Table of contents for No. 170 in GamesTM

It seems only right that we should kick off 2016 proper with what is without doubt the most exciting advance in the gaming industry coming this year: the arrival of VR. We’ve offered our verdict on VR once before and obviously we’re excited by its potential, but what it needs now is for some of that potential to start proving itself. In steps EVE: Valkyrie to make the case that the headset revolution is something you need to get involved with. I remain a precariously perched fence-sitter in the debate over the likely success or failure of virtual reality as a consumer experience. The tech is impressive and powerful, the development teams behind some of the titles on the way have great pedigrees and fantastic track records, but is that…

“ An uncompromising fighting game experience that will deliver groundbreaking graphics, animation, and tournament style gameplay”ERIC HARTNESS BANDAI NAMCO CONCEPT • The King of Iron Fist Tournament returns as the great battle between grandfather, father and son is drawn to a close INFORMATION Details Format: PS4 Origin: Japan Publisher: Bandai Namco Developer: In-house Release: TBC 2016 (Out now: Arcades) Players: 1-2 Developer Profile Katsuhiro Harada has been at the helm of the Tekken series from the very beginning and only appears to get crazier as the years pass. Much like his fighting series, Harada is known for his outlandish outbursts and sense of humour that pierce through a sometimes dark and moody shell. Developer History Tekken 1994 [PlayStation] Tekken Tag Tournament 1999 [PS2, PS3] Tekken Revolution 2013 [PS3] Pokkén Tournament…

“The artistic visionaries behind the first game are back to take their creative vision of a grand adventure to even higher heights”ERIC HARTNESS, BANDAI NAMCO CONCEPT • We’re going back to the Other World with a brand new set of characters, a new quest, but with the same amazing anime style INFORMATION Details Format: PS4 Origin: Japan Publisher: Bandai Namco Developer: Leve-5 Release: TBC 2016 Players: 1 Developer Profile Level-5 made a name for itself quickly in the early 2000s with anime style puzzlers and RPGs that hit fast. Games like the Professor Layton series and Inazuma Eleven games on the DS have helped support more ambitious work on home consoles like White Knight Chronicles and the original Ni No Kuni games on DS and PS3. Developer History Dark Cloud…

“ We want First Assault to appeal to long time as much as FPS fans, looking for a new sci-fi game experience”JUNG EIK CHOI NEOPLE CONCEPT • A free-to-play online shooter based on the popular Japanese manga series, First Assaultwill feature highly customisable characters and both PvE and PvP modes INFORMATION Details Format: PC Origin: Japan Publisher: Nexon Developer: Neople Release: TBC 2016 Players: 1-16 Developer Profile Founded in Seoul, South Korea in 1994, Nexon is largely known for its publishing of online and free-to-play games. It is headquartered in Japan and also has offices in the US. In 2013, Nexon opened a museum on South Korea’s Jeju Island dedicated entirely to videogame history. Developer History Combat Arms 2009 [PC] Dragon Nest 2013 [PC] Atlantica Online 2014 [PC] High Point…

“ You’ll be able to mix and match a wide variety of combat styles any way you want, so there’ll be enough action to please Gravity veterans and new players alike”KEIICHIRO TOYAMA SCE JAPAN STUDIO CONCEPT • Cel-shaded open-world platformer where gravity can be controlled and manipulated at the touch of a DualShock 4 button. May contain a magical cat INFORMATION Details Format: PS4 Origin: Japan Publisher: Sony Developer: Project Siren Release: TBC 2016 Developer Profile Founded by Silent Hill director Keiichiro Toyama, Project Siren unsurprisingly made its mark developing the infinitely creepy Japanese horror series Sirenbefore making the jump to the world of quaint handheld platforming. Gravity Rushproved a critical smash for the studio, but its exclusivity to the lukewarm PlayStation Vita probably didn’t help its mainstream exposure. Developer…

