your similar things in both cases. You’re driving
weapons break too quickly. Your horse can’t fast-travel with you. vehicles, shooting bad guys, picking up
Your stamina depletes too quickly when sprinting. These are is- missions, and exploring large cities. Grand
sues that open-world RPGs solved years ago, and the fact that Theft Auto and Saints Row obviously aren’t
Breath of the Wild received universal praise despite such basic identical on the gameplay front, but my
problems was baffling to me. I thought, “If this game weren’t point is this: The writing, tone, characters,
called The Legend of Zelda, people would never be so forgiving.” and aesthetics of these series color the in-
I hear that sentiment often when discussing games. You’ve stallments and attract different players for
probably said similar things when playing an entry in a series different reasons. If you removed that layer
with a devoted following, like Final Fantasy or Call of Duty. You feel like you and compared the games, you might still
are the only person who sees through an illusion – fans are blind to failings come to the conclusion that GTA is a supe-
that seem crystal clear. But even if you think an “If this game weren’t called…” rior experience, but that decision wouldn’t
observation is true, that doesn’t make it significant. be informed by the things that make either
These arguments rely on the assumption that games are composed of two series notable. Gaming isn’t supposed
distinct parts: objective mechanical elements that represent the true experi- to be like the blind taste tests of the cola
ence, and subjective smoke and mirrors that distort players’ perceptions. From wars; you can’t just cover up a label, take a
that flawed foundation grows the mistaken notion that we can experience the sip, and point to the best one.
purest version of a game if we strip away the “extraneous” trappings – that we This brings us back to talking about
can (and should) try to look beyond the franchise and see a game only for the Zel da. You can’t separate Breath of the
naked systems underneath. Wild from Zelda, and even if you could,
The problem? Gaming doesn’t work that way. We don’t experience games it isn’t a better or truer form of the game.
as neat, compartmentalized components; all of the elements work in concert Despite the little things that irk me about
to produce the whole. As we play, we also take in the atmosphere, interpret it, Breath of the Wild also harnesses fans’
themes, and get attached to characters. love of the series in significant ways. It
Those things happen in parallel, building off each other, and they are pre- plays off expectations and subverts tradi-
cisely what establish a franchise’s identity over time. That’s why when gamers tions to create delightful moments, and
accuse each other of being blinded by fandom, they aren’t talking about a those moments can have an even greater
simple name. They are talking about everything that name entails. impact on players’ overall enjoyment than
When you’re talking about a painting – Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” for ex- a few annoying design flaws. I would rather
ample – you wouldn’t say, “If this painting didn’t have so much blue, it wouldn’t have that than the alternative – developers
be anything special.” The blue helps make it special. The same rule applies to striving to create abstract, platonic ideals
games. Could you attempt to remove the things that make a specific franchise of game concepts that deliver the same
unique? Sure, but then it becomes something different – the idea of a game thing to all players regardless of context
distilled to its bare structure, one of many titles we ignore on shelves and digital or experience. After all, that context and
storefronts because they have no personality. experience can be the critical difference
What developers wrap around a game’s basic mechanics is important. Con- between a good game and a great one.
sider two open-world titles from the last generation, Grand Theft Auto IV and
Saints Row: The Third. The former is famous for being a sharp-but-satirical The views and opinions expressed in this column are
look at the real world and its struggles, while the latter takes an anything- strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of
goes approach to a bonkers story. If you strip all that away and look at the Game Informer
34 connect
 timeline
1

July2017
2
GAMER CULTURE
Wednesday 12 hit theaters until November,
Deadpool Kills but you can learn more about
the Marvel this intergalactic story with a
Universe Again 3 prelude comic series, streeting
Superheroes rarely stay dead, today. The first issue reveals
so why can’t Deadpool kill more of the origin of the
them again when they resur- Incredible Hulk.
rect? Writer Cullen Bunn and
artist Dalibor Talajic reunite Friday 28
for an alternative take on 2DS XL Launches
how Deadpool could wipe out Is the Switch the future of
the entire Marvel universe. Nintendo handhelds? Not yet.
The first issue hits comic Nintendo continues to sup-
stores today. port the 3DS and 2DS in a big
way. The latest addition to this
GAME RELEASES Friday 14 library is the 2DS XL, offering
Tuesday 11 Friday 21 Evo Championship the same power as the New
› Final Fantasy XII: › Splatoon 2 (Switch) 2
Series 3DS XL only without the 3D
The Zodiac Age (PS4) The best fighting-game play- toggle. It ships today for $149.
Tuesday 25 ers in the world descend upon
Tuesday 18 › Fate/EXTELLA: Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Monday 31
› Yonder: The Cloud Catcher The Umbral Star (Switch) Resort and Casino for three Games for
Chronicles (PS4, PC) days of tournaments in Street Change 2017
Thursday 27 Fighter V, Tekken 7, Injustice 2, Held in New York City and run-
Thursday 20 › Danganronpa Another Super Smash Bros., and more. ning for three days, Games for
› Layton’s Mystery Journey: Episode: Ultra Despair All of the tournaments can be Change is a show dedicated
Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Girls (PC) viewed via online stream. to social-impact games that
Conspiracy (iOS, Android) can better our educational and
Friday 28 Monday 17 humanitarian efforts. The show
› Hey! Pikmin (3DS) Thor: Ragnarok offers a public arcade featuring
Prelude many of the games that tackle
The third Thor film doesn’t social issues. \
MOVIE & TV PREMIERES
Friday 07 Friday 21 3
› Spider-Man: › Dunkirk (theaters)
Homecoming (theaters) › Valerian and the City of a
Thousand Planets (theaters)
Sunday 09
› Candy Crush (CBS) Sunday 23
› Ballers (HBO)
Friday 14
› War for the Planet of Friday 28
the Apes (theaters) › Atomic Blonde (theaters)
› The Dark Tower (theaters) 1

Sunday 16
› Game of Thrones (HBO)
connect 35
 » PLATFORM
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» RELEASE
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The Black Flag team prepares to take the series in bold new
directions with Assassin’s Creed Origins, the story of the
assassin who formed a millenia-spanning brotherhood

by Jeff Cork

36
cover story 37
38
The brotherhood is established, its traditions enshrined
in history. The feather ritual. The hidden blade. The
creed. We take these elements for granted, but where
did they originate? Was there a singular moment of
catalyst, or did a series of events lead to the formation
of the order? To uncover these answers, we need to
travel further than we ever have, to ancient Egypt,
where we meet a man at a crossroads. He is the bridge
between centuries of tradition and the foundation of
something that will last millennia. He is the assassin
behind a brotherhood, and he is a harbinger of change.

The Assassin’s Creed series has been around for a decade now, and
at least part of its longevity comes from Ubisoft’s willingness to take
risks. In many ways, it’s similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Just
as those individual films leap across genre and tone – from straight-up
action to political thriller to tongue-in-cheek caper – the tales that fall
under the AC moniker are varied while still moving a larger underly-
ing narrative forward. The battle between the Assassin Brotherhood
and the Knights Templar has been waged throughout history, and it’s
taken players through pivotal historical settings such as the American
Revolution and Italian Renaissance. Along the way, the teams that
make these games have altered the blueprint to suit the needs of each
hero and setting. Assassin’s Creed Origins takes the series to one of
the most-requested eras and locations, and Ubisoft Montreal is reex-
amining the franchise in a fundamental way in the process.
In an environment that embraces change, Ubisoft Montreal squeezes
particularly tight. It’s home to the team that made Assassin’s Creed IV:
Black Flag, which is an outlier in a series of outliers. The game let play-
ers live out their pirate fantasies in a vast open world, and expanded
on the sailing and naval battles introduced in Assassin’s Creed III. Its
hero, Edward Kenway, was barely even an assassin. Though he learned
about the brotherhood and its traditions through his adventures, his
relationship with the order started as, basically, cosplay. The next few
entries in the series took players to the French Revolution and Victorian
London, but the Black Flag team wanted to expand its open-world
approach and test the limits of the series.

cover story 39
 Enemies don't patiently wait their turn
when attacking, so you need to keep
moving and make good use of your shield

Creative director Jean Guesdon says they started work on Assassin’s people who purchased the season pass. The following year, Syndicate
Creed Origins right after Black Flag, in early 2014. He told his team was a more polished game overall, but Ubisoft announced in February
to forget about Assassin’s Creed for a minute, and just come up with 2016 that it was giving the franchise a year off, breaking from its now-
ideas that excited them. “We did some cool prototypes – we knew annualized release schedule.
at some point it would be an Assassin’s Creed game, but everybody Guesdon says the additional time allowed them to take the series in
took a big breath of fresh air,” Guesdon says. “It helped us get some the bold direction it needed to go. “To deliver Assassin’s Creed Origins
inspiration to materialize where we wanted to go and what we wanted fully, we had a lot of systems to be developed to get the full seamless-
to push.” Looking at some of the ideas that bubbled to the surface, ness,” he says. “To go underwater to the top of the mountain. There’s
there was one setting that would be a perfect backdrop: ancient not one big central pillar, but there are many. If you remove one, you
Egypt. “We knew that for years fans were craving for it; ancient feel that something is missing. This is why we needed this time, to fully
Egypt is something that always ranked in the top tier of the desired develop the promises of Egypt.”
settings,” Guesdon says. “We also wanted to show that Black Flag “Doing a brand-new fight system, a brand-new A.I. framework – just
wasn’t just a pure accident and to show that the franchise could con- the more time we have, the more iterations we can have and the more
tinue to evolve.” stability it’ll have,” adds game director Ashraf Ismail. “We knew we had
Production on Origins began months before Assassin’s Creed Unity quite a bit of time to build this game pretty early on, and so the focus
released. That entry had a disastrous launch, with myriad technical and was on how big can we go but still make sure that that scope was fully
mission-breaking bugs, and Ubisoft responded by giving free games to achievable and high quality.”

Animals attack each other – and you, if

you're not careful. Smart players can
use animal aggression to their advantage

40
 MORE THAN JUST
THE PYRAMIDS
Ubisoft says ancient Egypt has long been one of the
most fan-requested settings for Assassin’s Creed.
That begs the question: Which ancient Egypt?
Egypt’s history is unfathomably rich, stretching
back thousands of years. After looking at what they
were hoping to achieve with their new game, the
studio decided Ptolemaic Egypt, around the ascent
and reign of Cleopatra, seemed like the best setting.
“It’s at this pivotal moment in history where the
world before was quite known,” says creative direc-
tor Jean Guesdon. “Egypt was there, Rome was grow-
ing, and after that it would be different. In terms
of embedding our strong narrative of the origin of
the brotherhood into a pivotal moment that would
explain why things coalesced like that, it makes
total sense. If we would have picked the building of
A NEW TAKE ON TRADITION the pyramids, there was almost nothing: one city,
Ubisoft Montreal’s reexamination of Assassin’s Creed is apparent the several locations, and massive pyramids. Yes. But
instant you drop into the world. My hands-on demo starts with the new that’s it. Here, we can play with tons of different
hero, Bayek, on a horse, and my eyes instinctively dart to the corner layers of characters, of stories, of locations that have
of the screen to check the minimap. It’s not there. Instead, navigation been forgotten.”
is aided with an Elder Scrolls-style compass at the top of the screen. The setting was particularly interesting for the art
As you travel near points of interest, they appear as pips and other team, since there were enough records of what the
symbols on the bar, but the interface seems less cluttered overall. You world was like to serve as a solid framework, while
can still pull up a full-screen map to get a sense of where you are in allowing for creative interpretation of those missing
the world – in our case, near the Faiyum Oasis, in the middle of the elements. Additionally, art director Raphael Lacoste
country – but the team wants players to focus their attention on the says the setting is the most diverse in the series.
world instead of tiny colored dots on a GPS-style display. You have “I think when people picture Egypt – even the team
another critically important tool at your disposal when you need to get in the beginning – they imagine it’s a huge desert
your bearings, as we’ll soon discover. with brown color and sometimes you can see some
Bayek moves with intensity and a sense of purpose, which is a feel- buildings and some oases, but that’s not the case,”
ing at least partially propelled by a small-but-important change to the Lacoste says. “What is fascinating is that you have
inputs: The run button is gone. Instead of pressing a button to switch WKH1LOH'HOWDZLWKDYHU\ȵDWODQGVFDSHDQGLWȇV
into a high-profile sprint, the character moves at top speed when the also very lush and very green – and also very dan-
analog stick is jammed in a direction. Bayek can assume a stealth- gerous, because you have all these crocodiles and
crouch position when he wants to infiltrate a camp or avoid detection, creatures hiding in the swamps. We have a varying
but otherwise he’s always ready to run. It’s one of many small details range of landscapes in the desert. We have sand
and established series conventions that the Origins team decided to dunes, but you also have the white desert with amaz-
reevaluate at the beginning of the project. ing shapes of salty rocks, it looks almost like an alien
Guesdon says the team questioned nearly all of the traditional fea- landscape.” Players can interact with the environ-
tures from the series, which served as the subject of many internal ments in new ways for the series, too. Guesdon says
discussions. “‘Why are we doing that?’ ‘It’s a legacy.’ ‘Yes, but except Bayek can climb every cliff, rock face, and mountain
the fact that it’s a legacy, what does it bring to the experience? Is it in the game.
really valid?’ Some we kept – reach high points, for example, we feel Egypt was home to a variety of cities large and
like that, especially with this world, makes sense – but they’re not VPDOOWRRȊ,QWKHJDPHZHKDYHWKHPDJQLȴFHQW
Memphis, with huge landmarks, and the very
exactly the same. In our mind, it was, ‘We need to reinvent, we need to
organic village around with all the mud-brick
refresh, we need to change the recipe. There’s no untouchable thing.’”
houses,” Lacoste says. “There was a competition
One thing isn’t changing: secrecy. Ubisoft Montreal is keeping
between Alexandria and Memphis, which were
Origins’ narrative wrapped tighter than a mummy, so we don’t know
two huge cities. One was very Greek/Roman –
what our target, a mysterious figure codenamed The Crocodile, did to
Alexandria, with a lot of density in the architecture,
put him in Bayek’s bloody path. Our demo begins about 15 hours into
but it was also very rich and complex. And the
the story, Ismail tells me, and we need to get in touch with an informant
ancient Egyptian architecture is more minimalist,
who has information about our target. It’s never as simple as talking to but very impressive also. The pyramids were cov-
the first person we see. The informant is hiding, but one of his captured ered with white sandstone, and you see them from
servants might know his whereabouts, provided we can free him from this time period during the game.” Other major land-
a heavily guarded camp nearby. marks from the era are in the game, too. Bayek’s trav-
The camp is close, but walking in through the front doesn’t seem els can take him to the lighthouse at Alexandria – one
like the best idea. I get off my horse and cut across the road to a of the wonders of the ancient world – as well as its
small, sandy bluff that overlooks the target. There are some mud-brick legendary library. And, of course, he can see the
buildings below, and I can spot a few guards. I press the left stick in statue of the Sphinx before its painted exterior had
to activate my Eagle Vision, and get a shock. Instead of desaturating been scrubbed by the sands of time.
the colors of the environment like the mode always does, a subtle “I think the setting for me is one of the best we
pulse emanates from Bayek, highlighting a nearby chest and a few could have done for an AC game,” says game director
other interactive objects – but not the enemies. Now it’s time to get a Ashraf Ismail. “There’s a mystery and a mysticism
concrete example of how Origins is deconstructing Assassin’s Creed about Egypt that exists today. If we think real-world
gameplay and lore. Meet Senu. fantasy and magic, Egypt is up there.”

cover story 41
 THE ORIGINAL EAGLE VISION enter a hover mode. Here, Senu remains stationary above her target,
Eagles have long been a part of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, inspir- and I can move the camera around, tracking enemies that land under
ing the names of most of the series’ heroes ("Bayek" is a play off the my crosshair, as well as the location of the caged servant. When I
hieroglyphic word for vulture/falcon, since there wasn't a symbol for press up again, control snaps back to Bayek, and the targeted enemies
eagle) and circling overhead near viewpoints. Their familiar screech remain highlighted.
accompanies the game’s leap-of-faith jumps. Where did that associa- “The eagle has always been a very important symbol, and we
tion with the eagle begin? It’s one of several foundational elements that wanted it to have weight in the game,” Ismail says. “Not just visually, not
Origins provides some illuminating context for. just through symbols, but also in the gameplay. For us it was a very nat-
Early in the game, Bayek teams up with the eagle Senu. Thanks to ural extension to have this creature and make it a companion to Bayek.”
their symbiotic relationship, you get to experience Eagle Vision in the Senu can take tagging one step further, highlighting the deeper A.I.
most literal possible way. I press up on the d-pad, and suddenly the systems that govern the simulation. With the press of a button, you can
camera soars into the air, where Senu glides above Bayek. I have full select NPCs, and their path is highlighted on the screen. NPCs have
control over the bird of prey, ascending, descending, and swooping their own routines now, which follow a day/night cycle and include time
down to accelerate. This vantage point gives me a new perspective for eating, sleeping, working, and, yes, answering the call of nature.
on the camp, and I can instantly see a number of enemies that were Animals and ships can similarly be flagged, allowing players to play
otherwise obscured. It’s a lot to take in, so I press the left trigger to with the system and aid in hunting or to create ambushes.

Journey back to when the Sphinx had

its nose – and a layer of colorful paint

42
 The servant is on the outskirts of the camp, and he’s not going any- COMBAT EVOLVED
where, which makes my job much easier. I slide down the bluff and The battle highlights how much combat has changed from past
head toward the cage. A guard approaches, and Bayek crouches down games, and not just because attacks are now executed with the
behind a low wall before the guard spots him. I could let him go, but I right shoulder and trigger. In the past, I’d comfortably hang back
figure it’s probably best to preemptively take out this potential threat. and wait for enemies to attack, ping-ponging between them when a
I whistle, and jam my hidden blade into the side of his head when he counter-attack opportunity popped up, and not having to worry
comes over to investigate. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice his friends until about any of the bad guys who patiently waited on the edge for their
it was too late. They surround me, and immediately begin slashing turn. I hesitate to compare it to Dark Souls – there’s no stamina to
me into ribbons. My Assassin’s Creed muscle memory kicks in, and I worry about, for instance – but it has more of that flavor than a tradi-
wait for the right moment to counterattack, doing massive damage in tional AC game.
return. Unfortunately for me, the familiar face-button prompt doesn’t “It’s really based on skill and the abilities that you’ve unlocked,” Ismail
come. More disconcerting, my usual attack button doesn’t seem to says. “You do have abilities where, when you launch your overpowered
work – pressing X makes me dodge. I try to run, but at this point I’ve attack, you can actually combo after them. What that does is allows
taken too much damage. An arrow hits me in the back, and I’m desyn- you to kill multiple targets when your damage is increased, but again
chronized. The sequence begins again, and it’s clear that the old ways there is some level of skill required; it’s not a canned animation. The
of approaching combat in AC aren’t going to work. system is much more hit-box driven. We wanted gameplay skill to be
a lot more valuable.”
You must be much more attentive if you want
to survive in Origins. Egypt offers a variety of
different weapon types – swords, spears, bows,
and more – with their own range and special
capabilities, and knowing the ins and outs of
them is invaluable. As you fight enemies, an

BAYEK AND BEYOND adrenaline gauge fills up, and that rage can be
released by pressing both attack buttons. That
Bayek’s tale is set against one of history’s most unleashes an especially powerful attack, which
well-known rulers: Cleopatra VII, the woman skilled players can use in combos.
we usually refer to when we say the name I’m more cautious in my second attempt,
“Cleopatra.” According to Assassin’s Creed and I make more of an effort to block incom-
brand historian Maxime Durand, her story is ing attacks with my shield instead of soaking
incomplete, which has contributed to its legend. up the damage and hoping for the best. I realize
“We know very little about Cleopatra, but the importance of locking onto enemies with the
KHULQȵXHQFHDQGLPSRUWDQFHLVWUHPHQGRXV left shoulder button, too. Bayek’s attacks whiff
in humankind,” Durand says. “The reason we through the air and leave him vulnerable if you
don’t know much about her is that everything aren’t careful with your positioning.
we know about her has been written by other I rescue the servant from the cage and sling
people. She left nothing. It’s really hard to know him over my shoulders. “You’ll be amazed with
exactly what she felt, who she was, what she what you can do with a guy on your back,”
looked like, precisely. We know very little, but Ismail jokes. “Bayek’s got really strong thighs.
KHULQȵXHQFHDQGKHULPSDFWLVKXJHȋ Really strong.” Once we’re safely away from
Durand says that Cleopatra was unusual in the camp, the servant tells me that the man I’m
that she was the only known female who ruled looking for is Hotephres. He’s on a ship that has
alone during that time period. Her brothers a large statue aboard it, which is sailing in the
were supposedly ruling alongside her, but she nearby Lake Moeris.
muscled past them – even having one of them Armed with that information I call my horse
assassinated. Later, she had a son, but she con-
and gallop to the shore. Here, I have options.
tinued to rule since he was only a baby. The
I could grab a docked felucca (a small boat)
kingdom of Egypt had diminished over the
and try to track down the informant with my
decades before she took the throne, but she was
own eyes, or I could call upon Senu and take
able to turn it around. “By the time of Cleopatra,
advantage of her superior senses. It seems like
she broadens it to its previous size 200 years
a fairly obvious play. Senu soars above the lake,
before,” Durand says. “She’s fantastic. Let’s
and a yellow circle appears on the screen. As I
DFFHSWWKHIDFWWKDWVKHȇVRQHRIWKHȴYHPRVW
interesting people in human history.”
move the camera closer to the target, it shrinks
As we all know, Cleopatra’s story ends to convey the fact that I’m getting closer to the
tragically. How exactly that happens, how- mark. Once I aim at the appropriate ship (which,
ever, depends on which version of history you indeed has a large statue aboard it), the circle
choose to believe. Conventional history tells us changes into an objective beacon. I hop onto the
she committed suicide by allowing a venom- felucca and sail over to the larger vessel. Sailing
ous snake to bite her. If you paid attention to feels great, and the lake’s waters are gorgeous.
Assassin’s Creed II, you may have noticed a They also hide secrets for those who take the
statue of Amunet in the Assassin Sanctuary of time to dive beneath their depths. Players can
Monteriggioni beneath Ezio’s villa. According loot sunken ships and long-forgotten ruins.
to series lore, the queen actually met her end Once aboard the ship, I meet Hotephres. He’s
at the hand of an assassin – Amunet brought sharpening a blade, and he doesn’t seem par-
the snake. ticularly stoked to see me. “So now they send a
The Origins team isn’t saying if they’ll show son of Egypt after me?” he barks. “It has been a
that event – or if that era of the timeline is even long time since I spilled so much blood.” Before
featured – but creative director Jean Guesdon he attacks, I show him a small tablet marked
says that they won’t contradict anything that’s with the Eye of Horus. This symbol calms him
been established in previous lore. down, since he recognizes who Bayek is.

cover story 43
 DRESSED FOR SUCCESS
Having a large closet is apparently one traditional Egyptian garb and cloth- those upgrades is in large part depen-
of the perks of being an assassin. Players ing that’s era appropriate, but the team GHQWRQKRZ\RXSOD\WKHJDPH7KH
have been able to customize their char- recognizes that players also want to live breastplate reduces the damage you
acter’s appearance for a while now, the fantasy of ancient Egypt – even if it’s take from enemy attacks, which is
equipping a variety of different costume anachronistic or pushes the boundaries something virtually everyone will
HOHPHQWVDQGRXWȴWVȊ2QHRIWKHLVVXHV RIUHDOLVP2QHRXWȴWZHVDZLVDJROGHQ want. Bracers increase Bayek’s melee
we’ve seen in the past is that sometimes $QXELVRXWȴWFRPSOHWHZLWKDJROGHQ damage, and stabilizers make him more
SHRSOHSXWRQDFRVPHWLFRXWȴWEHFDXVH mask to complete the jackal-headed effective with bows. Pouches increase
of the way it looks, but they’ll change god’s look. Another was inspired by the amount of knives and bombs he
it because they want the boost of some mummies, but it’s a more stylized FDQFDUU\7KHKLGGHQEODGHXSJUDGHLV
other ones,” says game director Ashraf interpretation than your typical Ace- probably a safe choice for stealthy char-
,VPDLOȊ6RZHFRPSOHWHO\UHPRYHGWKH bandage-wrapped Halloween costume. DFWHUVDQGLWDOVRPDUNVDVLJQLȴFDQW
VWDWHOHPHQWȋ)RUH[DPSOHLQ6\QGLFDWH Costumes have multiple color and mat- gameplay change.
you may have liked the Gothic-inspired erial variants, as well as special visual Ȋ,I\RXZDQWWRGRDVVDVVLQDWLRQV\RX
ORRNRIWKH0D[LPXP'UDFXODRXWȴW effects such as small clouds of sand. have to craft your hidden blades,” Ismail
but felt pushed toward dressing like 7KH\FDQEHDFTXLUHGIURPTXHVWVDQG VD\VȊ:HKDYHOHYHOVLQWKHJDPH
a Revolutionary War soldier because purchased from vendors. 7KHUHZDVQRZD\WKDWWKLVZDVJRLQJ
that costume allowed you to carry more 2XWȴWVDUHQȇWDSULPDU\ZD\RI WRZRUNLI\RXZHUHOHYHODQG\RXȇUH
WRROV:LWK2ULJLQV8ELVRIW0RQWUHDOLV increasing Bayek’s stats. Instead, that DEOHWRDVVDVVLQDWHDOHYHOERVV,W
putting more of a priority on the fran- element has been shifted over to a new wasn’t going to work. We’re an action/
chise’s dress-up elements, while also gear system. Players can improve his RPG, and we have to assume it fully.
PDNLQJVXUHWKDWLWȴWVZLWKLQWKHVWURQ breastplate, bracer, stabilizer, pouches, You can still attack the guy, you can be
ger RPG ecosystem. and hidden blade via crafting materials, sneaky, you can jump on them and do an
Bayek can put on a variety of dif- and these upgrades are worth continu- air assassination, they’ll take damage,
ferent clothing elements, including ing to improve. Each element has its EXWWKH\ȇOOJHWXSDQG\RXȇOOKDYHWRȴJKW
FRPSOHWHRXWȴWV7KHVHRXWȴWVLQFOXGH own stat boost, and how you prioritize them – it’s not an instant death.”

THE FOUNDER OF THE BROTHERHOOD local sheriff, the protector of his community.” The Medjay were origi-
Assassin’s Creed players have been mulling over several critical ques- nally an order of Nubian warriors and mercenaries, but the role trans-
tions for a decade. Where did the assassins come from? How did the formed into a more formal guardianship position as it expanded to
brotherhood’s rituals and traditions form? The newest entry in the include people of Egyptian origin. The familiar Eye of Horus was one
series puts players in the role of the man who can best provide the of their symbols, Guesdon says, acting as a badge of sorts.
answers: Bayek, the man who will eventually form the assassin broth- Don’t expect a sarcastic, impulsive character like Syndicate’s
erhood. That’s not who he is when we meet him, however. Jacob Frye or a ladies man like young Ezio Auditore. By the time
Bayek is an Egyptian who has an important, but fading role in we meet him, Bayek has already established himself in the world.
his world. “Bayek is the last Medjay,” Guesdon says. “The Medjay During our demo, Bayek seems like a powerful warrior who
were the police officers of the old kingdom, basically. He’s really the carries himself with a deadly intensity. That doesn’t mean he’s a

44
 As a Medjay – the era's police/guard
force – Bayek is trusted to help the public,
while others fear or resent his presence

brooding sad-sack, however. In one small moment we saw, he interacts easy to spot, but I have to use Senu to track down the others. They’re
playfully with a small child, kneeling down to get to her level and invisible to Bayek’s eyes, beneath the waters near the edge of the
beaming with joy. island. I dive in, and realize that I hadn’t noticed something that,
“In our case, we wanted the story of one man who was already admittedly, is pretty tough to miss: a pair of hippos. Egypt is home
grown up but had to adapt himself to changes,” Guesdon says. “And to a variety of wildlife, and not all creatures are as placid as ibis and
as developers, we get older, too. We wanted to be accessible to a flamingos. I’m able to loot the second chest from the lake bottom
younger audience, but the story we wanted to tell was the story of without attracting any attention, but the third is too close for the
a man in his 30s – almost mid-life for the time – and having to make beasts’ comfort. They begin paddling toward me. I’ve been on the
some huge choices to change his life in order to change the world.” Jungle Cruise, so I know that hippos are no joke. I slash at them a few
“He’s on a mission that will eventually lead to the formation of some- times with my blade, but it’s obviously not the most effective tactic.
thing that has tenets and a creed,” Ismail adds. “He’s not an assas- Retreating back to shore, I perforate them with multiple arrows from
sin right now. He’s building toward it, but the whole point of this is my shotgun-like hunter’s bow before they reach me. Now I can get
how does the creed, how do the assassins come to be. The idea is that chest and also score some crafting materials in the form of hard
that it’s not one day they decide to do it. It’s a journey. It’s a journey leather. Thanks, hippos!
that brought them there, and it’s a progressive thing that he’s going The first two chests didn’t have much of consequence – some low-
through. It’s things he learns through doing his quests, through meeting level common items – but the last chest paid off. It contained a rare
different people, through understanding the world he lives in and what’s copper sword that outclassed my currently equipped bronze khopesh,
happening to his world.” a common. Common items can have a single damage attribute, but
Assassin’s Creed Origins is very much Bayek’s story, but he’s not additional effects are added with increased rarity. The new sword
the only important personality in the game. He’s not the only play- grants 2/4 points in the critical-hit rate, an attribute shared by my
able character, either, but Ubisoft Montreal isn’t providing any addi- khopesh, but also has 1/4 points in combo multiplier. Legendary items
tional details on this element. We don’t have any information on the can add special effects, such as the ability to poison enemies or set
scope of these additional characters, including how much time we’ll them on fire, but for now I’ll have to settle for a marginally better blade.
spend in their shoes, if any of them are women, or how they
fit into the larger narrative.

A WILD AND DANGEROUS WORLD

Hotephres calms down and says that the identity of The
Crocodile is in a stolen ledger that was once in his posses-
sion. The bodies on the ship are but a few of his men who
tried to pry the book from his hands. Unfortunately for them,
they died in vain – the ledger is actually safe with his wife and
daughter. Hotephres left it with them and sailed to the lake,
knowing that if The Crocodile’s agents thought he had it his
family would be safe. Before he sends me off, he says that
I should talk to some of the other people on his ship, which
turns out to be an easy way to add some additional quests
to my own ledger. One of them centers on some farmers who
are being harassed and having their fields set ablaze.
As I sail toward my next objective, an indicator pops up that Bayek can yank enemy arrows out
a small island nearby might be worth exploring. Pressing the RIKLVVKLHOGDQGŲUHWKHPEDFN
left stick in, I learn that three treasure chests are scattered on
and around it. It seems like too good an opportunity to pass
up, so I turn my felucca onto the shore. The first chest is

cover story 45
 Loot is a big part of the RPG element, and thankfully the team made is clear, I scale the building and extract the neighbor. He is relieved to
some welcome quality-of-life decisions around it. Depending on how see us, and says he will spread the word of our bravery. Now all that’s
players outfit his ability graph, Bayek can keep two melee weapons left to do is find the leader of these bandits in the desert and take them
and two bows close at hand, switching between them with the press out permanently, which is a task that is unfortunately quite difficult.
of the d-pad. He can carry an unlimited number of them, however, This quest has a recommended level of 23, and my Bayek is only 20.
even if they’re not immediately accessible – players don’t need to That difference is significant, as I soon find out. My gear is appropri-
worry about weight or limited inventory space. Unwanted items can ately leveled, but I’m not well equipped against these tougher enemies.
be sold to vendors or deconstructed into crafting materials. Weapons They hit hard, and it’s a tricky test of my dodging and blocking abili-
don’t break, either. ties. I see the camp leader, a man who goes by the name Son of Ra,
I head to the farm and meet up with Zahra, a farmer who also hap- and I get in position for an assassination. At the right moment I strike,
pens to be a skilled warrior. She says her Greek neighbor has been lunging at him with my hidden blade. It does a tiny tick of damage,
taken by bandits, and she needs to rescue him. Never one to turn but he tosses me away as though I was more of a nuisance than an
down a rescue mission, we head off together to the bandits’ lair. Ismail actual hazard. It’s a humbling change from how assassinations have
says that players can acquire most quests in several different ways. worked in the past. You can still do stealth damage against higher-level
If I hadn’t spoken to the NPC on the ship, for example, Zahra would foes, but the days of being able to one-shot enemies that are signifi-
still be in the world, and she would have filled me in on the situation if
cantly more powerful than you are over. After a couple of other abortive
I spoke to her. attempts at taking down the target, I try to flee.
They’re in a multilevel building in the center of a walled, midsized Because the minimap is gone, getting away from your enemies feels
compound. After scouting it with Senu – she really is quite handy – different. In previous Assassin’s Creed games, enemies would chase
Zahra and I sneak in. My cover is blown almost immediately, but it’s not you within a finite range, and to lose them you just had to move your
a big deal. Zahra distracts the enemies, dealing out a fair bit of damageassassin out of a clearly defined red “danger zone.” I can’t say for
herself, while I hang back and fire arrows at them. A damage meter certain if the underlying A.I. is fundamentally different at this point, but
above their heads highlights predicted damage of each shot, which removing that visual indicator makes evasion seem less certain and
changes as you dial in headshots or aim for other weak points. Another more exciting. Not knowing how far I needed to run added a sense of
archer notices me and starts firing back. I block his incoming missiles desperation to the activity – particularly since I usually only flee when
with my shield, and am delighted when Bayek yanks them free and I’m near death.
adds the enemy archer’s arrows to my own inventory. Once the area Since I don’t have time to grind several levels to take out the Son of
Ra, I resume my mission to hunt The Crocodile. Hotephres’
family is in a nearby town called Euhemeria, so I head in
that direction. There, I meet his wife and young daughter.
Khenut says she hid the ledger safely in her home, where
nobody could find it. That sounds like a challenge, so I move
BETTER ON SCORPIO? through the city in hopes of finding answers. Euhemeria is
$VVDVVLQȇV&UHHG2ULJLQVLVDPRQJWKHȴUVWJDPHVWRVXSSRUW reminiscent of the first Assassin’s Creed game, with shorter
0LFURVRIWȇVQHZ6FRUSLRFRQVROHDQGZHJRWVRPHKDQGVRQWLPHZLWK buildings crammed tightly together. Parkouring feels natu-
LWWRVHHLIWKHJDPHLVQRWLFHDEO\LPSURYHGRQWKHPRUHSRZHUIXO ral, and Bayek climbs and jumps down when I want him to,
KDUGZDUH2Q3&RXUGHPRZDVUXQQLQJDWDIDLUO\VWHDG\)362Q even though the controls no longer have discreet buttons
6FRUSLRWKHIUDPHUDWHIHOWPRUHFRQVLVWHQWHYHQDW.UHVROXWLRQV for free-running up and down.
2WKHUWKDQWKDWLWZDVGLɚ FXOWWRVHHDKXJHLPSURYHPHQWLQRXU Unfortunately, The Crocodile’s men figured out Hotephres’
GHPR7KHPRQLWRUZDVIDLUO\VPDOOVRXQOHVVZHSUHVVHGRXUIDFHV ruse, and killed another servant trying to extract the ledger’s
DJDLQVWLWVJODVVZHȇGEHKDUGSUHVVHGWRQRWLFHDWUHPHQGRXVGLIIHU location. I slay them all, but instead of the document I find
HQFHIURPWKHVWDQGDUGYHUVLRQZHȇGEHHQSOD\LQJHDUOLHU a note written by the child – she’s taken the ledger because
8ELVRIWVDLGLWJRWWKHJDPHUXQQLQJZLWKLQZHHNVRIUHFHLYLQJWKHLU it has caused nothing but problems.
GHYHORSPHQWNLWVZKLFKVSHDNVWRWKHHDVHDWZKLFKGHYHORSHUVPD\ Even though I’m near the end of this particular quest, I
EHDEOHWRJHWWKHLUJDPHVSRUWHGWR6FRUSLR,WȇVLPSRUWDQWWRQRWH take a break and do some exploring. In Origins, you aren’t
WKDWERWKYHUVLRQVRIWKHJDPHVDUHVWLOOEHLQJRSWLPL]HGVRZKDWZH locked into following the story as you were under the series’
H[SHULHQFHGPD\QRWUHȵHFWWKHȴQDOSURGXFW6WLOOLWZDVJUHDWWRVHH
DJDPHUXQQLQJRQWKHQHZKDUGZDUHHYHQLILWȇVXOWLPDWHO\WRRVRRQ
WRPDNHDQ\WKLQJFORVHWRDȴQDOYHUGLFW

Players have access to a wide variety of

weapons, with varying strengths, weaknesses,
ranges, and more. A loot system features
common, rare, and legendary varients, too

46
 Many of the pyramids had been looted
by the time Bayek was alive, but it's clear
WKDWWKH\GLGQ WŲQGDOORIWKHWUHDVXUH

TOMB RAIDING
8ELVRIW0RQWUHDOZDONVDȴQHOLQHEHWZHHQUHPDLQ
old, mission-based system. You can break off and take on other chal- ing historically accurate (or at least within shouting
lenges, or cut loose and explore. Knowing that I don’t have time to distance of plausibility) while also indulging player
finish the hunt for The Crocodile, I head to a town on the shore of the IDQWDVLHV%D\HNȇVWUDYHOVWDNHKLPDFURVVDQFLHQW
lake and see what I can find there. (J\SWDQGKHFDQH[SORUHWKHLQVLGHRIVRPHRIWKH
Walking through a crowd, I see a priest flogging a young man. The FRXQWU\ȇVPRVWZHOONQRZQV\PEROV
priest wears a crocodile headdress, and he is flanked by two enormous Ȋ:LWKWKHS\UDPLGVZHWULHGWRPDNHWKHPDVDFFX
statues of the crocodile god, Sobek. I speak to the priest and learn rate as possible, but we pushed further obviously,”
that the young man stole a pair of golden Sobek statues that were says creative director Jean Guesdon. “Yes, we will
supposed to have been delivered. The young man says it’s all a misun- KDYHVRPHSX]]OHVEXW,WKLQNWKHEDODQFHZHIRXQG
derstanding, and that he lost the statues after his boat was attacked. LVLQWHUHVWLQJȋ+HVD\VWKDWWKH\ȇUHGLIIHUHQWIURP
Determined to figure out what exactly happened, I look at the map and WKHHQYLURQPHQWDOSX]]OHVWKDWSOD\HUVPD\UHPHP
EHUIURPHDUOLHUHQWULHVVXFKDV$VVDVVLQȇV&UHHG,,
head toward the generalized location of the incident.
EXWWKDWWKHLUJRDOLVVLPLODUO\IRFXVHGRQȴQGLQJ
Two heavily guarded ships are docked just off shore, which proves
DVXLWDEOHSDWKWKURXJKDQDUHDȊ:HWULHGWRPRYH
to be a problem. Senu is able to see both statues, and one of them
DZD\IURPVZLWFKHVEHFDXVHLQWKHUHDOZRUOGWKHUH
is submerged in the water. Retrieving the other could be a challenge,
are very few switches that open doors,” Guesdon
considering it’s sitting atop a throne on the larger ship. First things
MRNHV,QVWHDGSOD\HUVPXVWQHJRWLDWHPRYLQJSDWKV
first: Bayek dives beneath the water to find the most accessible statue.
FRXQWHUEDODQFHVDQGRWKHUKD]DUGVȊ<RXZLOOKDYH
Bayek is a great swimmer, and finding the statue is simple. The waters
WRJRLQWRVRPHWRPEVDQGDWOHDVWRQHS\UDPLGLQWKH
are peaceful, but it’s good to know that the same buttons that are used PDLQVWRU\EXWWKHQ\RXKDYHRWKHUVWKDW\RXFDQ
for attacking on land also enable him to swing his blades underwater, explore at your own desire.”
another example of the unified control scheme that Ubisoft Montreal 3OD\HUVKDYHPRUHWKDQRIWKHVHVLWHVWRH[SORUH
has worked to create. ZKLFKLQFOXGHS\UDPLGVWRPEVWHPSOHVDQGRWKHU
While I could hoist myself aboard the ship and start fighting like a WUHDVXUHȴOOHGSRLQWVRILQWHUHVW*XHVGRQVD\VKLV
maniac, I do my best to remain hidden. I climb up the bow of the ship, WHDPLVDZDUHWKDWWKHLGHDRIKDYLQJ%D\HNUDLGLQJ
shimmy along the side, and perform a quick ledge assassination on a WKHVHVDFUHGVLWHVPD\QRWPDNHVHQVHDVD0HGMD\
guard who has wandered too close. The other guards notice my action, SURWHFWRUȊ7KLVLVVRPHWKLQJZHGLVFXVVHGDORW
but I’m able to hoist myself up and take them out with a combination EHFDXVHDWVRPHSRLQWLWFUHDWHVWKLVFRQȵLFWEHWZHHQ
of slashes and arrows. It really is seamless to switch between melee WKHFKDUDFWHULQWKHJDPHDQGWKHSOD\HUȋKHVD\V
and ranged attacks, and it’s satisfying to make use of both. Once the Ȋ:HWULHGWRDOLJQWKHWZRDVPXFKDVSRVVLEOH:KHQ
ship is clear, I grab the statue and get ready to return them both and ZHKDGWRRPDQ\LVVXHVZLWKWKDWZHVDLGȆ<RXNQRZ
presumably get a solid reward and thanks for clearing up this misun- ZKDWLQWKHHQGWKHPRUHLPSRUWDQWWKLQJLVWKH
derstanding. Instead, the priest continues to punish the young man, player. The player will probably visit locations that
saying he was a problem regardless. One dead priest later, and Bayek Bayek wouldn’t in real life, but that’s the beauty of
is on his way. WKH$QLPXVȇȋ

cover story 47
 Yes, Bayek can ride camels. And yes, he
FDQDOVRŲUHPXOWLSOHDUURZVDWRQFH

CHOOSE YOUR SKILLS 50/50 split between players who love stealth and those who frankly
Bayek is a man of many potential talents, and it’s up to players to shape don’t care about keeping a low profile. Rather than nudge players in
his destiny. Ismail has me pull up the ability graph, which is different one direction or the other, his team decided to build the game in such
from how previous games have handled the more RPG-centric aspects a way that there is not a “correct” play style. “We just want to make
of character development. “A lot of us are fans of Final Fantasy X, and sure that all of these avenues are valid that they make sense and that
we wanted that graph system,” Ismail says. There are several different you can play the game one way or another and it will work for you and
major disciplines, and players can choose to spend as much or as you can play it,” he says. “We’re not reinventing RPG in any way, we
little of their attention on each one. Instead of having a straight tree, won’t want to claim that, but I think we are naturally reinventing the way
in which players have to invest skill points along a fairly regimented people play AC by adding these mechanics.”
path, the graph’s structure provides multiple routes to skills, allowing The graph is built around three main disciplines, which represent
for more flexibility. three different approaches to combat and navigating the world. The
“You can get to whatever ability you want quite quickly,” Ismail says, Seer path focuses on manipulating the world to Bayek’s advantage,
adding that the furthest abilities are only five upgrades away from your such as through the use of poisons or by taming animals. The Warrior
start. “There is a cost to the abilities, and the cost does increase as you path puts an emphasis on pure combat, unlocking a variety of combo
go further down, but we wanted it to be not too much of an investment attacks and making Bayek a more capable fighter. The Hunter path is
if you decided you wanted that ability. That’s why it’s a graph and not closest to a traditional assassin, granting players extra lethality with
a tree – so you have multiple ways to reach abilities so you can craft bows and increasing his stealth capabilities. Even though I can’t unlock
your way through the tree.” them during the demo, a few abilities stand out. Bayek can apply
Ismail says that their internal research shows that there’s about a poison to a corpse, which infects NPCs who approach the body. The
effect spreads and infects other NPCs, too, which
seems like a great way to clear a camp. Senu can
be upgraded to attack and distract enemies from the
air, which should help infiltrate crowded zones.
Players who want even more of a Far Cry feel – a
vibe I’ve been picking up – can pick up the ability to
tame animals.
Bayek’s maximum level is 40, but players don’t stop
earning ability points once they reach level cap. The
additional points can be used to completely unlock
the graph, but the three main disciplines each have a
final catch-all which can be leveled indefinitely.
“What I want to see is somebody at some point
deciding that they’re going to upgrade whatever the
ends are,” Ismail says. “The warrior tree, at the end, it
just increases your melee damage. I want someone to
level that up, which has an impact on your fists – you
can fistfight – and I want someone to go up to the
biggest boss of the game and one-shot punch them
and explode them.”