EYE IN THE SKY ANIMALS AREN’T JUST FOR HUNTING AND KILLING • ASIDE FROM THOSE ANIMALS THAT MOVE ON FOOT, YOU ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO AN OWL THAT ACTS LIKE A SURVEILLANCE DRONE. BY TAKING DIRECT CONTROL OF ITS FLIGHT, YOU CAN TAG ENEMIES AND ADD THEIR MOVEMENTS TO YOUR MINI-MAP; HIGHLIGHTING THEM IN A WAY SIMILAR TO THAT SEEN IN OTHER FAR CRY RELEASES. THE OWL CAN ALSO BE USED TO KILL ENEMIES BY INSTRUCTING IT TO DIVE IN AND CLAW/PECK A TARGET TO DEATH. AFTER AN ATTACK, THE OWL CANNOT BE CALLED BACK INTO SERVICE FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, THE IDEA BEING THAT COOL-DOWN PERIOD PREVENTS THE BIRD BECOMING A SHORTCUT TO EASY SUCCESS AND PROGRESS. Let’s be honest. While there are examples of successful series…

Released: 27 March 2015 Developer: From Software Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Format: PS4 1 THE WORLD There’s a weaving and meandering intricacy to the world of Yharnam unlike pretty much anything else out there. Certainly, it shares some qualities with the original Dark Souls, but there’s a significantly different feel and connectivity to this region than we’ve experienced anywhere else. This sprawling, haunted and twisted metropolis is interconnected in ways that you could hardly comprehend as you enter it. Every nook and cranny of this world has links to some other region and it all binds together in a beguiling and terrifying whole. Dark Souls has its horror, grime and repulsive demons, but Bloodborne has a gothic romance and dark style that hasn’t been matched. 2 THE ART DESIGN Blending…

Released: 1 September 2015 Developer: Kojima Productions Publisher: Konami Format: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC SLEDDING IN A BOX • With all the contemplation on the brutality and reality of war, the death, destruction, coercion and horror of it all, it can be easy to forget that Metal Gear Solid has always had a great sense of fun. The juxtaposition of those extremes of realism, philosophy and silliness are hallmarks of Hideo Kojima titles and being able to slide down hill in a cardboard box is a great example of the kind of emergent hilarity The Phantom Pain supports. TAKE ON ME IN A HELICOPTER • A-ha’s classic 80s track is just one example, but really being able to blare any of the music from this game over…

STARCRAFT (AND PERHAPS THE GENRE ITSELF) FEELS MORE RELEVANT AND AGGRESSIVELY ENTERTAINING THAN IT HAS IN A VERY LONG TIME DETAILS FORMAT REVIEWED: PC OTHER FORMATS: Mac ORIGIN: USA PUBLISHER: Blizzard Entertainment DEVELOPER: In-house PRICE: £24.99 RELEASE: Out now PLAYERS: 1-4 ONLINE REVIEWED: Yes StarCraft II: Legacy Of The Void is quite the accomplishment. It’s never wise to expect too much from the final piece to a trilogy, especially one born of a franchise so heavily rooted in the competitive multiplayer scene. Five years on from StarCraft II: Wings Of Liberty, Blizzard could have easily traded off brand appeal alone. The studio could have left casual players on the outside looking in as it continued to further its eSports aspirations, not to mention its pandering to the hardcore fans that…

DETAILS FORMAT: WII U OTHER FORMATS: WII, 3DS ORIGIN: Japan PUBLISHER: NIS America DEVELOPER: Kadokawa Games PRICE: £39.99 RELEASE: Out now PLAYERS: 1 ONLINE REVIEWED: N/A This is an attempt by famed developer Yuji Naka to re-capture the lightning in a bottle that was Saturn classic Nights Into Dreams. Unfortunately, his new game has more of the nightmare about it, as Rodea returns to Earth with a bump just as soon as he’s taken flight. Perhaps this should be expected of a game that has spent much of its life in development hell. First announced for Wii in 2011, the title has been passed from pillar to post, with Naka losing control along the way. The result is a badly ported Wii U game that has clearly had little thought…