48
 LINGERING MYSTERIES
We learned a lot during our visit to Ubisoft Montreal,
but the team wasn’t quite ready to reveal everything The construction of Egypt's pyramids was
about the game. They bristled over a few subjects ancient history even during the Ptolemaic era, but
in particular: awe-inspiring monuments were still being built

THE FIRST CIVILIZATION

Egypt’s pyramids are old. Really old, in fact. As cre-
ative director Jean Guesdon points out, more time
had passed between their construction and Bayek’s
timeline in Ptolemaic Egypt than between where
we are now and him. How they were built remains a
puzzling mystery, which is studied by scholars and
crackpots alike. It’s tempting to say that the series’
ancient precursor race, The First Civilization, was
behind their construction. Unfortunately for us,
Ubisoft Montreal’s lips are sealed like a pharaoh’s
ȴQDOUHVWLQJSODFH

THE CURRENT TIMELINE

What’s going on in the game’s meta narrative? When
we last saw our contemporary assassins, they had
retrieved the Shroud, with the Templar no doubt hot
on their heels. Guesdon wouldn’t divulge any details
about that element of the game, though he says it
continues to be the glue that holds the franchise archer. He’s not prepared to take on someone that close, and he falls
together. His team took a polarizing approach with down with relative ease. I was too focused on him, however, and I
the current-day timeline in Black Flag, giving play- don’t notice the red tinge on the edge of the screen that indicated an
ers the chance to play as themselves as they began off-screen enemy. Before I can celebrate my victory, I’m mercilessly
work as an Abstergo Industries employee. Was this poked with a spear before his friend joins the carnage. I turn things
ȴUVWSHUVRQVWRU\WHOOLQJGHYLFHDQDQRPDO\RUZLOO around, but after a couple more waves, I fall into the sand one last time.
they try it again? They aren’t saying. Ismail mercifully pushes me through to the final round of this particu-
lar gladiator battle, where I fight a boss named The Slaver. That may be
MULTIPLAYER his vocation, but it’s not the most descriptive name. Surely, someone
Assassin’s Creed Unity was the last game in the series could have come up with something better for a massive eight-foot-tall
to include competitive multiplayer, which doesn’t beast of a man. The Slaver wields a strange polearm with a crescent-
appear to be changing with Origins. That’s not to say shaped blade at the end.
that it’s an entirely solo experience – though Ubisoft Knowing that it’s a high-stakes battle (and that the developers are
isn’t saying how exactly that works. “We have con- watching intently), I play it more conservatively than before. I make
nected features,” Guesdon says. “For us, being con- the most of my dodges, narrowly avoiding The Slaver’s wild swings
nected will improve your game. Being part of the and getting in a few of my own. I’m far from perfect – he manages to
community makes your experience more interesting. fling me into the traps several times – but I’m able to read his patterns
We are clearly not a competitive franchise, and so it’s and figure out when to charge my strong attack. I’m immobile during
more about collaboration and being part of the group the charge period, but when I release it Bayek unleashes several wild
and being part of the community will make your swings before slashing through the air with a devastating final blow. My
experience better.” Will you actually see other play- adrenaline gauge is a tremendous help, too, allowing me to stun The
ers in your game? Is it some kind of connected app? Slaver and hack at him with a cinematic flourish.
Again, they’re not saying.
I finally whittle his health down to nothing, and the giant collapses.
Now I get to make a dramatic choice: spare his life, or smash in his
skull with a bit of debris. I chose life, and I bask in the crowd’s cheers
while The Slaver hangs his head in shame.
There’s no gameplay consequence to letting The Slaver live or die,
Players can choose to hone their skills as an archer, slink in the shad- but Ubisoft Montreal wants to give players the choice of deciding if
ows and take down enemies with hidden blades, or go full berserker their Bayek is a man of mercy or an agent of rage. As with many ele-
with blades or giant maces. Regardless of how it happens, one thing ments in the game, players can shape this Assassin’s Creed hero with
is certain: Bayek is a fearsome opponent. During his travels, he gets to unprecedented flexibility – even as he fulfils his greater destiny.
test his skills in an iconic Roman export: gladiatorial combat. Bayek’s journey eventually leads to the formation of something bigger
than he can imagine, with consequences that will ripple across millen-
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO DIE nia. Ubisoft Montreal is pushing boundaries of its own, too. Could the
The arena is about the size of a hockey rink, and it’s designed for studio’s bold decisions alter the franchise moving forward? It certainly
pain. Spinning, bladed traps are scattered around, ready to slice open seems that way, but it’s not something that the team is focusing on.
anyone who’s stupid enough to get too close – or unlucky enough to “Yes, there are potential impacts. We feel that we need to do it, and
get shoved into them. Several combatants charge in, and it’s clear that we’re excited to do it as well,” Ismail says. “We wanted to refresh the
they’re all determined to take me down. They wield a variety of different franchise and reinvent the gameplay, and that’s what we focused on
weapons, and the first thing I need to do is size them up. I’m forced to from the beginning. I’m thrilled that we are actually modernizing AC
use a massive axe in this challenge, and I can go toe to toe with the and bringing something epic and new. What it means for outside of us?
spear-wielding foe, but the short-sword wielding foe might prove to be I don’t think about it. It just needs to be epic for us.” \
too fast to take on comfortably. Meanwhile, another gladiator watches
from a safe distance while shooting blazing arrows at me. Combat is Visit gameinformer.com/origins for more exclusive videos and features about Assassin's Creed
exhilarating enough even when you’re not on fire, so I charge at the Origins, including developer interviews and more in-depth coverage on the game

cover story 49
Destiny 2 shatters its
own mold to shape a
dynamic future
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50
 A FRESH
START
By Matt Miller

ny time we put a number on the box, we will

start fresh,” says Luke Smith, game director of
Destiny 2. “Every time we launch an integer, it
will always be this way. We’re going to change
things, fundamentally, every time.”
Coming from one of the voices guiding the
development of Destiny 2, this statement of
intent is bold, unqualified, and a sentiment that defies what
we've come to expect from many of the most successful video
game franchises, where committing to dramatic change is simply
too risky. Nonetheless, Destiny 2 backs up the claim with a bevy
of changes, improvements, and ground-up rebuilding of many as-
pects of gameplay and storytelling. Even with millions of devoted
players waiting in the wings, Bungie is forging ahead with plans
that dramatically reshape its successful universe, and aiming to
do so without losing the identity that garnered success in the
first place.
“We need this to be a common starting line for returning and
new players,” says project lead Mark Noseworthy, the other half
of the creative leadership for Destiny 2. “We didn’t want to build
two games – one for players at level 40, and one for people who
are brand new. It allowed us to say: What bones do we want to
break? What systems should be changed, fundamentally, that we
could only do if we started fresh? It meant changing things like
the weapon slots, completely altering the way subclasses work,
and more. It freed us up to make a better Destiny.”

feature 51
NO COMPROMISES than storytelling. Destiny 1 took a lot of grief
for its treatment of in-game narrative, and the
empire, and his teeming army of troops
dwarfs the forward Cabal scouts seen in the
I’m sitting in on Destiny’s reimagining. In a new approach aims to make strides forward, last game. “He’s come to our system, not
rare insight into the development process, I’m beginning with a clear narrative structure and because he’s some mustache-twirling Cobra
attending Bungie’s weekly lead meeting for theme. “It’s really important to us to tell a story Com mander,” Smith says. “Ghaul is a villain
Destiny 2, where the guiding voices of design, that is relatable,” Noseworthy says. “Everyone who feels passed by. Ever since he was just a
narrative, and more gather to discuss a path sitting on their couch has had that experience little Cabal runt, he was overlooked. This guy
forward. It’s not the first time I’ve had the good of losing something and wanting to get it back. we call the Consul took him under his wing,
fortune of a ringside seat to Bungie’s creative So this is a game about loss and recovery. and convinced Ghaul that when the Traveler
process, but it’s the first time I’ve seen and What happens when you take a world full of gifted Light to humanity that the Traveler made
heard the developers swing their punches with superheroes, and then take away their power, the wrong choice.” Ghaul took control of the
such abandon. Unbound by prior constraints history, and home? What lengths would they Cabal by force in a military coup that sent the
enforced by the architecture of Destiny 1, I go to get it all back?” Destiny 2 opens in a prior Emperor, Calus, into exile. But even with
overhear the team leads discuss how to roll out time after the Guardians have had a string that stolen power, our villain feels scorned and
story in a nuanced and explorable game world, of triumphs, only to be suddenly laid low. In passed over by something far greater. “He’s
and ways to introduce new game weapon one devastating assault, the alien Cabal Red arrived in our system to show that humanity
systems and subclasses to players. In multiple Legion destroys the Guardians’ tower and all is weak,” Smith continues. “Ghaul’s attack on
contexts, I hear Smith and Nosewor thy insist of their immaculately collected weapons and the City is a show of force to the Traveler, as if
on a no-compromises approach to Destiny 2; armor, overruns humanity’s last city on Earth, to say to the Traveler: ‘Those people that you
whether it’s a system returning from the first and robs the Guardians of their power and light picked are unworthy, and I am showing you
game, or something brand new, the focus is by capturing the Traveler. Whether you’ve been what worthy means.’”
on making sure that no one thing in the new playing for three years or you’re a newly risen Even as a more complex bad guy takes the
game is just okay – everything that isn’t above Guardian, the danger and stakes are clear from stage, Bungie is also doing more to flesh out
a threshold of consistent and elegant design is the outset. its heroic cast. The three Vanguard leaders
kicked to the curb. That threat is personified by a single central play far more active roles. “The Vanguard
In no place is that philosophy more apparent villain – Lord Ghaul is the head of the Cabal all react to the loss differently,” Smith says.
52
 Individual armor pieces in Destiny 2 includes dis-
tinct stats for armor value, agility, and recovery

The familiar Tower social space from

the first game has been devastated
by the arrival of the Red Legion

“Zavala loses his sense of purpose – he’s

weakened, and he’s asking the question: With-
DELVING INTO ADVENTURE me to distinct areas on the map and inevitably
into a pitched battle, and new lore flows naturally
out light, are we even Guardians? He’s in an As I’m listening to the leads discuss their plans through the experience.
existential crisis. Ikora reacts totally differently. for Destiny 2, my attention is split, as I’m also Destinations also take on added dimension
She’s furious. This power she used to identify playing through a heretofore unseen section through Lost Sectors. “Lost sectors are basically
with is gone, and she’s angry. And Cayde, of Destiny 2 – the fully explorable area of the like findable dungeons in the world, with cool
who is this goofy merry prankster who is full of European Dead Zone, a massive forest on Earth. bosses at the end, with a key that opens a trea-
jokes, does the thing that neither of the other A new social space called the Farm affords the sure chest,” Smith says. During my wandering,
two did. He goes out and tries to do something opportunity to meet a sniper named Devrim I spot several unusual icons scrawled on walls
heroic – and it doesn’t go super great.” As Kay. Interacting with him shows off a slick new and objects, each one indicating that a Lost
the plot launches beyond the City’s capture, conversation interface that produces greater Sector is nearby. In Destiny 1, I might have found
the player’s job focuses on reuniting these emotion and character animation potential. a well-hidden but tiny cave with a minor treasure
Guard ian leaders, and discovering what other Each new location includes a character like chest inside. In Destiny 2, that cave entrance
secrets await in the solar system. Devrim – a questgiver that helps to tell the story could lead to a large underground sprawl, where
Along the way, and evidenced by my time of the locale, and make each destination take on I fight a horde of nested Fallen before confronting
exploring the new locations, the nar rative is increased narrative weight. their Captain in single combat. And in between
far more player-facing than before. “There That narrative weight and the tasks that my discoveries, I can see public events pop up
is no grimoire on the website in Des tiny 2,” characters like Devrim assign are communicated on my in-game map (summonable with the touch
Nosewor thy says. “But in no way is it our intent through Adventures. “If a campaign mission of a button) and know exactly when and where
to get rid of deep lore in the game. We just is about finding out what happens next in the they will spawn, encouraging intentional group-
want to put it in the game.” Destinations are story, the Adventures are about finding out more ing into high-octane fights. Newly reinvigorated
invested with greater world-building through about the characters and locations in the world,” public events, Adventures, and Lost Sectors
the injection of both voiced characters and Smith says. I venture into the European Dead join old familiar activities like patrols, scannable
opportunities for narrative discovery. The result Zone on some of these Adventures – the story objects, and collectible materials, all as emergent
is an explorable landscape that must be played details remain a closely guarded secret, but the experiences that can be tackled without ever
to be fully un derstood. tone is clear. These crafted experiences send departing to orbit.
feature 53
 When I'm ready for new vistas, I can head
to three additional major locations beyond the
Traveler set down prior to coming to Earth.
Finally, you can visit the planetoid of Nessus,
PRESSING RESET
European Dead Zone, also without the need to where the Vex have transformed the land from A first glance at your Guardian’s character
enter orbit in between. “We’re going to all-new the inside out for their inscrutable purposes, screen in Destiny 2 might suggest that little
worlds. You’re not returning to Mars,” Nose- and a lost Earth colony ship called Exodus has changed. That impression is wrong. Even
worthy says. Titan is a moon of Saturn, domi- Black crashed hundreds of years earlier. a cursory examination reveals that one of
nated by an endless methane ocean, but with No matter your choice of destination, the the core features of gameplay has seen an
ancient arcologies from humanity’s golden age Director – the solar map and guide from which overhaul. The three main weapon classes –
slowly sinking into the depths. “Titan has an you choose your next engagement – has prima ry, special, and heavy – are no more.
interesting juxtaposition of experiences,” Nose- been redesigned. The quest log and several In their place, three new categories redefine
worthy says. “When you land, you’re essen- related systems have been eliminated, and the way players will confront battle. The
tially on top of tanks and shipping containers the Director streamlined to strip away the majority of weapon types, including the new
floating on the ocean, and then pretty quickly hard-to-decipher clog of icons. “We want to subma chine guns, pulse rifles, auto rifles,
you enter the arcologies, and drill deeper and make it clear to players what they could be scout rifles, hand cannons, and sidearms, can
deeper toward the center of the planet through doing every night,” Smith says. “What are their now appear in either of the first two catego-
these tight tunnels. That’s where it gets really options when they log in? It’s able to guide ries, called kinetic (standard ammunition) and
claustrophobic.” Alternately, you can head to you to different experiences. We think of this energy (arc, solar, and void-powered shots).
Jupiter’s moon of Io, the last place where the as unhiding the fun.” Deadlier weapons – the new grenade launch-
ers, sniper rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers,
and fusion rifles (heavy machine guns have
been fazed out) – have moved down into a
third slot, called power weapons. “We made
this change for a ton of reasons,” Smith says.
“One of those reasons was to give players
more flexibility with their arsenal. If someone
loves hand cannons, they can run two of
them. We also wanted to encourage more
weapon switching. And we wanted to get the
one-hit kills sorted out in PvP.” Only power
weapons (and supers) now provide a reliable
way to take down an opposing Guardian in a
single shot.
After several hours of playing various sec-
tions of Destiny 2, the change for a veteran
player is even more dramatic than it might
at first seem. At one point, running a kinetic
sidearm and a solar hand cannon, I’m a close-
range specialist. Without the guaranteed
ammo for my sniper rifle, another section sees
me relying on a solar energy scout rifle to drop
a Major’s shield. And individual encounters
seem more tuned to demand that I use all the
weapons at my disposal, rather than fall into a
routine of a single reliable standby gun.
Your character screen might also imply
subclasses have remained untouched, but
look closer, and the entire system has been
shuffled and redesigned. Every subclass is
organized around a super. Above and below
that super, options for grenades and move-
ment mode jumps return. To the right, one of
two distinct paths, each encompassing four
abilities, allows for smart customization. While
you can unlock abilities on both avenues,
only one path can be selected at any given
time. “The thing we were trying to do there
is make it easier for people to get to a place
where they’re playing the game optimally.”
Nosewor thy says. Off to the left of your super,
a new class-specific ability appears, always
with two variations. Warlocks command either
a healing rift for themselves and their allies
or an empowering rift that boosts damage.
Titans get a choice between a large block-
ing barrier or a smaller barrier that reloads
equipped weapons when taking cover behind
it. And Hunters gain the choice between a
dodge that recharges melee or one that in-
stantly reloads their gun. Taken together, these
The Arcstrider Hunter is great fun, with new subclasses still allow for customization,
many abilities that optimize a close but also encourage even casual players to
range, melee-focused playstyle
pursue playstyles that have natural and obvi-
ous paths to success.
54
 SURPRISING SUBCLASSES

GUNSLINGER ARCSTRIDER

STRIKER DAWNBLADE

Each of Destiny’s three main classes, Hunter, Titan, and Warlock, receive light ning staff in hand, resembling a kung fu master or meditative monk
one entirely new subclass in Destiny 2. But even returning subclasses who dashes through and around foes. And the Titan adopts the void
from the previous game have been wholly redesigned, and players power of the Sentinel – a gatecrasher who blocks, slams, and flings his
should expect big surprises throughout the leveling process. signature circular shield in an unmistakable homage to a certain Marvel
Warlocks now connect to the Solar power source as the Dawnblade. comic book hero.
“She summons a fiery sword and wings and can float and rains down Lest players presume that returning subclasses might feel overly famil-
fiery terror on her opponents,” says project lead Mark Noseworthy. “She iar, my time playing two old favorites dispels the notion. The Titan Striker
can quickly drop to the ground and slam her sword into the ground and has a host of new abilities, including a roaming super that mixes his
blow back enemies.” In all the ways that matter, the Warlock becomes signature slam with opportunities for devastating charges. And Hunter
an avenging angel with profound aerial superiority. Hunters take up the Gunslingers can look forward to tons of fun new tricks, including a golden
acrobatic style of the Arcstrider, a tumbling close-quarters killer with a gun super that can fire up to six shots.

feature 55
 The competitive Countdown match type
requires the team on offense to deto-
nate a bomb on one of two locations

A NEW COMPETITION one player when it spawns. Smart groups

synthesize their class abilities to create hard
message clearly shows your name and what
weapon type you just loaded for all players to
For many players, the heart of Destiny is the points of barriers and rifts. With only four play- see. Unique sounds distinguish ally and enemy
fierce heat of competitive play. Those play- ers on a team, supers absolutely turn the tide super activations. The combined effect is one
ers should prepare themselves for some big of a round. in which savvy players can better understand
changes; after multiple Crucible matches, Equally important, the U.I. and audio is what’s happening in any moment of the match,
I came away surprised by the breadth of organized to offer clearer messaging. The top and respond accordingly. “We believe we’ve
reinvention. Every match type is now a 4v4 ex- of the screen shows each player’s subclass, made a PvP offering in Destiny 2 that is more
perience, and playlists have been streamlined. and the status of their super, as well as when readable, more watchable, and more competi-
“PvP is sorted into two playlists now,” Smith a super activates. Collect power ammo, and a tive,” Smith says.
says. “Quickplay is the place where you’re
going to find more party games – Control,
Clash, Supremacy. Beer and peanuts is how
we sometimes talk about it. I’m home from a
long day, and I want to shoot and loot against
other players. Meanwhile, Competitive play
has two modes – one we’re not talking about
right now, and the other is Countdown. These
are objective modes. It requires a light dusting
of cooperation. It’s more structured.”
Playthroughs of Countdown with Bungie’s
PvP team are fast-paced and raucous. The
team on offense must choose one of two loca-
tions to set a bomb, and hold it against the de-
fending team, or skip the objective and simply
kill off the whole enemy team. Each round flips
team roles until someone hits six wins.
Moment-to-moment action feels different.
One-on-one engagements are extended;
sticky grenades no longer one-shot, and me-
lees take three hits for a kill. Energy weapons
do additional damage to Guardians who are
currently deploying their super. Power ammo
for shotguns, sniper rifles, or grenade launch-
ers (among others) can be gathered by only
56
 THE NEW EXOTICS
The exotic weapon system is returning, and I was fortunate to play with three of the new arrivals. Each offers its own
unique shooting experience, and left me eager to collect them with my actual Guardian come September. “Our approach to
exotics is to build a weapon that embodies a specific player experience or power fantasy, and then have that fantasy com-
municated through almost every aspect of the weapon: gameplay, audio, art, visual effects, animation, fiction, everything,”
explains senior gameplay designer Jon Weisnewski. Here are some of his thoughts about each of the new arrivals, which
are just a sampling of the new exotic arsenal.

SUNSHOT (PICTURED) players into over-committing and riding a line between recklessness and
“Sunshot is a solar hand cannon that shoots pieces of the sun. The player glory. The front of the gun has three lightning rods that grab incoming
experience here is pretty primal: it feels awesome to shoot something arc damage and channel it into a series of batteries on the back of the
and watch it blow up. When it hits, the projectile detonates and lights gun. Once charged, the batteries light up and the gun comes to life in the
up the enemy with a hot glow, and when it kills the target explodes. It’s player’s hands. All weapon stats get a boost and the projectiles spark a
great for chaining damage across multiple enemies and crowd manage- chain lightning effect on clustered enemies.”
ment. The magazine is a small metal chamber with exhaust vents. As
the player fires they’ll see it glow with heat and release hot gasses and SWEET BUSINESS
flames. There’s a star chart design etched into the weapon as a reminder “Sweet Business is a kinetic auto rifle that personifies the action mov-
to the guardian wielding it that someone had to travel a great distance ie machine gunner fantasy. A handheld Gatling gun that spins up and
to bring the gun into their hands.” spews a geyser of bullets. As the weapon spins up, its range and stability
improve, and any ammo box that the player picks up while in this state
RISKRUNNER is automatically added to the magazine. The longer the player fires, the
“Riskrunner is an arc submachine gun that channels electric energy from hotter the barrels will glow. A simple finger-pulled trigger didn’t quite
its surroundings and uses it to hyper-charge the weapon for a brief peri- deliver on the emotional level we wanted for this gun, so we made a
od. Specifically, in order to activate the weapon’s true potential the user custom hand, pulled lever for the firing mechanic. Seeing the hand crank
must take arc damage from a hostile source, and then continue taking pull back as the weapon roars to life really delivers the lead-in-the-air
arc damage as an upkeep cost. It’s a risk/reward mechanic that tempts fire-and-forget gunner fantasy.”

feature 57
 The Inverted Spire strike sees Guardians
descend into a Vex planetoid that is cur-
rently under assault by the Red Legion

ORGANIZING PRINCIPLES
Destiny 1 invited a community into its world, and
the developers at Bungie are the first to sing the
praises of those dedicated fans as the real mark
of the game’s success. But both players and de-
velopers share the sentiment that the grouping
and community systems need to grow. Destiny 2
takes many of the organizing elements that were
only available to its most devoted community
members on external sites, and pushes playing
with others, making friends, and sharing in com-
munal progression a core in-game experience.
Clans have existed since Destiny’s earli-
est days, but you’d be hard-pressed to know
how and why they had any value, beyond an
extra title on the emblem beneath your name.
Even then, clan engagement and invitations
could only be completed outside of the game.
Destiny 2’s clans can be managed within the
game, and provide ample reasons for engage-
ment. “One screen over from your character
screen is your clan page,” Noseworthy says.
“That’s going to show you who is in your clan,
but also its status. You have a clan banner. You
have a motto. There’s progression and rewards
for your clan. We’re trying to slope the floor to
get everybody to be a part of a clan.” Rather
than making clans a place for only hardcore
players, Bungie has adopted a system that
echoes the factions of Destiny 1; players pledge
to a clan, and the things you do in the game
contribute to that clan’s success – and everyone
gets rewards for membership and engage-
ment. Whether you’re part of a dedicated raid
team, a PvP lone wolf, or a casual story and
strike player, your deeds and activities help your
clan excel.
The centrality of clans is reinforced through
a brand new grouping system called guided
games. Traditional matchmaking still exists for
activities like quick PvP matches or strikes.
But for those game types that demand greater
commitment and communication, guided
games offer an in-game alternative to looking-
for-group websites. “It’s really important that
you’re able to play every piece of content that
58
we build,” Smith says. “Guided games let players
confront challenging content like nightfalls, Trials,
and raids.” One or more members of a clan can
register for an activity as “guides,” while other
individual players or groups can find those guides
and join them as “seekers.” Seekers can see
the clan they might play with, and get a sense of
whether the expressed play style in that clan’s
description is a good fit. If the system works,
every player will have an easy way to find groups
and confront even Destiny 2’s most complex and
involved activities.
Bungie’s growing focus on community engage-
ment is reminiscent of another developer’s fervent
efforts. Blizzard is another gamemaker that has
built its reputation on direct engagement with
its players, and the fostering of teamwork and
relationships. In keeping with that shared tradition,
Destiny 2 on PC will be the first non-Blizzard game
to show up on the Blizzard desktop app. “We are
going to be welcoming the Blizzard community
into the Destiny universe,” Smith says. “There’s
that common ground. We’re trying to build an
amazing audience and community with Destiny,
and that’s true of every game that Blizzard does.”
Blizzard’s devoted players and international reach
have profound implications for Destiny’s entry into
the PC market, joining an already robust commu-
nity of players on console.

MAINTAINING THE MYSTERY

Bungie pulled back the curtain on Destiny 2 at a
reveal event in May, leaving its community plenty
to mull over. An opening mission saw the devasta-
tion of the Guardian’s home tower. An exciting
cooperative strike took players into the heart of
a Cabal drilling operation on the Vex-controlled
Nessus. And competitive Countdown battles
on the new Midtown map finally gave players a
ground view of the fabled Last City.
Nonetheless, Bungie has remained quiet on
some important issues. What is the new progres-
sion and investment experience? How will the
new highly competitive Trials mode work? In
what ways will Bungie address the collection
and vault space challenges that plagued its prior
game? How will Bungie speak to and reward
returning veteran players after three years of
dedicated play? Are raids changing? And will
Destiny 2 avoid content droughts post-release?
While some of these and other questions are sure
to be answered before September 8, it’s clear
Bungie hopes to keep at least some of Destiny 2
shrouded for discovery until the game is in
players’ hands.
Even with big changes on the horizon, my time
with Destiny 2 reinforces an identity that persists
into the sequel, a conscious focus on humanity’s
resilience, potential, and ambition, even in the face
of seemingly insurmountable odds. It’s a theme
that resonates even as gameplay modes, weapon
types, and other changes swirl through various
evolutions. “We’ve already been pushed to the
brink,” Noseworthy says. “And now Armaged-
don has happened, and we’re being pushed right
up against extinction. But even in that, there’s
aspiration. There’s a version of Destiny that
you can imagine as very dark and terrible, with
burning trash cans everywhere. But instead, the
way we design the environments, the storylines,
and the characters, we’re trying to keep hope at
the center.” \
feature 59
 Darksiders III
A dark horse rises from the ashes

C
» Platform ritics praised the first two Darksiders. So, when we came back areas of the world à la Metroid.
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» Style geous, comic-inspired art and going to do the four-player co-op world is a bit different than its prede-
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» Publisher Unfortunately, all the inspiration in the scope.’ Plus, it felt like we had told the on the classic Zelda model, where
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%AD6;5 world couldn’t keep the original THQ story of War and Death, so it would be players entered a “dungeon,” acquired
» Developer afloat, and when the publisher shut- cool to tell the story of one of the other a new tool or ability, and then solved a
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3?7E tered in 2013, fans feared they had horsemen. It seemed obvious to us series of puzzle challenges designed
seen the last of this colorful interpreta- that it should be Fury. I don’t think we around that tool. However, the devel-
» Release
2018 tion of the apocalypse. even considered doing Strife.” opers feel like they rarely took advan-
Following the closure, THQ Nordic In the Darksiders’ universe, Fury is tage of those tools outside of the area
(formerly Nordic Games) snatched up the only female “Horseman” of The in which they were acquired.
the property, and began looking for a Apocalypse. She wields a bladed whip “This game is different,” Adams
group of developers who could carry in combat, so her movements are says. “The way the world is structured,
on the Darksiders legacy. It didn’t very fast and fluid. She’s much faster we call it one giant, mega dungeon.
have to look far. Darksiders’ original than her brother War, but not nearly as Where the other games were more
developer, Vigil Games, had closed nimble as Death, a difference which hub and spoke design, in this game,
alongside THQ, but a sizable portion Gunfire hopes provides a nice balance the whole world is structured like
of the team formed its own studio, to the combat. a giant dungeon, so you’re kind of
Gunfire Games, and began work on However, Fury’s whip is not her only weaving in and out of different areas.
VR experiences like Herobound: Spirit means of attack. Gunfire thinks of Fury Fury still has a horse, but the needs of
Champion and Chronos. THQ Nordic like a mage, so she has a series of that horse are much different than in
asked Gunfire Games to develop magical attacks at her disposal. The previous games.”
the HD remake of Darksiders II – but studio isn’t ready to talk about these Darksiders III follows Fury’s actions
that was just a stepping stone to magical talents just yet, but it sounds throughout the events of the second
Darksiders III. like Fury slowly acquires new powers Darksiders game. While Death is
“At Vigil, we didn’t really have a throughout the game, much like War searching for evidence to disprove his
plan [for Darksiders III],” says presi- and Death acquired new weapons and brother’s war crimes, Fury is clean-
dent of Gunfire Games David Adams. gear. Fury can use this magic to aug- ing up the mess created when the
“After Darksiders II, we were told ment her attacks in combat, but these apocalypse came early. Due to the
that we weren’t going to do another skills also grant her access to new events of the first Darksider’s game,
60
 Instead of designing a series of dungeons buried in a larger world,
Gunfire thinks of Darksiders III as one big, interconnected dungeon

the phys ical incarnations of the Seven

Deadly Sins have been unleashed onto
the world to cause havoc. Last time
this occurred, all four Horseman had to
work together to bring the Sins to jus-
tice. This time, Fury must work alone
to defeat all seven of the Deadly Sins
and restore balance to the world.
“Every Sin in the game has its own
region within the mega dungeon, and
those regions are reflections of our
interpretation of that sin,” Adams says.
“In this game, the Seven Deadly Sins
are not primordial evils that are going
to doom human souls to eternal hell,
they are super powerful, comic book-
like villains. Sloth is a bug. He’s an
insect who lives underground, and he
has these weird rock crab guys who
carry him around on a throne because
he’s super, ridiculously lazy.”
Even though Darksiders III takes
place during the timeframe of the first
two games, Gunfire Games believes
it will shed new light into the larger
Darksiders’ story, and that is important
to the studio. To Adams, Darksiders
felt like unfinished business, and the
team feels incredibly lucky to be work-
ing on a game they believed they’d
never touch again. » Ben Reeves
previews 61
 Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2
The Guardians take center stage
» Platform
T
he original Lego Marvel Super Starlord can turn on his Walkman and confusion passed.
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» Style fan service for hardcore Marvel enthu- can take selfies that can then be original game’s focus on filling its
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» Publisher that anyone could get into. The sequel The first level, taking place on both as possible will be pleased. However,
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looks to double down on that, offering the Guardians’ ship and the streets of we didn’t get a sense of the open-
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a bigger cast of characters that brings Xandar, was entertaining if a bit cha- world gameplay or how characters
» Developer in more fan favorites like Spider-Gwen, otic. A lot of characters were onscreen are unlocked during our time with this
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» Release that puts The Guardians Of The Galaxy often hard to figure out exactly which ing a city? Various cities? Planets in
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 as the central group instead of The one I needed to switch to and what the Marvel comics? There are a lot of
Avengers (though the Avengers still they should be doing to progress unanswered questions, but for now
play a part in the game). through a fight. Moving around was TT Games seems rightly focused on
We recently played through the first also a bit clumsy, especially when it what fans of both the Marvel universe
level of the game, which plays out came to flying as Starlord. Ultimately, and the previous entry want more of.
parallel to the ending of the original it was a fun experience once the » Javy Gwaltney
game. The Guardians find themselves
fighting Kang The Conqueror, a time-
traveling villain, and turning to Earth’s
superheroes for assistance. The open-
ing takes place on Xandar, with the
Nova Corps evacuating the city while
the Guardians fight against a sentinel
controlled by Kang. Gameplay follows
the same formula as the first, with
players controlling characters as they
progress through a story and semi-
open world, solving puzzles with hero
abilities and unlocking characters.
Every character has specific abilities
they can use, like Starlord’s gravity gre-
nades and turning his mask on and off.
Characters also have unique emotes
that can affect gameplay. For example,

62 previews
IF YOU DON’T LIKE
THE MESSAGE,
EAT THE MESSENGER.

HUNGER BARS ARE BACK

 Far Cry 5
Ubisoft takes on faith, firearms, and freedom

» Platform
F
ar Cry has made its name on trans- in the Oregon-based national park for While Ubisoft’s presentation geared
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weaponry, and then sending them to end up being the most disturbing Far we did see about 20 seconds of game-
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wage war against despots, tyrants, and Cry yet. play. What we witnessed was in line
» Publisher madmen. With the fifth entry in one of The cultists are led by a hyper- with previous games, with a few new
,4;EA8F its biggest series, Ubisoft is making religious family of four whose funda- elements. Gunplay took center stage,
» Developer a bold maneuver by taking the player mental pillar of belief is “being prepared with the protagonist blasting cultists
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$A@FD73> somewhere a little less romantic: Big to be tested.” Hay says Ubisoft con- away with assault rifles and shotguns.
» Release Sky Country. Set in the fictional Hope sulted with a team of cult experts to Melee weapons and animal com-
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 County, Montana, Far Cry 5 follows the build these characters and that each panions make the jump from Far Cry
protagonist’s attempts to take down a corresponds to a role that most cults in Primal into 5. We saw the protagonist
religious cult terrorizing the locales. the world rely on. Joseph is the leader, kill one enemy by hurling a pitchfork at
While the brief snippets of run-and- charismatic and filled with spiritual him spear-style, and then beat another
gun gameplay we watched suggest energy, while Jacob is the muscle and one’s head in with a sledgehammer.
there’s nothing radically different John is the smooth-talking lawyer who The protagonist also befriended a
about how this entry plays compared handles the business side of things. dog at one point and commanded the
to previous titles, the tone of Far Cry Faith, the sole woman of the group, is canine to attack an enemy. The dog
5 is much bleaker than the third and also charismatic but deceptively sooth- not only assaulted the foe, but stole his
fourth entries, which were already ing, serving as the family’s primary AK-47 and brought it back to the player.
fixated on the madness of men in recruiter. Given the cultists’ preparation While previous games featured heli-
power and featured graphic violence. doctrine, it’s no surprise the small army copters and wingsuits, Far Cry 5 is the
According to producer Dan Hay, the they lead is armed to the teeth with first one to let us use planes. Ubisoft
new game is inspired by both chaotic assault rifles, shotguns, and other fire- didn’t specify how and when they
international political conditions as arms capable of tearing you to shreds. would be used, but we saw gameplay
well as the 2016 occupation of the Luckily, you have the means to fight footage of the player in control of a
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, in back, and you aren’t doing so alone. biplane armed with miniguns and using
which armed militants took residence We don’t know much about the pro- it to rain hell down on a compound
tagonist, outside that they are a junior filled with cultists. For those who loved
deputy on the police force in Hope Far Cry 4’s co-op functionality, good
County and you can pick their gender news: you can play through the entirety
and ethnicity. However, we saw at least of 5 by yourself or with a partner,
three allies helping out the yet-to-be- according to Ubisoft.
named protagonist and got a sense of While our sneak peek of Far Cry 5
their motivations. Jerome is a shotgun- offered few details, it’s enough to know
toting pastor who’s tired of the cultists Ubisoft is trying something themati-
leading his flock away. The mechanic cally different with its fifth numbered
Nick Rye fears for the safety of his entry, trading in globe-trotting thrills
family and is willing to take the fight for a more homegrown terror. We’re
to the air with his minigun-equipped curious to see what details trickle out
biplanes. Mary May, who appears to be in the months to come, but for now,
a bartender, wants to get revenge on we’re looking forward to this new
the cultists for stealing her family away direction and seeing how it fits inside
and she will, one Molotov cocktail at the series’ tried and true open-world
a time. shooter formula. » Javy Gwaltney
64 previews
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Improving a familiar fantasy

F
inal Fantasy fans love comparing » Platform
installments and debating their PS4
faults and merits, but one entry has » Style
proven especially divisive over the last 1-Player Role-Playing
decade. Final Fantasy XII first released » Publisher
in 2006 on PS2, and its drastic depar- Square Enix
ture from series conventions has drawn
» Developer
both praise and complaints in the years Square Enix
since. If you haven’t enjoyed (or haven’t
played) the game before, keep an open
» Release
July 11
mind for Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac
Age, because this enhanced remaster
makes it much easier to appreciate the
best parts of the experience.
I spent several hours playing The
Zodiac Age, comparing my memo-
ries of the game with its new reality.
The biggest and best change is how
character progression works. Instead party members in and out based on and tweaks. A high-speed option
of everyone buying abilities on one the encounters. allows you to traverse the large envi-
large grid (called the license board), The basic structure of combat ronments faster, and a standalone
characters now pick specific jobs with remains interesting and fun. Battles Trial Mode lets you tackle a gauntlet
individual license boards tailored to play out in real time, and you set up of encounters that gradually increase
that job’s role. For example, to make conditions and commands that govern in difficulty. Square Enix also imple-
Fran an archer, you no longer need to ally behavior without direct input. mented an auto-save function, making
blindly hunt for skills and weapons on The goal is to optimize your party’s the treks between save crystals a bit
a single, overwhelming license board. automatic actions, but you can still more comfortable.
Instead, you assign her the archer job, issue direct orders when needed. Most of these improvements were
and you can rest assured she will get That’s all the same as before, but one previously implemented in a re-
the relevant abilities from spending her smart change to combat is a separate released international version of Final
points on that specialized board. meter for Quickening moves, Final Fantasy XII, but since that never made
Characters can eventually have two Fantasy XII’s version of Limit Breaks. it to North America, the standout fea-
jobs, and those jobs are locked in once These powerful abilities required huge tures will seem new to most players.
chosen. This approach gives players chunks of MP before, but they now By clearing away some clutter to let
less flexibility, but leads to more spe- charge up independently, freeing up the clever battle mechanics and fan-
cialized combat dynamics. With varied your resources for other strategies. tastic cast shine, The Zodiac Age has
roles like knight, time battlemage, and Beyond the expected visual and the potential to make Final Fantasy XII
machinist being held by different char- performance upgrades, The Zodiac less contentious among RPG fans.
acters, I had more incentive to swap Age has various other adjustments » Joe Juba

previews 65
 Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night
An old haunting ground with new tricks
» Platform
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ttempts to return to classic floaty. Bloodstained also implements Bloodstained also makes some
gaming formulas under new a few of its inspirations’ finer details. significant changes to the Castlevania
monikers have been hit or miss For example, if you throw out an aerial formula. Hearts that would drop from
in recent months. For every successful attack right before landing, you can candlesticks and such are gone,
revival like Torment: Tides of Numenera, immediately follow up with a second replaced by a mana meter that refills
we get a trainwreck like Mighty No. 9. attack right after you hit the ground. over time. You can use mana to cast
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is As I explored the small area included spells learned from fighting monsters
longtime Castlevania producer Koji in the demo, I found several differ- (in my demo, I learned to throw bones
Igarashi’s shot at the retro revival, and ent weapons and pieces of armor to and toss javelins by killing monsters
after playing a brief demo of the game, play with, all of them mapping neatly who did the same), along with more
I’m excited to see more. to Castlevania’s rapiers, claymores, unique spells mapped to the right
If you’ve played any 2D Castlevania knives, and close-range weapons trigger, such as a short-range fireball
title like Symphony of the Night, (though instead of brass knuckles, you you aim with the right analog stick.
Bloodstained’s gothic castle and organ can find “Kung-Fu Boots”). The whip, Some monsters also provide passive
chimes should look and sound familiar, however, looks and feels a bit differ- bonuses, like increased movement
and the controls follow suit. The move- ent from Castlevania’s iconic melee speed. All of these changes made me
ment speed is about the same, you weapon. You can also look forward to feel like I had numerous options to deal
can perform a backward dash from filling out a blue-on-white map, with with different situations and enemies.
standing position (though you can’t plenty of items stowed away in chests If nothing else, I could more easily deal
abuse it to move more quickly across and hidden in secret compartments with Bloodstained’s equivalent of flying
the map), and jumps feel appropriately along the walls. Medusa Heads.
My demo ended with a boss encoun-
ter against an umbrella-wielding enemy
clad in a red dress, which depleted
most of my health-potion reserves and
had me using all the combat tricks,
spells, and weapons I’d acquired up
to that point. The fight was tough but
fun, and definitely elicited the feeling I
had when I first fought Galamoth and
Gaibon in Symphony of the Night.
The demo didn’t provide a sense of
how long-term exploration will fare
(are there save or teleport rooms?
How much backtracking is involved?),
but what I’ve played makes me a bit
more confident Igarashi’s return to
a classic formula won’t disappoint.
» Suriel Vazquez
66 previews
Indivisible
Divide and conquer
» Platform
N
othing under the sun may be is kicked into a whirlwind when a local environmental obstacles. We were also
new, but a lot of indie develop- warlord attacks her town and sends able to use this weapon like a climbing '*
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classic game ideas into products that forces her to confront her history as rock walls for extra leverage. » Style
feel exciting and fresh. Case in point she discovers some startling revela- Indivisible’s exotic 2D landscape is '>3K7D
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hand-drawn animation from the original One of Ajna’s first big revelations however, and we encounter several » Publisher
 