DETAILS FORMAT: Xbox One OTHER FORMATS: PC, Mac, PS4, Wii U ORIGIN: Denmark PUBLISHER: BetaDwarf DEVELOPER: In-house PRICE: £11.99 RELEASE: Out now PLAYERS: 1-4 (2-4 online) ONLINE REVIEWED: Yes There’s an orb of light that accompanies you in Forced, a spirit mentor by the name of Balfus. You can summon it towards your character with a quick tap of a button, and on the way it’ll activate healing beacons, destroy statues and do all sorts of other things. With four players, a team can co-operate to position themselves in ideal positions to solve a puzzle. If you’re playing alone, you’re going to be doing a lot of running around to achieve the same results. It’s a clever idea, but one that isn’t so cool in practice. The experience described above…

“You know, ironically, this game that has you shooting people strengthens the bonds between friends and siblings ” ANDREW WILLANS, LEAD DESIGNER, EVE VALKYRIE “It’s been such a good year. Obviously I loved The Witcher III, but that’s such a no-brainer. I liked Batman: Arkham Knight as well… You know what? I really liked Star Wars Battlefront. I know there’s been some criticism about its depth but it’s Star Wars, dude! Ultimately it’s down to Battlefield or Rocket League, because Rocket League blew me away from the minute I installed it. Why didn’t someone make it sooner? You know when someone makes a game and you just go, ‘Why wasn’t this in existence before?’ It’s just amazing. I’ve sunk more hours into it than The Witcher III. But…

THE WAY THE PRINCE DANCES BETWEEN COLUMNS WITH WILD ABANDON IS AS ARRESTING TODAY AS IT WAS IN 2003 KEY FACTS • Ubisoft Montreal had to build 150 versions of the game before it was ready to ‘go gold’ – this was due to the huge array of bug problems that went hand-in-hand with many of the engine alterations the team made through development. • While the project started in 2001 without Jordan Mechner, a small seven-person team working up a prototype that impressed the original series creator so much that he joined Ubisoft Montreal for the project; lending direction to the art and gameplay direction of The Sands Of Time Released: 6 November 2003 Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Montreal System: Xbox, PS2, GC FOR THE STAFF of Ubisoft Montreal…

• GETTING THE PERFECT gaming setup in your living room can be difficult; there are so many gadgets out there supposedly offering to improve your gaming experience that end up being more hindrance than help. If this is a problem that plagues you on a nightly basis, you should cast your attention over to this feature in Gadget magazine #4. It investigates the best peripherals, accessories and gadgets to help you get the perfect console and PC gaming set-ups. Grab it from the Imagine Publishing shop www.imagineshop.co.uk/magazines/gadget.html or digitally at Great Digital Mags www.greatdigitalmags.com/gadget…

“ It’s important that we do not forget the pioneers who got us this far and are sadly fading ” It’s with a delightful Machiavellian pleasure that I write this column in 2016, safe in the knowledge that the modern world continues along with eSports burning brightly inside it. This achievement should not be underestimated; it’s quite frankly incredible that the world of gaming has succeeded where Vince McMahon and his ill-fated XFL, American Football spin-off could not. Over the years, many have attempted to launch new or revamped sports to compete with various established brands, leagues and national pastimes, and fallen flat on their faces in trying. That is not to say it has been plain sailing for eSports. There was a period not so long ago when, lost…

CONCEPT • Everybody’s favourite archeologist, Nathan Drake, returns for his fourth and final epic adventure in this PS4 exclusive from Naughty Dog INFORMATION Details Format: PS4 Origin: USA Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Developer: Naughty Dog Release: 29 April 2016 Players: 1 Developer Profile Founded in 1989, Naughty Dog has been one of the most successful development studios in the world. From Crash Bandicoot – giving Sony a viable mascot to compete with Sega’s Sonic and Nintendo’s Mario – to finding further success with the likes of Jak And Daxter, Uncharted and The Last Of Us. Developer History Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune 2007 [PS3] Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 2009 [PS3] Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception 2011 [PS3] High Point Naughty Dog has delivered too many high points to count, but who can forget…