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core team behind the cult-hit fighting comes during the beginning of the monsters during our exploration of the
game Skullgirls. After raising over $2 game, when she learns she has the game’s opening hours. As soon as Ajna » Developer
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million via the crowdsourcing platform ability to absorb other beings into her- physically attacks a monster, Indivisible
Indiegogo, developer Lab Zero Games self. A variety of unique creatures are transitions into an active-timed RPG » Release
aims to combine the 2D platforming/ scattered about the world, and when battle system. At this point, up to 2018
exploration elements popularized by Ajna touches these friendly beings three Incarnations jump out of Ajna
Metroid with an RPG combat system (known as Incarnations) she gains their and join her on the battlefield. These
reminiscent of Valkyrie Profile. The powers and abilities. battles take place in real time, and
result is a game full of old ideas that For example, an Incarnation that each character slowly charges up their
feels new. boosts Ajna’s martial arts abilities attack. You can bank a couple attacks
Indivisible’s adventure begins with also allow her to wall jump. We used for each character and use them all at
a spunky young girl named Ajna who this ability to climb up vertical shafts. once, creating combo strings between
was raised by her grandfather in the Another Incarnation grants Ajna the characters. This combat system is
rural outskirts of a world based on ability to materialize a war axe from thin simple, but effective, and the action is
Southeast Asian mythology. Ajna’s life air, which she can use to chop down fast and furious.
As characters level up, they gain a
wider range of attack options. Similar
to Valkyrie Profile, Ajna and her various
Incarnations are tied to different face
buttons, so tapping any one of those
four buttons causes the correspond-
ing character to attack. Additionally,
holding down a direction on the d-pad
during an attack modifies that charac-
ter’s action. For example, holding up
on the d-pad and pressing an attack
button might make a character perform
an uppercut, but pressing down and
attack allows that character to perform
a weaker, multi-enemy attack.
Lab Zero’s creative concepts and
gorgeous hand-drawn animations won
us over after only a few minutes. Lab
Zero hopes to polish the game up more
before its 2018 debut, but Indivisible
is already shining bright on our release
calendar. » Ben Reeves

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previews 67
 Dreadnought
Massing your space fleet
» Platform
O
n the surface, it might be easy with a sense of scale, and the games own unique ships, and unlike the
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» Style of World of Tanks in space – you strategy and auxiliary weapons. While players select their ship at the begin-
16-Player Online Action unlock massive vessels, queue up for missiles are easy to aim and under- ning of the match and upgrade it over
» Publisher 8v8 battles, collect rewards, and pur- stand, other skills like warp boosters or time. If you’re tired of facing off with
Grey Box chase new ships in a satisfying reward maneuverability tactics take more time other players and want to push your
» Developer loop. But it has a lot more going on to master, especially in the context of ships and skills to the limit with a few
Yager beyond the hangar, whether you want team-based warfare. good friends, this is the mode for you.
» Release to play as a fragile artillery ship that Console players get a neat perk that I’m eager to see how Dreadnought
2017 can lay down destruction from afar, a PC players don’t in the form of a co-op fares when it launches later this year,
heavily armored destroyer, or the titular experience. Havoc is a PS4-exclusive as it’s unlike any other space combat
dreadnought, slow but packing plenty mode that pits three players against game I’ve played. Dreadnought is free-
of firepower. waves and waves of A.I. opponents, to-play and you can dive into the open
When picking your craft you need to the Scavs. These enemies have their beta right now. » Daniel Tack
look at the makeup of the rest of your
team, and then select something with
the right shields, range, and skills to
fit the task. Your personal hangar isn’t
just a place to upgrade and purchase
new ships – you can also research new
skills like anti-missile lasers, turrets,
cloaking, torpedoes, and more, then
plug them into your available ability
slots, further customizing the ship to
your taste and style.
Dreadnought’s class-based ship
archetypes and customization make
it more interesting than its obvious
inspirations. At first, maneuvering a
massive starship may feel unwieldy
and awkward – controlling a giant
mass is much different than maneu-
vering or jetpacking around a small Every ship archetype is special, and you
can tweak them with even more options
corner. The first few games impress
68 previews
 Arms
The long-distance boxer
» Platform
Switch
» Style
1 to 4-Player Fighting
» Publisher
Nintendo
» Developer
Nintendo
» Release
June 16

W
hen Nintendo revealed the
Switch earlier this year, we
had a chance to play Arms
and walked away underwhelmed. New
properties from Nintendo are always
exciting, and Arms’ vibrant art style is a
memorable one, but playing the game
made us recall the Wii’s early simple
boxing games. We recently spent
significantly more time with Arms and
checked out its additional modes. After
getting a firmer understanding of its
mechanics and playing with its many
characters, we’re much more excited
about the prospect of the Switch’s
long-distance boxer.
For this hands-on, Nintendo offered
some tips and training before letting us and carefully throwing out punches targets to see who can hit the most.
spend a few hours with the full game. one arm at a time. It’s a slower-paced You can still grab and punch your
Arms is a boxing experience, but broad fighter than I expected. Every character opponent to keep them from hitting
quick punches are a fast way to defeat. has a suggested set of arms to choose targets, which leads to quick deci-
To play you hold the two Joy-Cons from, but you can change between sions about whether you should go
in your hands like a pair of lighters, them every round if you desire. Some for that target, or hit the other player
resting your thumbs on the shoulder arms split apart into three different hard enough so they don’t. Finally, we
buttons. The left shoulder button is a small fists in a vertical row, great for played the game’s two-on-two mode,
dash, the right button is a jump, and fighting against opponents who like to a chaotic cooperative take on the
you lean the controllers in the direction jump. Others come in from the side, or standard versus option.
you want to move. Instead of throwing pause mid-punch to fire lasers. The chance to spend more time with
a full punch to fire off your arms, I had I also played the non-standard one- Arms, learn its intricacies, and play
much more success with small move- versus-one fighting modes. Hoops with all its characters and new modes
ments. If you can visualize the act of places two opponents on a basket- leaves me much more excited for the
quickly pushing forward on an arcade ball court. If you pull off a grab, you game than its initial announcement. A
joystick, that’s what I was doing to throw or dunk your opponent into the beta is on the way that will work like
throw punches. enlarged hoop. Just like normal bas- the recent Splatoon 2 testfire, with
After getting the basic flow of the ketball, the further you are from the a few windows of online availability
fight down, I had much more success hoop the more points you get. You can giving everyone a chance to try out the
(and fun) playing as a reactive boxer, still throw punches and block to avoid game’s strange boxing. I am looking
moving, dashing, and jumping often, being grabbed. Skillshot has you and forward to getting in a few more rounds
going for grabs when I saw openings, an opponent fighting over a series of before release. » Kyle Hilliard
70 previews
 “A MUST-O WN GAME”
P L AY S TAT I O N L I F E S T Y L E

“BURSTING WITH 4.5/5 “ONE OF THE BEST

“4.5/5” “ T RU LY FA N TA S T I C ”
PERSONALITY” “EXCELLENT” RELEASES OF 2017”
ATTACK OF THE FANBOY R O C K PA P E R S H O T G U N
D A I LY D O T D A I LY S TA R
GAMESRADAR+

BUY NO W

Blood
Language
Use of Alcohol *
VALID FOR PUR PRO MEMBERS ONLY.
Violence © 2017 Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media company. All Rights Reserved. “PlayStation” is a registered
trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment inc. “PS4” is a trademark of the same company. All Rights Reserved.
 Pro Evolution Soccer 2018
Striving for greatness from within
» Platform
P
ES’ special licensing deal with
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» Developer But this belies the hard work that has
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brought the PES series the accolades
» Release it deserves and serves as the fuel for
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possible future success. Great players
like the ones at Barcelona make it look
easy, but it’s not easy being great.
I’m most excited by PES 2018’s
stated attempt to take its already
excellent ball control gameplay and
extend it to different parts of the body.
So many times in real life you see play-
ers try to corral high or errant passes
with their chests or their thighs, and
use different parts of their feet. If the that also allows local friends to join in, In the past few years the franchise
game can replicate this smoothly – and further competitive options exist has taken a wholesale approach for
particularly as players’ bodies are in via the game’s extension of its esports its latest iteration, deciding to improve
ever-changing positions while on the PES League into the Ultimate Team- the entire package rather than focus-
run – then the series’ already tight esque MyClub mode and the returning ing in on a marquee mode or feature.
gameplay will have taken a big step Random Selection Matches. If you By admitting that even its best parts
forward. The game is also working prefer to play alone, the Master League could stand to be better, the series
to deliver better ball shielding and career mode has an improved transfer has thrived. Neither PES’ gameplay
subtle ball-control movements with the system (hopefully with more surprises nor Master League mode is perfect,
analog stick. and a reflection of player wishes), better but for the best players it’s not about
Gamers can test out this gameplay presentation (including pre-game inter- being perfect, it’s about rising to the
in a new 2v2 or 3v3 online co-op mode views), and pre-season tournaments. occasion. » Matthew Kato

The Look Of A
Champion
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72 previews
 Ever Oasis
Growing a home in the desert
» Platform
E
ver Oasis has an impressive pedi- In my demo, I took on a standard the walls to activate a switch. We move
3DS gree behind it. Grezzo developed retrieval mission for someone in my through the room and get ambushed
» Style the 3DS remakes of The Legend town who needed an item that could by a group of enemies.
1-Player Action of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora’s only be found in the desert. My team The beetle-like foes are affected by
» Publisher Mask, and the game’s director, Koichi and I enter a cave and I use a special something called Chaos, which makes
Nintendo Ishii, is the man behind The Secret of tornado power to blow away piles them evil. Every character in my party
» Developer Mana. Grezzo’s remakes of the Zelda of sand to collect items. The items I has a heavy and light attack, but they
Grezzo games are excellent, which has made retrieve can be used to restock the all play a little differently. You can lock
» Release me excited to see what the studio can shops in my town, and I get a per- onto enemies the same way you do
June 23 do with an original project like Ever centage of the profit as they are sold. in Zelda, but the combat is driven by
Oasis. I played a few missions and tried Before making my way through a simple combos. Curiously, you don’t
out its combat in a recent demo. nearby door, I see a friendly charac- kill. Instead, once the enemies’ health is
In Ever Oasis, you are a fantasy ter and speak with him. He gives me whittled down, the Chaos leaves them
creature – not quite human, not quite another item retrieval mission, which is and they scuttle off and disappear.
animal – who must restore life to an added to my queue of requests. Defeating the bugs lets us move onto
oasis in the middle of a desert. You do To get through the door, I must solve the next area, which is much larger.
this by building a home and finding a puzzle that involves setting up a Here, I meet another friendly char-
characters, or “seedlings” as the game series of walls. I instantly switch to the acter who decides they would like to
refers to them, to help grow your town. tall character with a staff in my party become part of my town just by talk-
You find seedlings by venturing out via the d-pad. He can lift walls out of ing to them. For the purposes of my
into the dangerous desert with a team the sand with his staff. I then switch to demo, my town is sparse, with only a
of two other fighters, each with their the smallest member of my party, who few shops and lots of empty spaces.
own abilities. can roll into a ball to bounce against As seedlings come to your town you
choose where their shops go, giving
you some control over its layout.
The Ever Oasis gameplay loop is
to grow your town by taking on mis-
sions in the desert from the seedlings
you meet. Sometimes you are simply
exploring, sometimes you are beat-
ing up Chaos-affected bad guys and
bosses, and other times you must
solve puzzles. We didn’t get to spend
too much time with the game, but it
plays well and I am eager to build up
my personal oasis town mission by
mission. » Kyle Hilliard
74 previews
 Hey! Pikmin
The beginner’s guide to Pikmin
» Platform
W
ith its multiple screens and Pikmin games is unclear, but you still above them, instantly sending them
touch capabilities, players have have Pikmin, with all their familiar where they need to go. I also played 3DS
assumed the management- abilities and colors, and Olimar still an underwater level and controlled a » Style
heavy Pikmin series would someday col lects items. swimming Olimar as blue Pikmin swam 1-Player Action
make its way to 3DS. Organizing and Rather than staying in one large behind me. » Publisher
commanding Pikmin using the touch area, building your Pikmin army as Nintendo’s goal with Hey! Pikmin is to Nintendo
controls seemed like an obvious appli- they bring items to your centralized create a much simpler Pikmin experi- » Developer
cation of the platform, and while this is ship, you move through a level call- ence for younger players. Rather than Arzest
something you do in Hey! Pikmin, it’s ing Pikmin to you with a whistle as figure out grand problems with an army » Release
not quite what I expected. The game they appear on screen. You control on a strict timeline, I solved smaller July 28
is more of an action-platformer than a Olimar with the control stick and tap problems with the Pikmin I found in
management sim. the screen to throw Pikmin. I tap on that specific level. This is not Pikmin as
During my hands-on demo, I played enemies to throw Pikmin at them, and I expected when I thought about the
as Olimar making my way through when I discover items, I throw Pikmin series coming to 3DS, but I enjoyed the
a series of 2D platforming levels. at them and they bring the items to simplified, bite-sized version of what is
The game’s story and where it takes me rather than a ship. Once Olimar essentially Nintendo’s take on the RTS
place in relation to the first three is near the items, he opens a portal genre. » Kyle Hilliard

800.226.7625 | fullsail.edu/gameinformer

Full Sail has specialized degree programs designed to help you

gain the skill set and knowledge needed to pursue a career
involving the design, computer languages, or art and animation
within video games.

Our grads have worked on projects such as Destiny, Titanfall,

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and Far Cry 4. Grads have also
worked for notable companies such as (OHFWURQLF$UWVΖQȴQLW\
Ward, ESPN, and Rockstar Games.

8QLYHUVLW\%RXOHYDUGȏWinter Park, FL Student work by: John Rogeles & George Stoll
previews 75
)LQDQFLDODLGDYDLODEOHIRUWKRVHZKRTXDOLI\ȏ&DUHHUGHYHORSPHQWDVVLVWDQFHȏ$FFUHGLWHG8QLYHUVLW\$&&6&
To review consumer disclosures, please visit fullsail.edu/gedt. k)XOO6DLO//&
 GAME THE OF
MONTH
79 Injustice 2
DC Comics’ mightiest heroes and villains unite to save
the planet in this extraordinary fighting experience from
NetherRealm Studios. With faster movement and more
evasive maneuvers at your fingertips, the fighting is richer
in strategy, yet still boils down to punching someone
through a building or into outer space. Players can also
customize their characters with unlockable loot that adds
an addictive layer of replayability to each mode.

Note: Mario Kart 8 received Game of the Month honors

when it originally appeared on Wii U in 2014, so the Switch
version is not eligible for the award again (despite scoring
higher than Injustice 2).

THE SCORING SYSTEM AWARDS

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

8 choice for everyone. This score indicates that there

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

76 reviews For more information on the age classification ratings in our reviews, head to gameinformer.com/ratings
 Prey
Somewhere beyond the stars

8.25 Style 1-Player Action Publisher Bethesda Developer Arkane Studios Release May 5 Rating M

P
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sedated fashion, as scientist shadowalkers capable of setting you on I was surprised at how well I was pulled
» Concept Morgan Yu awakens in an upper- fire and massive, floating Typhon that into the fantasy of being Morgan, having
A mysterious alien
outbreak has overtaken class apartment. There’s a sense of can shut down your equipment and to juggle the needs of the world versus
the space station you fuzziness there, an inexplicable unease make heads literally explode. my own.
live on. It’s up to you to that something is not right. Turns out In spite of how interesting the set-up Prey’s impressive narrative execution
stop the invasion from the feeling isn’t misplaced. After a and enemies are, the early hours of makes its shortcomings easier to bear,
reaching Earth trippy introduction, Prey thrusts you gameplay are sluggish. Morgan is not a but it doesn’t erase them. While the
» Graphics headfirst into its world, where merci- super-powered human (yet) but instead combat did improve once I was able
Character model less monsters called Typhon roam the a scientist that these bullet-sponge to use Typhon powers and gain cool
animations are awkward
research-focused Talos-1 space sta- monsters can kill in a few hits. Until you weaponry, I never escaped the feeling
but environments are
gorgeous if a bit bland tion, tearing the inhabitants to pieces. start upgrading your stats by modding that I was chipping squares off a health
Suddenly you find yourself in the posi- your body with neuromods – Prey’s meter when I went up against foes.
» Sound tion of having to keep these aliens from equivalent of level currency – your best There’s also a lot of backtracking, espe-
Phenomenal sound
design makes the jump getting off the station – at any cost. bet is to stick to the shadows, collect- cially if you do side missions, and while
scares and tension Prey is concerned with who Morgan ing supplies, lest you want to get torn those occasions aren’t too annoying
work — just be sure Yu is, and the game lets you choose to shreds. in themselves, they do hammer home
to turn down the nearly every facet of their person, However, about a third of the way that the space station isn’t as visually
music a bit
including gender, skills, and even through Prey, you unlock the ability diverse as it could be.
» Playability morality. The best parts of Prey often to spend your neuromods to acquire In spite of being rough around the
Prey is undoubtedly a
stem from how Yu interacts with Typhon powers. The abilities run the edges, Prey still managed to consis-
complicated game, but
it’s worth learning the other people. gamut from telekinesis blasts that will tently impress and even occasionally
interlocking systems Talos-1 is massive: not just structur- fling enemies across the room to the hit me with a sense of wonder. Sections
for the rich, emergent ally, but also emotionally and politically. power to turn yourself into a mundane that had me floating around the exterior
gameplay moments that Crew members are well-realized. They object in the environment, like a coffee of the Talos-1 in zero-G were tense, as
can arise from them have full names; they fight, they bicker, mug, in order to hide from enemies I explored massive hull breaches for
» Entertainment they have office romances – they even or access hard to reach places. From supplies like a treasure hunter, and I
Though it lives a little play Dungeons & Dragons! What could these abilities emerge Prey’s interesting loved experimenting with the Gloo Gun,
too comfortably in the
otherwise be a generic horror setting take on the Play Your Way formula. using it not only to immobilize enemies
shadows of its influences,
Prey is a quality horror- feels real thanks to clever writing and The plot itself isn’t as noteworthy as but also to plug up holes spewing fire
action game solid voice-acting. the story that emerges from your abili- and to build bridges across chasms.
» Replay Value The Typhon are a terrifying foe to go ties but it’s made more interesting by In Morgan Yu, Prey invites us to
Moderate up against. Even the weakest enemies, the fact that your choices carry weight. create a fascinating and complicated
mimics, are frightening because they Talos-1’s remaining residents often protagonist navigating a dangerous
have the ability to camouflage them- have requests or are in danger. How world filled with characters worth
selves as ordinary objects in the environ- you interact with them determines how knowing. Arkane’s fusion of player-
ment. See a health pack conspicuously Morgan’s story ultimately plays out in driven storytelling and flexible game-
on the floor in the middle of a board- the branching conclusion. Do you take play remains strong throughout its first
room? Better smack it with a wrench the time to save some crewmates, sci-fi outing, and makes Prey a stellar
first to make sure it’s not a beast in marching halfway across the station to horror adventure in spite of a handful
hiding. The enemies become more do so, or do you save your ammo and of flaws. » Javy Gwaltney
78 reviews
Injustice 2
Of gods, monsters, and precious loot

GOLD GAME THE

OF
MONTH
Style 1 or 2-Player Fighting (2-Player Online) Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer NetherRealm Studios Release May 16 Rating T
9
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he Caped Crusader and the
billionaire. The last survivor of
Krypton and the reporter. Most of
» Concept
A sequel that offers
DC Comics’ heroes lead double lives, enhanced combat, a silly
all in an attempt to blend into society (but action-packed) story,
as seemingly ordinary people who don and collectible loot galore
capes and masks when trouble arises. » Graphics
NetherRealm Studios’ 2013 fighting Few details are spared
game Injustice: Gods Among Us also as the titans clash and
the world is destroyed
balanced duality, finding success as a around them, even in
fun fighting experience coupled with the little things like lip-
a popular story. Injustice 2 once again syncing. The only real
delivers knockout blows with its super- oddity: What’s up with
powered story and fighting, but finds a Superman’s new costume?
third way to entertain through an addic- » Sound
tive collection component. The amount of character
Injustice 2 doesn’t reach the same brutality is nothing new for Injustice, looks and attributes). You may also chatter for matches is
mighty impressive. You
level of narrative intrigue as its pre- but the dancing that occurs between earn a performance reward called a even hear characters
decessor, but remains enjoyable for these catastrophic strikes is faster than Mother Box, which is Injustice 2’s form comment on confronting
an entirely different reason. Although before, and offers a higher level of strat- of a blind box that holds gear. themselves, or have a
penned as a direct continuation to the egy. The small touch of increasing the Opening a box to find new legs for special saying or two for
original game and comic series, no walking speed of each character goes Captain Cold, arms for Wonder Woman, their arch nemeses
moment is as shocking as Superman a long way in removing the somewhat and a head for Aquaman is a bit strange » Playability
ripping out the Joker’s heart; the tone slow spacing game between oppo- until you dive deeper into what they Little enhancements
nents. Players have more opportunities offer. Extensive play leads to more to speed and evasive
also isn’t as dark. This sequel instead
maneuvers create a
takes the more clichéd angle of uniting to turn the tables on their opponents exotic loot that can dramatically change more fluid and dynamic
heroes and villains to stop the inter- thanks to the inclusion of aerial recov- the look of your character, such as Hal combat experience
galactic threat posed by Brainiac. The eries and evasive rolls. Jordan’s Green Lantern looking almost
» Entertainment
lurking fear of Superman being freed The game feels tighter as a whole, exactly like Kyle Rayner’s Ion. A deep game that
from his prison is a nice plot thread that and many of the returning characters The high-end gear also produces hits hard in three key
adds a layer of uncertainty to the arc, feel new again, for better or worse. significant performance bumps such areas: fighting, story,
but almost every sequence boils down I enjoy Batman’s techniques more in as strength increasing by +200 or and collecting
to “everyone fights everyone.” this sequel, but find Superman to be ability by +150. In addition to gear, » Replay Value
NetherRealm delivers dumb fun strange in both appearance and func- you can earn new abilities, two of High
in this story, which unfolds through tionality. The roster, while lacking some which can be equipped at any given
lengthy sequences filled with epic heavy hitters for narrative reasons, time. The bonuses tied to gear don’t
fights, witty banter, and layer upon layer offers a nice variety that pulls equally enhance your characters for ranked
of fan service. You won’t find much to from DC’s gods and titans as the matches (outside of appearance),
think about in this narrative other than if vigilantes, such as the Bat family and but do come into play in most other
Green Arrow’s dad jokes could be any Suicide Squad. online avenues, as well as a new mode
worse, but that’s part of its charm – this Exploring Injustice 2’s deep well called The Multiverse, which replaces
experience focuses on the powers of of strategies is one reason to keep S.T.A.R. Labs from Gods Among Us.
the heroes more than what’s going on playing, but I think most players (like Playing off of the idea that DC’s uni-
inside of their heads. myself) will also feel the pull tied to verse has an infinite number of earths,
The fighting is once again a ridiculous loot. Winning a match feels great no your heroes face off against alternate
show of power. At any given second matter what, but the game amplifies versions of themselves, some stronger,
a hero could be punched through a that sensation with a showering of and others with unforeseeable powers.
pyramid, thrown into space, or mauled rewards, the best being gear (custom Multiverse is a beautifully designed
by Harley Quinn’s hyenas. This level of equipment that can change characters’ avenue of play featuring daily, weekly,
and monthly challenges, each testing
your skills in different ways, all in the
hope of unlocking more loot.
Injustice 2 is a huge game, offering a
lengthy story-based campaign, a great
fighting experience, and a nearly end-
less supply of loot. The small tweaks to
combat go a long way in creating a more
dynamic flow, which resonates well in
multiplayer matches. With DC’s cine-
matic universe pumping out one bad
movie after another, Injustice 2 is the
best way to see just how powerful and
diverse its heroes are. » Andrew Reiner
reviews 79
 Rime
A somber rabbit hole

8 Style 1-Player Puzzle Publisher Grey Box, Six Foot Developer Tequila Works Release May 26 Rating E10+

R
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waking up in a mysterious loca-
» Concept tion. As a player, you have no idea
Push a child through
an increasingly abstract why you’re there, how you got there, or
world by solving puzzles what your goal is. It’s an opening that
and slowly unraveling has become increasingly familiar in the
the true nature of world of independent and indie-style
the adventure games, but it’s an undeniably effective
» Graphics way to set up an intriguing adventure.
Rime’s strong colors Rime never strays too far from the
and the boy’s excellent
animation make every
“indie” trappings of ambiguous narra-
location beautiful in its tive, mysterious puzzles in a mysterious
own distinct way land, and a young protagonist incapable
» Sound of fighting, but it delivers a meaningful
The entire game is and satisfying finale that shook me in a
accented by swells of way I was not expecting.
violin and piano that Rime is structured as a continuous
grow steadily over the series of puzzles and environments. It Solving puzzles opens new doors, exists with this mysterious man, but
course of the adventure,
lending each area an
doesn’t have any combat, but players keeping you in a constant state of who is he? Why he is always just out
emotional weight face occasional dangers from strange progression as you move through of reach? Few questions are answered
hooded beings and a large imposing each of the thematically distinct levels. during the majority of the game,
» Playability
The boy controls well creature in the second level. Some Between those levels, cutscenes offer but a specific story is being told, one
overall, though I did areas are large and let you tackle puz- a peek at the larger story. The game that becomes very clear in the end.
encounter the occasional zles in any order, while others shuffle does not have any dialogue, but the I wouldn’t call it a twist, but it made me
stutter and unrespon- you down a specific path. The boy can boy is well-characterized thanks to look back on the journey with a new
sive leap. Thankfully,
jump, climb, interact with moveable his excellent animation, and he meets appreciation for its purpose.
impeccable platforming is
never a requirement for boxes, and activate switches to help likeable characters who are eager to After leaving the first area, the world
forward progress him solve puzzles. help him. Hints of Ico permeate the changes in a dramatic way. You move
The puzzles did little to get me excited experience, along with smatterings of from a tropical island to a desert in
» Entertainment
Rime’s puzzles rarely and typically involved moving boxes Journey, and I even recalled a little bit need of a rainstorm filled with unused
challenge, sometimes into place, or finding the right path to of The Witness as I explored. The gen- technology. The setting is different, as
making you feel dumb climb. Solutions are usually obvious eral ambiguity of the game prepared are the dangers. I continued to solve
for missing the obvious immediately, or just a matter of looking in me to not learn much about why I was the same type of puzzles, but they felt
solution rather than
the right direction. I still enjoyed solving doing what I was doing and just enjoy distinct. The same can be said for the
smart for figuring them
out, but the journey them, and was satisfied in particular with the puzzles and scenery – but Rime following three levels, which explore
is a strong one with a an area that played with the level design surprised me there. lush underground environments and
satisfying ending in unexpected ways, but sometimes A man in a red cloak, matching the abandoned factories, as well as difficult-
» Replay Value I was just looking around until I saw the boy’s red cape, acts as the main narra- to-describe locations. They have their
Moderate telltale identification of a climbable ledge. tive hook to the boy’s journey. A history own mechanics based around the core
climbing and puzzle-solving, but each
level feels different and is compelling in
its own way, sometimes making the boy
play with strange technology or outrun a
fearsome beast. Seeing how much each
level changed made me eager to see
what was around each corner through
the entirety of the game.
Rime’s world and story are where
it shines. It pulls the player through
strange seemingly disconnected
environments, slowly revealing its true
meaning as you move deeper. In the
end, everything is sharply pulled into
focus with a simple, but dramatic final
story revelation and level. It made me
want to replay the game from my new
perspective and even seek out the
collectibles I had earlier written off as
unnecessary. Many elements of Rime
are familiar, but it is an effective use
of the medium and expertly builds up
to (and executes) its cathartic finale.
» Kyle Hilliard
80 reviews
The Surge
A mechanical soul

Style 1-Player Action/Role-Playing Publisher Focus Home Interactive Developer Deck13 Interactive Release May 16 Rating M
7
$&
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#;2
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$

D
eck13 Interactive made a name suits just like yours – but they aren’t A drone is also used effectively to open
for itself with 2014’s Lords of the aware like you are. They appear to be up attack windows from a distance, or
Fallen, a punishing action game an army of mindless drones. Someone offer a shield that can protect you for a
» Concept
The Surge tries to be
known for drawing heavy inspiration (or something) has taken control of few seconds. Enemy movements are Dark Souls in space.
from Dark Souls. The spirit of the bon- CREO’s complex and its occupants. telegraphed clearly, making most fights It delivers a challenging
fire once again burns in Deck13’s The From this point on, your primary goal is (and deaths) feel fair. quest that requires
Surge, but isn’t as vibrant or warming. to survive, and doing so means diving extensive grinding against
Bosses pose enormous challenges,
the same enemy types
Flickers of fresh ideas can be seen in deeper into CREO’s facility. as they can destroy you in a hit or two,
a familiar smoldering core, but the big This is a cool setup for the adventure but again patterns are clearly con- » Graphics
Environments are teeming
differentiating hook of a science-fiction at hand, but it doesn’t prepare you for veyed, and it’s just a matter of figuring with little details and
setting is its least engaging aspect. the level of repetition that comes next. out their weaknesses to take them atmospheric effects, but
The Surge’s vision of the future doesn’t Most of the enemies are humanoids down. I struggled a bit with an axe- enemies lack variety and
have much of a soul, unfolding through outfitted in different armors. Outside of wielding adversary who summons a each area looks somewhat
cluttered junkyards and darkened fac- a few robotic foes (and something far harder version of the game’s first boss, like the last. It’s science
fiction that looks ordinary
tory interiors occupied by the same deadlier in the game’s final act), your yet retreated to level up a bit more,
type of enemies that hammer home the opposition doesn’t offer much variety and managed to take him down after a » Sound
feeling of repetition. in look or tactics. Not only is it a drag to few attempts. Music cues effectively
trigger tense combat
The Surge begins with a strong nar- battle essentially the same enemy types I played most of the game wield- scenarios, and the
rative that puts a foreboding mystery across the entire game, but repetition is ing just two weapons, both from the clanging of steel and
front and center. Bound to a wheelchair, also found in the environments. same class. Part of the reason was to ripping of flesh are
you entrust your future to a mega- Even though everything feels some- maintain familiarity with the combat always rewarding
corporation called CREO, all in the what similar, The Surge excels in mechanics, but it’s beneficial to stick » Playability
hope of walking again. All you have combat. The crowning achievement with the same weapon as each class A nicely designed
to do is join CREO with no questions of Deck13’s work is a limb-based levels up through use. I love this aspect combat system allows
players to pick away at
asked – a company that wants to heal targeting system that rewards the of the game, as I was more likely to
foes in different ways
the world and undo the damage done player handsomely. You either get farm enemies to enhance my chances and gain valuable loot
from global warming and wars. CREO’s the satisfaction of picking away at an further down the road than run past in the process
jet-set technologies can even heal you, enemy’s weak spot for an easier kill, or them. Again, this is where a lack of
» Entertainment
but at what cost? What happens after a more challenging fight that delivers enemy variety hurts the experience. A promising entry into
you click the “join us now” button? valuable loot specific to the targeted You want to fight through each zone, the budding “Souls” genre
You’ll walk again, but what are you truly body part. If you build up a meter to but it just becomes a chore. that delivers excellent
signing up for? unleash a finishing move, you can cut I didn’t mind investing over 50 hours combat and far too much
repetition in the enemies
If CREO’s initiation process worked off an appendage to gain the armor or to the grind in The Surge. I felt powerful
and environments
as intended, you’d be a field technician weapon attached to it – a gory action at times, and exploring every little area
in a mobility-enhancing exo-suit. As that doubles as a nice exclamation rewarded me with a nice bounty. It just » Replay Value
Moderate
you are fitted with the technology, the point for excelling at combat. clings too tightly to a one-note approach
sedation process goes horribly wrong. The combat system is backed by to world building, enemy encounters,
Screws are jammed into your flesh by a solid controls for a variety of weapon and level design. This is a genre that
robotic being, and you scream in agony. classes. The basic vertical and hori- has a rich history of wowing players,
You lose consciousness during this zontal attacks feel powerful and carry but I was never dazzled by The Surge.
traumatic moment, only to awaken in a a true sense of weight, and blocking I mostly felt like I was battling animated
junkyard filled with other people wearing and countering are easy to initiate. junk in a junkyard. » Andrew Reiner
reviews 81
 Little Nightmares
A grotesque tale that plays off the familiar

9 GOLD Style 1-Player Action Publisher Tarsier Studios Developer Bandai Namco Release April 28 Rating T

L
$&
I
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#;2
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$ ittle Nightmares is like hearing
a cover of one of your favorite
» Concept songs. On first glance, much of
Maneuver a small
hero through a Tarsier Studios’ game seems like a
series of nightmarish riff on Playdead’s Limbo or Inside; it
environments using has puzzle-platforming with a vulner-
your wits and able hero, and is set in a bizarre and
platforming skills
hostile world. As I spent more time
» Graphics with Little Nightmares, however, its
Little Nightmares own nightmarish melody rang loud and
is a visual stunner,
masterfully rendering out clear. It’s an amazing work in its own
a variety of horrific and right, and a must-play for anyone who
memorable scenarios enjoys tightly crafted platformers and
» Sound grotesque horror.
The score is sparse, You play as Six, a little girl in a yellow
but effective. Toy piano rain slicker. Very little is explicitly spelled
sounds tinkle over out in the title; there’s an exciting sense Many of the locations are based on adds to the uneasy feeling, swaying and
the low thrumming of
of discovery that permeates the entire familiar places, but taken to absurd bobbing as it pans to keep Six in focus.
machinery and other
otherworldly sounds game, from opening to end credits. You or strange levels. Chests of drawers The presentation has a voyeuristic qual-
begin as you awaken in an opened suit- extend to the ceiling, and their handles ity, which isn’t by accident.
» Playability case, with no opening text or voiceover. can be used as ladders. A piano is sus- Little Nightmares isn’t a horror game
You’re never asked to
do anything that the You don’t get any prompts on what to pended on a rope, serving as a plat- in a traditional sense, but it’s filled with
controls aren’t capable do next. Instead, you experiment. One form. A sea of abandoned shoes hides horrifying imagery and some of the
of delivering button flicks open Six’s lighter, provid- a lethal, unseen danger for anyone most wretched sights I’ve seen in a
» Entertainment ing a tiny flicker of illumination. Another who lingers while wading through the long time. Even without any graphic
I wanted to replay it the allows her to crouch and keep a lower debris. Large humanoid figures are a violence or gore, it’s deeply unset-
instant I finished profile in the 2.5D environment. You persistent source of danger, whether tling. It has some genuinely frightening
» Replay Value don’t know where you are or where they’re blindly reaching for her with moments, but they’re rarely jump-
Moderately high you’re trying to go, but one thing is nightmarishly long arms or frantically scare setups. Instead, the sense of
made almost immediately apparent: trying to stuff her into their mouths. danger builds as you work your way
You aren’t safe. Thankfully, she’s nimble enough to through the strange, labyrinthine world.
Six isn’t a fighter. She can’t defend avoid danger – but just barely. Having Sneaking past a pair of creatures who
herself, and most of the oversized those recognizable touchstones is are washing dishes doesn’t seem like a
creatures that inhabit this creepy an effective way to pull you in as a particularly electrifying moment, but the
world can kill her instantaneously. The player, twisting them just enough to cat-and-mouse chase that erupts when
setup alone adds a sense of tension seem otherworldly. they hear your footsteps is exhilarating.
to the action, but the artfully designed Much of the game revolves around One of the most rewarding aspects is
world escalates it to unnerving levels. how to navigate the oversized world, the numerous one-off moments and
Comparisons to Limbo and Inside are pulling chairs to the proper spot to reach scenarios – and being surprised is a big
inevitable, but they also serve to show a door handle, or swinging on a chain to part of that. Without spoiling anything,
where Little Nightmares parts com- race through a door before it slams shut. Tarsier Studios does a phenomenal job
pany from its predecessors. Playdead Some of the sections feel a little deriva- of establishing expectations, and then
explores urban environments, military tive – a mercifully brief section with a letting them crash down around the
facilities, and other dystopian locations. roving spotlight comes to mind – but a player at just the right moments.
Little Nightmares places its horror much spark of creativity runs through most of Players who like getting explicit
closer to home. the creepy adventure. The camera itself answers are likely going to feel let down
by the Little Nightmares’ conclusion.
Things aren’t spelled out for you in the
end, but I wasn’t disappointed. If any-
thing, its ambiguous nature made me
want to play through it again and pick
up smaller details that may have gone
unnoticed. The specificity of some of
the references – nooses, masks, and
those shoes – points to a greater mys-
tery that fans will probably be discuss-
ing long after release. Thanks to Little
Nightmares’ respectfully short length
(I took my time and finished that second
playthrough in a couple of hours), it’s
a great game to show to friends who
appreciate imaginative horror.
» Jeff Cork
82 reviews
What Remains Of Edith Finch
Making an old house feel new

SILVER Style 1-Player Adventure Publisher Annapurna Interactive Developer Giant Sparrow Release April 25 Rating T
8.75
W
hat Remains of Edith Finch you through the story, so I won’t spoil Edith’s main objective, and that goal is $&
I
$
is full of life, even as it fixates all of the details, but the variety among accomplished. However, my biggest
on death. Bending or build- the scenarios is especially impressive. complaint is that a larger, overarching » Concept
Relive the deaths of your
ing on many conventions, developer In one case, you see a fantasy world question remains unanswered: What is relatives as you explore
Giant Sparrow has a story full of hope gradually grow in complexity as it the driving force behind all of the trag- a strange house and
and sadness to tell, and finds incred- encroaches on (and takes over) reality. edy? The game raises this issue several uncover family secrets
ibly clever ways to tell it – all wrapped In another, you watch a story occur on times, and just when you think you are » Graphics
in the framework of a young woman comic-book pages, with you occasion- about to put the pieces together, you The visual style
unearthing her family’s secrets. Games ally taking control within the panels. In a are denied the opportunity. I don’t mind successfully shifts to suit
like Gone Home and Firewatch have particularly surreal sequence, you jump when stories leave room for interpreta- the needs of the story,
but also does the job
popularized the process of exploring between a variety of animal predators tion, but in this case, you are teased
when providing more
mysterious settings and uncovering and pursue their prey. The gameplay with information you’ve been waiting for functional backdrops
clues, and What Remains of Edith and presentation make each scene only to have it stolen away. Even if this
Finch is the next major step forward in distinct, leaving you excited to see the is an intended parallel between Edith’s
» Sound
Atmospheric music and
that tradition. next one – though you already know search for answers and the player’s, solid voice work make it
Edith Finch is the last surviving the grim conclusion. the moment leaves a conspicuous hole easy to get immersed
member in a bloodline full of misfortune, What Remains of Edith Finch is like in the story and makes an important » Playability
and you explore her family home while an interactive short-story anthology, aspect feel unfinished. But ultimately, Expect standard first-
learning about the disappearances and and Edith’s journey through the house that is only one thread that left me dis- person controls while
deaths of her relatives. You find your is the thread tying everything together. appointed among many that didn’t. exploring, and the
sequences that use other
way into their long-sealed rooms, which You’ve probably explored spooky man- Narrative is an important part of many
mechanics usually work
usually contain scenes about their last sions in games before, but not quite like genres, but for games focused solely well – and they’re over
moments on Earth. This premise alone this. Even walking through the aban- on interactive stories, it is the pillar that quickly if they don’t
is fascinating, and the attention to detail doned halls is interesting, since Edith’s bears the weight of the entire experi-
» Entertainment
in the rooms and their furnishings is thoughts and memories appear as text ence – a burden What Remains of Edith The diversity in the
remarkable, but what sets this game on various surfaces, occasionally giving Finch handles deftly. Giant Sparrow Finches’ final moments
apart is how it makes each character’s the cool sensation that you are literally devised innovative tricks to pull players means you’ve always got
story feel unique. Gamers can only moving through the story. Other times, in, making them more active partici- another cool story just
around the corner, and
collect so many journals, letters, and the location of the text also serves to pants in the significant events. The
Edith’s personal journey
audio logs before the narratives in this guide your attention, delivering the Finches’ final moments are diverse and is also interesting
subgenre start to feel routine; What story at a steady pace and preventing sometimes disconnected, but they have
Remains of Edith Finch has some of you from wandering aimlessly. In the a thematic consistency running through
» Replay Value
Moderately low
those standbys, but folds them in with few hours it took me to finish one play- them, so the tale builds on itself and
shifting gameplay and perspectives that through, I never felt stuck or uncertain delivers a compact and memorable
are consistently surprising. It makes you about my next step. experience. Juggling multiple perspec-
feel present, so you’re never left idle by Most of the Finches’ tales stand tives and thoughtful reflections, What
reading or listening to dialogue. alone, giving you a satisfying sense of Remains of Edith Finch is an excellent
Discovering the framing of these progress as you finish them. Learning example of what makes games unique
tragic tales is a major force propelling about her relatives is presented as as a storytelling medium. » Joe Juba
reviews 83
 Perception
Losing your sight and sanity

8.25 Style 1-Player Adventure Publisher The Deep End Games Developer The Deep End Games Release May 25 Rating M

S
$&
I
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#;2
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$ urvival horror makes you feel
threatened through your limita-
» Concept tions. Perception takes this philos-
As a blind woman,
you maneuver through ophy to an extreme: You play as a blind
a haunted mansion young woman named Cassie, maneu-
using echolocation vering through a haunted mansion with
» Graphics echolocation, all while a ghostly pres-
The crudely outlined, ence stalks you. By teasing you with the
blue-hued graphics unknown and playing with your senses,
can be dull, but they Perception largely succeeds at horror
add a sense of mystery
to your surroundings with its novel concept.
Cassie travels to Massachusetts to
» Sound investigate an abandoned mansion that
Perception’s sound In Perception, the world is seen through
design is fantastically has plagued her nightmares. To search crude outlines, but Cassie can use her
atmospheric, making for the truth, players rummage through phone to read labels and notes
scares more tense belongings of the house’s past inhabit-
» Playability ants to solve compelling mysteries. You Every time echolocation is used, the distance or the creak of a door closing
Moving around the complete character-driven tales of the creature gets closer to hunting you would spook me.
house is smooth and home’s ghostly inhabitants, jumping down, and your only chance of survival Augmented by these frightening
easy, with markers through time as the estate transforms is scoping out a hiding spot. moments, Perception’s story is well-
telling you where to go
to represent each chapter’s era, as far Perception is largely about gauging written and focused on exploration.
» Entertainment back as the 1600s. how safe you are. Whether echoloca- The solid voice acting brings life to
Although more un-
The residents include an overly medi- tion will help you proceed to your next mundane objects, where you trigger a
settling than outright
terrifying, Perception cated mother and a tinkerer of creepy goal or attract an unwanted enemy ghost’s memory by examining things
brings some novel ideas mechanical dolls – all with the house’s depends on your foresight. This is a like a paint brush or mug. Perception’s
to the horror genre supernatural forces making them para- game of hide-and-seek, and it is an biggest drawback is while it empha-
» Replay Value noid about their problems and affecting unnervingly entertaining experience sizes exploration, you’re limited in
Moderate their sanity. For example, when one char- when your sight is limited. terms of how well you can explore a
acter worries for her husband fighting Outside of echolocation, Cassie’s room when echolocation attracts ene-
overseas, the mansion’s aesthetic turns only tool is her phone, which she uses mies. The game also features mostly
into a warzone. The premise is strange, to scan labels or read notes through monochromatic environments, an
but the individual stories are compellingly text to speech. She also uses an app aesthetic that gets old as the journey
morbid and propel the narrative forward. called Friendly Eyes, where you briefly continues, but the ever-changing house
In each scenario, you “see” with echo- chat with a customer representative brings variety to areas you revisit.
location, and visual cues occur through who describes things you can’t see. Perception is a memorable horror
sound. With the tap of your cane (or These chats bring some light humor, experience that thrives because of its
ambient noise like TV static and foot- and other times they just add to the unique setup and gameplay. Although
steps), your surroundings become more fear. While jump scares occur every more unsettling than downright terrify-
visible in crude blue outlines. It’s an once in a while, Perception’s biggest ing, Perception managed to keep me
intuitive mechanic that makes you feel terrors are the ones you can’t see and on the edge of my seat, forcing me to
vulnerable, especially when a monster the mind tricks that make you question solve a compelling mystery by facing
known as the Presence can hear you. reality. Quick flashes of a ghoul in the what lurked in the dark. » Elise Favis