“Write your story, grow your character and win in battle”PR RELEASE JAGEX CONCEPT • Cherry-picking the best bits of lore from the expansive Hearthstonemythos, Chronicleis a card game with a twist INFORMATION Details Format: PC Origin: UK Publisher: Jagex Developer: In-house Release: TBC 2016 Players: 1-2 Developer Profile Jagex made its name (and its substantial bank of profit) with RuneScape, and has used the revenue from the game to tackle more diverse and interesting projects as the company has matured. Still independent, and still successful, Jagex and RuneScapecelebrate their 15 year anniversary this year. Developer History RuneScape 2001 [PC] Ace Of Spades 2012 [PC] Transformers Universe [beta] 2014 [PC] High Point RuneScape has been around for over a decade – no mean feat for a game that came from a…

“ Your motivation for playing Overwatch should be that it’s a fun, competitive multiplayer shooter”JEFF KAPLAN BLIZZARD CONCEPT • Overwatchis a fast-paced FPS that swings the emphasis away from big body counts and onto team-work, camaraderie and an array of unique heroes to fight with INFORMATION Details Format: PC, Xbox One, PS4 Origin: USA Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment Developer: In-house Release: 21 June 2016 Players: 1-12 Developer Profile Jeff Kaplan joined Blizzard in 2002 before stepping up as a game director for the launch of World Of Warcraft. He would later oversee two expansions. In 2009 he began work on the cancelled MMO Titan, before transforming it into Overwatch. Developer History World Of Warcraft 2004 [PC] World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade 2007 [PC] World Of Warcraft: Wrath Of The Lich…

Looking back, it’s actually a little surprising that Microsoft put so much faith in Remedy. When Quantum Break was first revealed alongside the Xbox One on that disastrous day back in April 2013 – the day the generation war was waged and wasted – Microsoft needed the ever-faithful second party studio to make good on its commitment to blending live-action television with high-octane gameplay, and it needed it quickly. But two release windows passed without note, Microsoft swiftly ditched its silver screen ambitions, and we’ve been left wondering whether Quantum Break would be crushed by the weight of its own ambition, frozen in time as a warning to those attempting to dictate to gamers what they supposedly want. But we’ve seen it in action and that thought couldn’t be further…

Released: 11 September 2015 Developer: Nintendo EAD Group No. 4 Publisher: Nintendo Format: Wii U PIT OF PANGA: P-BREAK ID: 6059-0000-005E-4FB5 • This legendary level is the one that took its own creator about nine hours to complete so that it could be uploaded to Nintendo’s network. It demands you to throw enemies and objects with speed and absolute precision as you make your way through a deadly course. We’ve still not made it farther than the first few jumps. WALUIGI’S UNBEARABLE EXISTENCE ID: DAF8-0000-0027-7A46 • We didn’t expect to have to face existential quandaries when playing Super Mario Maker, but this level was one of the first to play with messages in its design to torment and confuse the player. In this instance it was about forcing Waluigi to…

Released: 19 May 2015 Developer: CD Projekt Red Publisher: CD Projekt Format: PS4, Xbox One, PC How has it been seeing the response to The Witcher III? Karolina Stachyra, senior writer: It was many things, but “humbling” is the first word that comes to mind. Pardon the down-to-earth example, but it’s a bit like looking in the mirror before a Friday night party – you did your best to look good and then people start telling you that you look smashing. Over and over again! And if you’re a humble person it’s just so empowering. Deep down inside, you feel this overwhelming satisfaction that every hour spent on coding, designing, painting and writing paid off. There’s so many talented people with so many cool ideas in the studio, and it’s…

CREDIT TO HARMONIX FOR PUSHING ITS LIMITED BUDGET TO REALLY DELIVER FOR THE FANS WHO SUPPORTED THE PROJECT FINANCIALLY DETAILS FORMAT: PS4 ORIGIN: US PUBLISHER: Harmonix DEVELOPER: In-house PRICE: £15.99 RELEASE: Out now PLAYERS: 1-4 ONLINE REVIEWED: N/A This magazine and Amplitude have a long-standing relationship. Some ten years ago, the staff at the time spent every lunch time either locked in multiplayer battles on Harmonix’s beat-blasting classic, or joined in arms trying to best its final stages. Eyes watered, heads ached, fingers cramped, but it’s safe to say the game significantly contributed to the magazine’s history. What a treat, then, to have Harmonix back doing what it can do better than anyone else on the planet – rhythm action on a controller. Amplitude’s 2016 reboot almost didn’t happen –…