You play as a blind woman named Cassie,

and you can “see” through echolocation that
gives you momentary visual cues

84 reviews
Strafe
Mostly mediocre memories

Style 1-Player Action Publisher Devolver Digital Developer Pixel Titans Release May 9 Rating M
6
$&
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I
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» Concept
Blast your way through
a tough, procedurally
generated world
designed to capture
the look and feel of
‘90s shooters
» Graphics
Strafe look bad, but
that’s because it
deliberately attempts
to channel the original
Quake, Wolfenstein,
and Doom
» Sound
The score provides
some appropriate tension
and blood pumping, but
the sounds themselves
lack weight
» Playability
Easy to pick up and
play, but the difficulty
combined with roguelike
elements push progres-
sion into the realm of the
lucky and the skilled
When things get too crazy, turn
to your big explosive options » Entertainment
The deadly dangers
combined with

S
trafe is a fast-paced, ’90s throw- Wolfenstein, and Doom serve as inspira- crushing you. randomization make
back shooter that has you running tions, but Strafe’s navel-gazing is mostly I haven’t completed Strafe, and I for a frustrating,
and gunning through procedurally reserved to secret areas and winks, like have no desire to. My best efforts have inconsistent mix that’s
generated levels past hordes of deadly tailored rooms with famous weapons taken me to the end of the second of more about ‘90s nods
foes. Whether you’re nailing opponents and direct nods to these old shoot- four large areas, Black Canyon. The than entertainment
with head shots, sniping off limbs, or ers. While those little gems are fun, the game seems tuned to stymie progres- » Replay Value
turning the entire screen into a slaughter gameplay leaves much to be desired. sion, and the few tools you can find Moderate
with grenades, everything just becomes Strafe’s commitment to classic shoot- to assist with continual progress (like
a big, bloody mess. These piles of gore ers is vastly overshadowed by its com- a teleporter) are a challenge to set up.
are sort of a metaphor for Strafe itself – mitment to being a difficult roguelike. Unlike many roguelikes I’ve known and
a giant goopy mound of parts that never Levels are bolted together in various loved, Strafe never made me say, “One
really work together, though you can tell ways to make every attempt different, more time, I got this” after a death. It
there might be something neat under- but they’re also loaded with frustration sparks no desire to push back against
neath all the clutter. and uncertainty. Once you discover the the gates for a victory.
Strafe attempts to conjure up nos- basics of survival, you are largely left at Strafe succeeds at being a suitable
talgia to provide a shooting experi- the mercy of chance. I enjoy challeng- homage of referential nostalgia-laden
ence inspired by the FPS genre’s early ing, masochistic games, but you gain trinkets, but there’s no other real reason
greats. It focuses on relentless combat no valuable knowledge from run to run you should play it. If you want the feel
against tides of foes, but it feels weak here. You simply hope that you win the of an old shooter, you should probably
and devoid of impact. The weapons battle of random chance multiple times go play one of those instead of Strafe.
lack weight, the encounters feel more in succession to make your run a bit » Daniel Tack
frustrating than challenging, and the smoother, like getting health when you
repetitive gameplay doesn’t do much need it or an “upgrade” that doesn’t New dangers await you in each zone
to ignite the senses. Unlike the name of make your weapon worse.
the title would imply, strafing is a poor You can go from weak to powerful
tactic in a world where silent enemies quickly if you’re lucky enough to find
are always coming at you from the the right perks and weapon upgrades.
sides, making one of the more effective Or you can die huddled in a corner, out
strategies to funnel all the enemies into of ammo and clinging to your basic
a tunnel and wipe them out with your weapon. This sort of variety between
secondary fire abilities en masse. attempts isn’t fun or compelling; the
While there are many factors going time you snag a sweet rocket launcher
against it, Strafe successfully emulates or unlock a secret room filled with ‘90s
the blood-soaked, ultra-edgy vibe of gaming throwbacks could be the same
games long past. Classics like Quake, time you die to a random elevator
reviews 85
 Farpoint
Shooting for the moon

7 Style 1-Player Shooter (2-Player Online) Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment Developer Impulse Gear Release May 16 Rating E

V
PSVR irtual reality is supposed to be the (which costs an additional $30). This techniques I’ve seen in other VR experi-
next big thing in video games, but gun-shaped peripheral feels natural, ences. You get an incredible sense
» Concept we’re still waiting for a singular and was surprisingly accurate as long of scale facing off against towering
Bring a full-length, sci-fi
first-person shooter to game to demonstrate the platform’s as I didn’t move to the boundaries of enemies like a giant queen spider.
virtual reality trailblazing possibilities. Outside of the tracking area. Its best feature is Smaller arachnids attack by jumping at
» Graphics notable exceptions like Resident Evil VII the holographic sight Impulse Gear your head, forcing you to quickly duck
The Mars-like planet and Robo Recall, the majority of experi- programmed into the game; you can if your shot doesn’t turn it into blood
lacks environmental ences so far have been little more than quickly switch from staring down the mist. Falling rocks and other ambient
variety, but the characters demo-sized proofs of concept. Impulse sights to taking a wider view of the envi- noises keep your head on a swivel as
are well animated Gear’s first VR game, Farpoint, is much ronment just by lifting your head slightly. you prepare for the next threat. Some
» Sound more ambitious. Your journey through this unknown large-scale battles create an amaz-
Strong voice acting from This sci-fi shooter places you in the planet pits you against a variety of ing spectacle with laser fire piercing
Laura Bailey keeps you
spacesuit of a pilot flying a routine mis- arachnids, aliens, and robots. The through the air and a cacophony of
interested in the story’s
direction, and Impulse sion to pick up some scientists studying enemy variety keeps the shooting explosions all around you. Impulse
Gear makes clever use an energy anomaly near Jupiter. During fresh, but I quickly grew bored of the Gear may not bring many new ideas
of ambient noise to keep the boarding process, the anomaly monotone, largely barren environ- to the table, but I haven’t seen many
you on your toes surges, sucking in the scientists and ments. Impulse Gear sprinkles a few other VR games stitch so many of
» Playability your ship. When you wake up hours boss fights that demand calculated these moments together.
The PlayStation Aim later on an unknown planet, you must approaches to keep the action fresh, In addition to the campaign, Farpoint
controller is precise as search for any living crew while fending and you gain access to new weaponry offers some offline challenges to test
long as you don’t move
to the edges of the
off the hostile threats of this alien world. as you work your way through the your mettle and a handful of online
tracking boundary From there, the story unfolds largely via approximately six-hour campaign. cooperative maps as well. These
holograms you find along the way, and Farpoint feels like a throwback small combat scenarios send waves
» Entertainment while it won’t win a Nebula Award, the shooter, favoring corridor fights and
Farpoint may not move of enemies to your positions as you
the needle as a shooter, tale is compelling enough to draw you weapon pickups of yesteryear to the advance with a friend through the
but it’s a sound VR into the next firefight. more wide-open affairs and customiz- same boring locales as the campaign.
experience if you can VR developers are still trying to solve able weaponry of modern console The multiplier-driven scoring system
deal with the slight
locomotion, so nearly every game tries games. The game suffers from a lets you compare your performance
simulation sickness
caused by the locomotion a different navigation solution. Farpoint few quality of life issues. The poorly to other players, but these modes are
gives you control of one analog stick to designed checkpoint system doesn’t little more than diversions.
» Replay Value let you move forward, backward, and save your progress if you have to turn Farpoint is not the system-selling
Moderately low
side to side as if you were riding on a off your console, instead restarting you game the PSVR desperately needs. This
camera dolly. The movement is awk- at the beginning of the level. You can competent shooter sews together a few
ward, but I adjusted to it over time. It only pick up ammo for the weapon you VR thrills and benefits from the excel-
feels more natural than the teleportation are currently holding, which means if lent PlayStation Aim controller, but the
solution favored by other first-person you want to restock on rockets for your linear design feels dated by comparison
shooters, though it’s higher impact for assault rifle and grenades for your shot- to contemporary shooters. Therein lies
those prone to simulation sickness. gun under-barrel attachment, you need the rub for virtual reality right now – you
Farpoint can be played with a stan- to pull out each one. can’t innovate with dated concepts,
dard controller, but it excels with the As a virtual reality showcase, Farpoint even if they have a sheen of novelty
bundled PlayStation Aim controller combines many of the more riveting overlaying them. » Matt Bertz
86 reviews
Mages Of Mystralia
Work your magic in this Zelda-like adventure

Style 1-Player Action Publisher Borealys Games Developer Borealys Games Release May 18 Rating E10+
8
PC

P
lenty of games allow players to
overcome their enemies by raining
down fire from the sky or channeling
» Concept
A fantasy adventure in the
lightning through their fingertips. Magic vein of classic 2D Zelda
is a fun solution to many problems, titles where the main
but few games bother with the finer character is a mage who
mechanics of how a magic spell works. constructs her own spells
Mages of Mystralia is a rare experi- » Graphics
ence in that regard; Borealys Games’ Borealys’ vibrant, cartoony
world is fun to explore,
Kickstarter-funded adventure is one of but the character designs
the few games that makes constructing are generic – especially
magic as fun as actually casting. the protagonist’s
After accidentally burning down a » Sound
portion of her hometown, a young girl The soundtrack is mostly
named Zia discovers she has a rare unremarkable and
aptitude for the arcane arts. She is soon sometimes so subdued
taken in by a guild of mages willing to that I wasn’t even aware
of the background music
help hone her craft. However, when
an eclipse suddenly darkens the land, » Playability
Constructing your own
Zia is forced into a mystery and must
spells is often a complex
ultimately save a kingdom full of those Outside of this brilliant magic system across the landscape are too few and puzzle that takes some
who fear the magically adept. The story is a somewhat by-the-numbers, Zelda- far between. trial-and-error. Thankfully,
(told with the help of Forgotten Realms inspired adventure that has Zia running If you don’t mind taking the scenic the results are worth
creator Ed Greenwood) contains a across Mystralia and solving environ- route, Mages of Mystralia provides the effort
few fun twists, but largely feels like a mental puzzles. Some of the challenges the unique opportunity to write your » Entertainment
generic quest full of magical McGuffins. are clever, but half of the time I was own spell book. Up until the end of the The basic hack-and-slash
Narrative aside, Mages of Mystralia’s simply lighting a series of torches under game, I was unlocking new runes that action is simple enough
to get the job done, but
gameplay is engrossing enough to keep a certain time limit or creating otherwise exponentially added to my magical
reconfiguring your spells
you hooked throughout Zia’s journey. At useless, one-off spells such as a fireball arsenal. Piecing all of those runes into a to overcome each puzzle
its heart is a magic system that lets you that flies in a perfect circle. Solving all new master spell made me feel like the and combat challenge is
design your own spells. Zia amasses a of Mystralia’s puzzles also requires a most creative mage who’d ever lived, consistently rewarding
collection of magical runes, which are lot of backtracking through old areas, making this light-hearted adventure » Replay Value
used to make new spells. For example, and the fast-travel points scattered truly magical. »Ben Reeves Moderately high
if you attach a movement rune to a
basic fire spell, you create a fireball
to hurl at your enemies. But why stop
there? You can then take that fireball
spell and add duplication and homing
runes to cook up a triple fireball attack
that chases enemies across the screen.
By the end of the game, I was whipping
up icy hurricanes that ended in brilliant
firework displays and darting telepor-
tation attacks that surrounded me with
pinwheels of fire.
Conjuring elemental firestorms is fun,
but crafting new spells from scratch
feels like real alchemy. To draft a new
ability, you add runes to a spell board,
fitting them together like pieces of a
puzzle. Some only have a few connec-
tion points, so figuring out how to fit the
desired runes onto a single board often
feels like its own unique logic puzzle.
Don’t worry about running out of inter-
esting spell combinations; by the end
of the game I felt like I was still discov-
ering the limits of my power. I’ve cast
hundreds of magic spells in a variety of
games, but I’ve never felt like more of a
scholar of the mystic arts than when
I discovered a new rune combination in
Mages of Mystralia.
reviews 87
 Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War III
Gently tweaking tradition

7.75 PC
Style 1-Player Strategy (6-Player Online) Publisher Sega Developer Relic Release April 27 Rating M

T
he RTS genre is constantly
attempting to reinvent itself, as
» Concept much of the attention in the last
Play as three popular
Warhammer 40,000 decade is instead given to their prog-
factions in a battle eny, the MOBA. Dawn of War sparingly
to control territory borrows several elements from the
and resources emerging genre to add some frame-
» Graphics work to the RTS, but doesn’t do so at
Big battles can get messy, great sacrifice to the predecessors that
but the war generally
looks great as giant
spawned it. Dawn of War III successfully
units cut swaths through taps into the flavor of the Warhammer
common infantry 40,000 universe with spirited troops
» Sound from three classic factions and larger-
Appropriate and flavorful than-life Elite units. At the same time, it
voice acting accompanies takes multiplayer in a different direction, Proper positioning and ability use is essential for victory
a satisfying score borrowing from both previous games in
» Playability the franchise and adding several new purists may be irritated by the inclu- Depending on how you view the RTS
The game is effective bits and pieces. sion of modern elements. As always, experience, you will either love or hate
at teaching the basics The campaign is easily the weakest it comes down to a resource race these game-defining units, along with
so anyone can pick up
part – a trek through 17 stages that where you and your team can decide other powerful abilities and characters
and play, but Dawn of
War III isn’t meant for can seem excoriatingly dull at times, to go for an early victory or attempt available for the elite point resource,
genre newcomers going through the motions of building to capture and hold to win in the long as they absolutely draw attention away
» Entertainment up a sizable enough force to lay siege term. It would be a mistake to identify from classic unit-to-unit warfare. Heroic
While the campaign can on whatever opponent you’re against. the multiplayer as a MOBA experience, units are not new to the genre at all,
feel like a lifeless chore, While many stages exist to play but lanes and bases absolutely make and while the slight but significant ele-
the multiplayer options through, many of them end up feeling it a more structured fracas than previ- ments from MOBAS that the game
offer interesting tweaks the same or completely forgettable. On ous titles. The priority remains on a does tap into may miff hardcore RTS
on classic genre staples
a positive note, the player is forced to war of attrition, battling over resource fans, the tuning elements and selective
» Replay Value play as all three factions, learning their points and eventually overwhelming the borrowing made multiplayer enjoyable.
Moderate
strengths and weaknesses, how to enemy. Giant elite units like the majes- Dawn of War III is a mixed bag,
use elite units, and earning currency to tic imperial knights, gorkanauts, and featuring a forgettable campaign and
unlock essential multiplayer customiza- wraithknights command enough power enjoyable multiplayer, assuming you are
tion options. I can only recommend to wade through enemies like butter, willing to make some compromises to
the campaign as sort of glorified (and and feel extremely impactful and power- the traditional formula. I’m glad Relic
exceedingly long) tutorial for players ful. Dropping imperial knight Solaria into is attempting some new tweaks while
who need to learn how to play. the middle of a fray, blasting off rockets, maintaining the sanctity of the almost-
Multiplayer is another story, and a and mowing down minor infantry with untouchable legacy of Warhammer
refreshing take on the genre – though dual Gatling guns is fun and exciting. 40,000. » Daniel Tack

Command massive elite units

88 reviews
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers
A passable victory lap

Style 1 or 2-Player Action (2-Player Online) Publisher Capcom Developer Capcom Release May 26 Rating T
7
Switch

S
treet Fighter II is a peerless fighting a fake fireball, for example). The end partner to mercilessly wallop your oppo-
game. It catapulted the fighting result feels like a mix of forward and nent back and forth, but it’s much harder
genre into the mainstream 26 years backwards steps, and it’s a bummer to coordinate with the A.I., making it
» Concept
Take the landmark
ago, and remains one of its best exem- Ultra doesn’t always compare favorably essential to play with other people if fighting game on the go
plars. Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final to previous iterations. you want to get the most out of it. The with two new characters
Challengers still has the immediate, Ultra also includes a couple of new mode also runs you through the same and some new modes
dynamic fun of the original. The mind modes, but they’re not worth revisiting five fights every time you play it, which » Graphics
games of outplaying your opponent, Street Fighter II on their own. Way of the makes it difficult to enjoy over time. Classic sprites are
throwing projectiles to zone them, and Hado is an arcade-style, first-person Ultra offers several other ways to still detailed and fluid
considering their age.
landing a well-timed blow is a blast. minigame as boring as it is ill-conceived. play with friends. You can hand a Joy- The modern facelift from
However, many of the additions sur- You’re supposed to perform Ryu’s spe- Con off to a friend to play on the same 2008’s HD Remix looks
rounding that fun in Ultra are either cial moves by moving the Joy-Cons in console, use two Switches and copies nice, but makes the lack
short-lived novelties or outright terrible, specific motions, but I simply waved my of the game to play locally, or hop of animation frames
and certainly not enough to make this wrists up and down most of the time, online. The online feature set includes more noticeable
the definitive version of a classic. since I had no problems beating stages standard, no-frills casual and ranked » Sound
Ultra’s final challengers are Evil Ryu using only the Hadoukens my waving matches (ranking works as it does in Stage themes from
and Violent Ken. Evil Ryu mixes Ryu’s produced. You gain experience points Street Fighter IV, with individual player the arcade version of
Super Turbo are vibrant
toolkit with Akuma’s super and dash to increase Ryu’s damage, speed, and and character ranking points), two- and lively
moves, but as a result doesn’t stand out ability to build super meter – but the player lobbies, the option to search
as a particularly interesting character. stronger I became, the lower my scores for friends, and a standby feature that » Playability
The Joy-Con’s analog
Violent Ken plays a little simpler than got. This is because the “combo” part searches for online opponents as you sticks and buttons aren’t
Ken’s Super Turbo iteration (who has a of the score is based on how many hits work through the arcade mode. Most the ideal way to do Sonic
number of special kick moves), but gets you land without getting hit, and as fire- of my online matches played smoothly, Booms and Shoryukens,
a dash move similar to Akuma’s Ashura balls deal more damage, you need fewer with only a couple marred by significant though the game feels
more at home on a
Senku. This move can cover most of of them to down bad guys. Finishing lag. It’s unfortunate the replay feature
Pro Controller
the screen quickly, making him feel the mode’s three stages involved grind- only saves offline battles, however,
immensely powerful compared to many ing out the second stage for about 20 since analyzing past matches is one of » Entertainment
This is still an incredibly
of the other characters on the roster. minutes, then handily beating the final the best ways to improve. fun fighting game to
However, compared to recent iterations stage’s boss, M.Bison. You can dive into If playing Street Fighter II anywhere have at the ready and
of the Ryu archetype (such as Gouken an endless mode after that, but having you go sounds like fun, Ultra Street online, but Ultra’s new
or Oni) in other Street Fighter games, more waves of enemies to kill doesn’t Fighter II isn’t a terrible version of it, modes and features are
neither introduces new strategies – just make this mode any more fun. and playing with friends brings back all minor additions
more effective versions of setups we’ve Buddy Battle, a two-versus-one mode fond memories of when fighters were » Replay Value
seen before. similar to Street Fighter Alpha’s Dramatic less intimidating. It may even kindle High
A few of the new control options offer Battle, is more fun than Way of the a newfound love for a game that has
more substantial alterations to the base Hado, but still more of a gimmick than a aged beautifully. But as a package,
game. Ultra makes it much easier to pull long-term hook. Here you team up with Ultra feels like the version of Street
off just about any special move in the a friend or computer-controlled ally to Fighter II we’re stuck with for now
game, including supers, by letting you fight a single opponent, but must win (since it’s otherwise not available on
map any move to a single button. This two rounds before the enemy can win modern consoles), when it could have
doesn’t work well for charge moves; if one. It offers a novel challenge as you been the one we’ve been waiting for.
you haven’t charged up a Sonic Boom, figure out the best way to work with your »Suriel Vazquez
for example, pressing the assigned
button forces Guile to move backwards
until he has a charge, then fire it off.
However, if you ever had trouble doing
Yoga Teleports or Raging Demons, you
can find your footing more easily this
time around.
Training mode is also packed with
many features from modern fighters.
You can record and play back move-
ments for training dummies to perform,
and the input display shows the number
of frames between inputs, making it
easier to know if you need to perform a
move faster or slower for it to combo.
But though the visual overhaul is taken
From Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD
Remix, Ultra lacks several of that ver-
sion’s quality-of-life features, such as
visible hitboxes, dip switch settings,
and balance changes (Ryu doesn’t have
reviews 89
 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Improving on greatness

9.25 Switch
GOLD Style 1 to 4-Player Racing (8-Player Online) Publisher Nintendo Developer Nintendo Release April 28 Rating E

F
ollowing Breath of the Wild, join the pool of playable racers. Players Options like smart-steer, which helps
Nintendo’s nascent system is can also hold two items now (like in less experienced players stay on the
» Concept lacking in must-play games two Double Dash), adding an extra layer of track, and auto-accelerate, which
Add new characters,
a revamped battle months into its lifecycle. Mario Kart 8 strategy. However, the biggest addition is helpful for those unable to hold a
mode, and the new was a big hit for Wii U when it released to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the complete button down for an extended period of
capabilities of the Switch in 2014, and now the acclaimed title overhaul of battle mode. time, combine with the optional motion
to Mario Kart 8’s already makes the leap to Switch. While In the original release of Mario Kart 8, controls to make this easily the most
great base
remastered games are rarely the most battle mode was the major sore spot, approachable entry in the franchise.
» Graphics anticipated releases on any system, since it made players duke it out on Adding to the accessibility is what
Whether playing in TV
mode or handheld mode,
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe includes myriad race tracks rather than dedicated battle the Switch brings to the table. This is
online or local, the fast- important improvements and adds arenas. With Deluxe, Nintendo has a beautiful game full of vibrant colors,
paced action is smooth portability to create the definitive ver- more than remedied that problem. In fast-paced action, and gorgeous visu-
and crisp sion of an already great game. addition to adding new and reimagined als. Being able to not only play it on
» Sound At its core, Deluxe is the same great classic battle arenas, Deluxe expands the go, but also experience no loss of
Listening to the catchy title from Wii U. Racing up a wall is still on the basic battle concept. The clas- performance in the process is fantastic.
soundtrack while you race disorienting fun, and taking the perfect sic Balloon Battle, where you try and I loved taking it with me as I sat in a
around the track never shot with your green shell is satisfying pop the balloons of other players while waiting room for an appointment, then
gets old
as ever. Even with all the hours I poured protecting your own, is joined by the sliding it back into the dock to continue
» Playability into the original Wii U release, I still all-new Renegade Roundup, as well as my Grand Prix run on the big screen.
Controlling Mario and his
love the thrill of coming from behind in modes from past games like Bob-omb Multiplayer is a major part of the
friends is easier than ever
due to new accessibility the final lap to win the race. Of course, Blast, Coin Runners, and Shine Thief. Mario Kart experience, and Deluxe
options like smart steering some of that is thanks to the question- Renegade Roundup is a cops-and- makes it easier than ever to jump in
and auto-accelerate able rubber-band A.I. that has always robbers mode where one team tries with friends or matchmaking. I played
» Entertainment been a sticking point of the series, but to capture runaways before the time both online and local multiplayer
With multiple new fans accepted that pitfall as a series limit. Shine Thief is a free-for-all first through wireless with no noticeable
additions and important mainstay long ago. where players try to possess a Shine latency or framerate drops. Dumping
improvements, Mario In addition to the core game, Mario Sprite for a set time while every other four players onto a single Switch for
Kart 8 Deluxe is the
definitive version of one of
Kart 8 Deluxe includes all of the down- player tries to jar it loose and steal it. splitscreen action also keeps the frame-
the Wii U’s best games loadable content released for the Coin Runners provides a fun mad- rate smooth, and it’s great to to simply
Wii U version. This means you can dash for gold coins. The action is hand off individual Joy-Con controllers
» Replay Value tackle the Animal Crossing track as fast-paced and surprisingly tense in and get into a race or battle.
High
Link on the Master Cycle, or unlock these modes, but my favorite variant Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is primarily a
Mercedes-Benz kart components for battle mode is Bob-omb Blast, a re-release of an acclaimed game from
Dry Bowser and race on the simple- chaotic take on Balloon Battle where three years ago, but by adding new
but-awesome Excitebike course. With every item is replaced with explosive content and addressing the biggest
48 race tracks, 8 battle arenas, 5 dif- Bob-ombs. With customizable rule- complaint of the original, this version is
ficulty settings (including mirror and the sets and several exciting takes on unquestionably the best way to experi-
furious 200cc), and 42 characters to the mainstay mode, this is the battle ence Nintendo’s great racer. Battle
choose from, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a mode fans craved. mode is back to its original glory, and
behemoth package. To round out the new features, when combined with the rest of the
Not all of the content is familiar. All- Nintendo included a couple of new robust Mario Kart 8 package, it creates
new characters like the Inklings from accessibility options that make it a great addition to the fledgling Switch
Splatoon, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr. easier for anyone to jump into a race. library. » Brian Shea

The revamped battle mode rights the biggest

wrong of the original Mario Kart 8 release

The Splatoon Inklings join in on the

fun for this version of Mario Kart 8

90 reviews
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows Of Valentia
Welcome to the grindhouse

Style 1-Player Strategy/Role-Playing Publisher Nintendo Developer Intelligent Systems Release May 19 Rating T
7
E
xtreme difficulty and well-devel- experience that made units’ evolutions In spite of this tediousness and 3DS
oped characters have always been feel appropriately epic. ridiculous challenge, I pushed through
Fire Emblem’s bedrock. The series Echoes’ quirks result in a Fire Echoes’ time-warped frustrations
» Concept
Save the continent of
has evolved a fair amount since its Emblem that’s more challenging than because I was interested in Alm and Valentia as warrior
inception, eventually allowing players to any of the previous entries but also Celica’s story, as well as some of the Alm and priestess Celica
play matchmaker with their characters more frustrating and tedious as well. characters in my party. I didn’t find any in this quirky take on
and even let them produce children The chief problem is that the only way of them quite as endearing as the cast Fire Emblem
to join the battle. You won’t find these to victory is through grinding. While of previous 3DS Fire Emblem games, » Graphics
advances in Fire Emblem Echoes: Echoes still uses the strategy battle but characters like the pirate-killer Character models are a
Shadows of Valentia. This installment system of the last few Fire Emblems, Saber and troubled turncoat Clive have bit fuzzy, but battle effects
and illustrated cutscenes
is a remake of an earlier entry, so don’t major story battles involve almost no their moments to shine. I was disap- are gorgeous
come into this one expecting it to feel strategy. If you’re going up against pointed that I couldn’t bring any of
like a step forward for Fire Emblem – enemies who are twice as powerful as my characters together romantically, » Sound
A strong orchestral
but you can still have fun if you’re will- you, you can rarely do anything about but not as disappointed as I thought score runs throughout
ing to put up with some frustrations. it except back out of the battle and go I would be because of how strong the the campaign
Instead of a blank slate character, grind your characters in dungeons until overarching plot is and how well-written » Playability
Echoes has the player take on the roles they are strong enough to beat foes in the interactions between my party Echoes has a number
of Alm and Celica. The two children a couple of hits. members were. of systems it doesn’t
soon find themselves caught up in a Another major hurdle is how small To call Fire Emblem Echoes a step explain well. They’re
war between two gods, Mila and Duma. your army is. While the other entries back for the series would probably be eventually satisfying, but
trial and error is required
The story shifts back and forth between have provided you with a vast amount unfair. As a remake it works on a number to master them
adult Alm and Celica’s perspectives of characters to either get to know or of levels, showing off the series’ strange
as they separately travel across the use as fodder in battle, the number of roots while also serving up an enter- » Entertainment
Provides the challenge
fantastical continent of Valentia to bring units in Echoes is tiny in comparison. taining 30-hour epic fantasy. However, hardcore players seek, but
the war to an end, with you recruiting Since you’re jumping from Alm and the brutal and dull difficulty and large the experience comes with
characters into each protagonist’s party Celica’s perspectives, you’re also split- amounts of necessary grinding left me its fair share of frustrations
and managing them. ting your forces in half, meaning that feeling as frustrated as I was invested in » Replay Value
Echoes changes a number of things each hero only has a handful of party Echoes’ offerings. » Javy Gwaltney Moderately low
that players who jumped on the series members available. If you’re playing on
with the recent Awakening or Fates Classic Mode, where units perish for
might find strange. Alongside the good if they’re lost in battle, your cam-
tried-and-true battle system, Echoes paign can become unwinnable due to a
incorporates dungeon crawling and bad decision-making and poor saving.
other tweaks. For example, in both Fire Emblem fans expect difficult
Awakening and Fates, you changed battles, but Echoes’ challenges are
a unit’s class by using an item called uninspired and grueling. A number of
a Second Seal that could be earned these battles come down to luck, with
in battle or eventually purchased from a victory or a loss being decided by a
merchants. In Echoes, you have to single arrow, and that’s frustrating when
locate a shrine in various dungeons a loss can mean a character you’ve
strewed across Valentia, which makes spent hours building up is gone forever.
character class changes more of a You have a device that lets you go back
journey that you have to undertake as far as you want in battle, but it can
(with its own share of dangers) instead only be used seven times in a dungeon
of a couple of buttons you press. before it needs to be recharged and it
While this might sound taxing, I actu- can’t bring your main characters back,
ally found it to be a rather engaging so it’s more of a balm than a savior.
reviews 91
 7.5 The Silver Case 6.5 Late Shift
Platform PS4, PC Release April 18 Rating M Platform PS4, PC, iOS Release April 18 Rating M

I have a hard time putting together what exactly As a movie, Late Shift is an
happened in The Silver Case, but it’s a testament to enjoyable time. The acting is
the writing, characters, and mood that I want to figure good, the script is well-written,
it out. Portions are often slow, dense, and overbearing. the cinematography is serviceable
However, the relatable character moments, intriguing and occasionally great, which all
short stories, and strong visual style eventually won me results in a competent genre film.
over. – Suriel Vazquez However, Late Shift’s rigid structure
makes it less appealing as
a game. – Javy Gwaltney

7.5 Cosmic Star Heroine

Platform PS4, PC Release April 11 Rating T

Cosmic Star Heroine takes inspiration from

some of the best RPGs of yesteryear, such as
Chrono Trigger, Phantasy Star, and Suikoden.
This combination is tantalizing to any RPG fan
who loves to wax nostalgic about the genre’s
early days. – Kimberley Wallace

7 Danger Zone
Platform PS4, PC Release May 30 Rating E10+

7.75 Gnog 8.5 Bye-Bye Boxboy I reveled in the bull-in-a-china-

shop ethos of Three Fields
Platform PSVR, PS4 Release May 2 Rating E10+ Platform 3DS Release April 12 Rating E
Entertainments’ last game
Gnog is a simple puzzle game that I would absolutely play another Dangerous Golf, but while Danger
never pushes the player too hard. Boxboy if it continues to Zone undoubtedly sets the world
Opening each box to rotate its experiment with abilities like it ablaze it also requires thinking
wheels, push its buttons, and solve has here. But if Bye-Bye Boxboy along different lines. Danger
its puzzles is relaxing. Its charm does mark an end for HAL’s Zone’s more open levels and
surprised me and made me eager quirky puzzle series, then it moving traffic creates situations
to pursue each new box as ends on a high note. requiring a more calculating kind
I unlocked them. – Kyle Hilliard – Kyle Hilliard of destruction. – Matthew Kato

5 Syberia 3 7 Deformers 6.5 Rick And Morty:

Platform PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac
Release April 25 Rating T
Platform PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release April 18 Rating E10+
Virtual Rick-ality
Platform Rift, Vive Release April 20 Rating M
The Syberia series is a product of its Though it may not have the
time, and Syberia 3 doesn’t bring staying power to tussle with This game achieves its modest
back any excitement. It is plagued stronger multiplayer offerings, ambitions of letting fans to dive
by bugs, a disappointing storyline, at the core of Deformers is a head-first into the Rick and
cliché characters, and puzzles that strong multiplayer experience Morty universe. While I enjoy the
are more frustrating than fun. This with a great mix of simple faithfulness to the subject matter,
return fails to do the series justice, basics and potential for the Virtual Rick-ality doesn’t have
feeling more like an unpolished once-in-a-blue-moon moments the depth or variety to make it
and dated adventure game instead that define multiplayer games. successful on other levels.
of a revival. – Elise Favis – Suriel Vazquez – Joe Juba

Visit gameinformer.com/mag for the full reviews

92 the score
 8.5 Cities: Skylines –
Xbox One Edition
8 Full Throttle
Remastered AMERICA
Platform Xbox One Release April 21 Rating E

The mayoral-planning fantasy

is still intact with this version,
and now easier than ever to
Platform PS4, PC Release April 18 Rating T

The quirks of the original game

are as attractive today as they
were then, and this version
NEEDS YOU
From economic growth to online security,
get into. If you’re an Xbox One does a fine job smoothing out technology is the key to America’s future.
owner who is a fan of city- the rough edges, making Full And for over a quarter century, UAT has
building simulation games, Throttle Remastered a road trip been preparing creative and innovative
you need to check out Cities: worth taking. – Javy Gwaltney thinkers to answer the call.
Skylines. – Brian Shea
More than 100,000 people with the right
technology skills and degrees are needed
each year. We offer more than twenty
6.5 The Fidelio Incident advancing technology degrees.
7 NBA Playgrounds Platform PC Release May 23 Rating NR Will you step up to help meet this need,
Platform PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
The bulk of the story in this first- advance our nation, and achieve your
Release May 9 Rating E
person adventure is confined to professional ambitions in technology?
The colorful, big-head art style scattered diary entries, but the
and over-the-top hardwood tasks players complete between
action both feel familiar, as if reading them are unrelated and
LEARN
the series has been with us all BUSINESS & INNOVATION
uninteresting. – Joe Juba
along. That perception has a CREATION & SIMULATION
lot to do with how liberally it SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
borrows from its predecessors, CYBER SECURITY
primarily NBA Jam and NBA
DIGITAL ARTS
Street. – Matt Bertz
GAME STUDIES

Volume XXVII Number 7 Issue 291

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 n exciting blue mascot, a stable of unrivaled licensed STARTING ON THE WRONG FOOT

A
While gamers praised Genesis for its graphics
sports titles, and an edgy marketing campaign drove
and sound, cartridges were being phased out
Sega from relative obscurity to challenge Nintendo in favor of optical discs. Sega broke ground on
for console supremacy in the early ‘90s. The Genesis optical disc development with its Sega CD add-
went toe-to-toe with SNES to make Sega a house- on for the Genesis, but the Saturn was the first
standalone Sega console to rely on the medium.
hold name. Optical discs brought enhanced polygonal
With Sony’s first console looming and the Nintendo rendering, better sound, and advanced 3D
64 just over a year away, the encore nearly five years graphics that veered much closer to what was
available in arcades at the time.
later proved much more difficult. Following Genesis, The Saturn hit Japanese stores in late 1994,
fans had lofty expectations for Sega’s Saturn to continue the company’s momentum. and all 200,000 units sold out immediately upon
With a swell of hype elevating Sony’s PlayStation, Sega wanted to introduce its release. Fans and critics alike praised the strong
Virtua Fighter port. Sega felt confident in the
console to fans with a bang, but ended up with a whimper due to a surprise North Saturn’s early Japanese performance, but that
American launch at E3. by Brian Shea success didn’t translate to North America.
94
 When president and CEO of Sega of America
Tom Kalinske took the E3 press conference
stage in May of 1995, he knew he was about to
make the wrong move. Kalinske was not only
tasked with introducing the Saturn, but also
shocking the world with the announcement of
its immediate availability. Originally scheduled to
launch in September, the Japanese executives
pushed the launch forward to beat Sony to mar-
ket. Kalinske, who played a large role in making
Sega so competitive with Nintendo in the first
place, vehemently disagreed with the decision.
“When we were going to launch it in the fall,
I thought that was too early; I wanted to put it
off until the following year,” he says. “This was
one of the main reasons I left Sega.”
Sega chairman and CEO Hayao Nakayama
looked past Kalinske’s objections to launch the
system right from that E3 stage. “Nakayama
was so concerned over Sony launching a hard-
Sega tried to maintain the alternative, edgy attitude
ware platform that he wanted to beat them to of the Genesis through its marketing for the Saturn,
the punch,” Kalinske says. but the novelty didn’t work this time
Sony responded during its own keynote at
that same E3. Sony Interactive Entertainment Sonic X-treme
CEO Olaf Olafsson brought head of PlayStation
development Steve Race on stage for a “brief
presentation.” Race simply said “$299.” This
price point undercut the Saturn by $100, and
Race walked off the stage to cheers.

THE FALLOUT
The Saturn’s surprise launch confused consum-
ers, but that was just the start of Sega’s prob-
lems. Saturn was only available at select retail-
ers at launch; those left in the dark responded
by dropping support for Sega products. This
betrayed Sega’s tireless efforts to win over
retailers in the prior generation after Nintendo The Collaborations That Never Were
tried to keep competitors out of the market. Before the creation of Saturn, Sega explored the idea of a joint-hardware platform. Sega of
This rush to launch also affected consumers, America’s head of R&D Joe Miller was unimpressed with the initial hardware specs of the proposed
who had a difficult time finding a store with units console, and he liked the idea of sharing the costs on the creation of the hardware since platform
in stock. Kalinske could see the writing on the holders typically lose money on hardware.
wall. “Everybody knows that you have to have Sega of America worked with Sony on specs for a potential joint platform. The team pitched
an adequate amount of software and enough the idea to Sony of Japan president Nobuyuki Idei, who agreed that it made good business sense.
games on the hardware platform in order to Unfortunately, Sega of Japan didn’t believe that Sony was serious about creating hardware, so the
make it successful,” he says. “We didn’t have it. discussions fell apart and the two companies went separate routes.
I could see this was going to be a failure.” Around that time, Sega executives also met with Silicon Graphics founder Jim Clark, who pitched
The most obvious hole in the Saturn’s soft- a new chipset the company thought would be great for gaming. Miller and Sega of America CEO
ware lineup was Sega’s mascot, Sonic the Tom Kalinske were impressed by the chipset, but Sega of Japan hardware guru Hideki Sato said the
Hedgehog. A 3D Sonic title called Sonic X-treme chip was too big and wasted too much silicon. After being turned down by Sega, Silicon Graphics
was in development by STI while the core formed a partnership with Nintendo for the N64.
Sonic Team worked on Nights into Dreams, but
multiple snags led to its cancelation. The Saturn
was the only standalone Sega platform to not
feature a unique mainline Sonic title. “Clearly,
it would have helped so much to have a great THE BEGINNING OF THE END and was the final console Sega released.
Sonic game on the Saturn launch,” Kalinske In 1996, Kalinske walked away from Sega, with Following yet another failed console, Sega
says. “It would have made all the difference in former Atari and Sony executive Bernie Stolar ceased hardware production altogether and
the world.” taking his place. Two years later, the Saturn became a third-party software developer.
Instead, Saturn launched with a small, but was discontinued after selling just over 9 mil- Despite the Dreamcast ultimately burying the
respectable lineup. With games like Daytona lion units worldwide, a number dwarfed by its console division of Sega, Saturn was a portent
U.S.A., Virtua Fighter, and Panzer Dragoon, the competition. The N64 has sold nearly 33 million to Sega’s troubled future and served as the
launch lineup was not without its hits. However, units worldwide, while the PlayStation reached beginning of the downfall. It’s impossible to tell
following that window Sega was hard-pressed more than 100 million units sold. what the video game landscape would look like
to find many blockbusters, and fan interest The Saturn’s failure began a downward spiral today had the Saturn stood shoulder-to-shoulder
evaporated once the PlayStation launched in that continued with 1999’s Dreamcast. Though with PlayStation or even Nintendo 64, but a
September with the promise of overwhelming viewed as a strong platform by many, the Dream- series of poor decisions squandered any hope
third-party support. cast sold fewer units than the Saturn worldwide, of us ever seeing that future.
classic 95
 Spreading The Assassin’s Creed
The wheres and whens of the history-spanning series
ne of the big draws of Assassin’s Creed has always feature distinct historical periods and locations, while some

O been the way its fiction weaves in and out of the real
events and locations of world history, lending an air of
conspiracy and secrecy to situations you thought you knew.
other aspects of the mythology that retell key elements from
new perspectives (like the novels and certain mobile games),
have been left out. Most dates are approximate, and projects
As Ubisoft prepares to leap back to the origin of the Assassin are listed chronologically as they unfolded in history, not by
order (see our cover story on p. 36), we charted the major date of project release. Where a project deals with multiple
locations and periods where the series has taken us so far. time periods or locations, we’ve listed the central focus of the
We’ve included most of the games, comics, and films that action. by Matt Miller

1. Assassin’s Creed Origins 9. Assassin’s Creed: Embers 17. Assassin’s Creed III
(game) (film) (game)
Egypt, 5 50 B.C. Tuscany, Italy, 1524 New England, 5 1770s
2. Assassin’s Creed 10. Assassin’s Creed 18. Assassin’s Creed Unity
(game) Chronicles: China (game)
Israel/Syria, 1191 (game) Paris, 5 1790s
China, 1526
3. Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines 19. Assassin’s Creed: Brahman
(game) 11. Assassin’s Creed: Setting Sun (comic)
Cyprus, 1191 (comic) India, 1839
Peru, 1536
4. Assassin’s Creed: Lineage 20. Assassin’s Creed
(film) 12. Assassin’s Creed: Trial by Fire Chronicles: India
Italy, 1476 (comic) (game)
Salem, Massachusetts, 1692 India, 1841
5. Assassin’s Creed II
(game) 13. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag 21. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Italy, 1488 (game) (game)
Caribbean, 5 1715 London, 1868
6. Assassin’s Creed
(film) 14. Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry 22. Assassin’s Creed: The Fall
Granada, Spain, 5 1492 (game expansion) (comic)
Haiti, 5 1730s Russia, 1917
7. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
(game) 15. Assassin’s Creed Rogue 23. Assassin’s Creed
Rome, Italy, 5 1500 (game) Chronicles: Russia
New York/North Atlantic, 5 1750s (game)
8. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Russia, 1918
(game) 16. Assassin’s Creed Liberation
Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey), 5 1511 (game) 24. Assassin’s Creed: The Chain
New Orleans, Louisiana, 5 1760s (comic)
Connecticut, 1926

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