DETAILS FORMAT: PC ORIGIN: USA PUBLISHER: Little Red Dog Games DEVELOPER: In-house PRICE: £4.99 RELEASE: Out now PLAYERS: 1 MINIMUM SPEC: Windows XP, 1.6 GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 32-bit video card, 1,200MB HDD ONLINE REVIEWED: N/A There are bombs going off just down the road, our trade agreements with a neighbouring nation have fallen apart after an ill-advised pop at fundamentalism over the phone and we’ve just put out a panicked hit on another rival in the region because we think his oil might be the answer to all of our problems. It isn’t, as it turns out, and as we leave in our motorcade to deliver an end-of-year press conference, a militant blows us up. And so our all-too-brief stint at the top of the pile came to an…

ALIENWARE 13R2 MANUFACTURER: ALIENWARE PRICE: £1,298.99 IT’S HARD TO believe that so much gaming power can be packed into such a small package, but Alienware’s 13R2 proves that 13-inch laptops don’t have to be underpowered. We tested the high-end model, which packed a Core i7 processor and an impressive 16GB RAM inside a surprisingly svelte frame, with graphics powered by NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 960M (with 2GB GDDR5). The result is a gaming laptop that performs extremely well – if you don’t mind making a few compromises. The biggest of these comes in the form of the battery life – we only got around three and a half hours out of the laptop while playing games like Portal 2 on their highest settings, and the base of the machine got incredibly…

“ Players want to actually work for their success, not just buy it ” We often hear about how Japan has a culture built upon honour and respect, but it’s not all that often we get to see this first-hand in gaming. Sure, games like Monster Hunter would never let you simply pay for end-game gear – you have to earn it, to deserve it – but it isn’t until you find yourself in a digital world with a largely player-managed economy that you actually see what this means. I got the FFXIV bug hard again over the last few months and recently, a patch dropped that unlocked the next tier for the game’s ultimate Relic weapons. While I’m only just getting back into the game and not even close…

“Fallout was what I had hoped it would be, this amazing balance between melancholy and dry, dark humour ” STEVE GAYNOR, CO-FOUNDER, WRITER AND LEAD DESIGNER, FULLBRIGHT “It was just one of those times when you feel really lucky to have been there for the birth of something that would legitimately be considered a classic. It was what I had hoped it would be, this amazing balance between melancholy and dry, dark humour. Fallout had that perfect tone of ‘This is a dark, bleak world, but life always has some absurdity to it and that’s going to be a part of the experience as well. It’s not just going to be this po-faced grim experience even though it’s in a very dark world.’ The player freedom of how…

“Nioh seems like a statement of intent. It’s Team Ninja saying ‘We’re back’” CONCEPT • Taking place during the most intense period of civil unrest in Japanese history (the ‘warring state’ period), Niohis Dark Soulsvia Bushido lore INFORMATION Details Format: PS4 Origin: Japan Publisher: Koei Tecmo Developer: Team Ninja Release: TBC 2016 Players: 1 Developer Profile Despite developing hardcore action games like Ninja Gaiden, Team Ninja has kept itself afloat by developing the slightly less serious (and challenging) Dead Or Alive games for the past few years. With a good pedigree in the classic action game, though, Nioh looks like a return to form. Developer History Dead Or Alive Arcade/Sega Saturn/ PlayStation [1996] Ninja Gaiden Xbox [2004] Metroid: Other M Wii [2010] Toukiden: Age Of Demons Vita [2013] High Point…

CONCEPT • Crowd-funded and crowd pleasing, this is the spiritual successor to Wing Commanderwith full space exploration, FPS combat and plenty more besides. INFORMATION Details Format: PC Origin: USA Publisher: Cloud Imperium Developer: In-house Release: TBC 2016 Players: Massively Multiplayer Developer Profile Chris Roberts is heading up development of Star Citizen from the US over several continents and time zones, but he started out making BBC Micro games in Manchester. His break out game came after he returned to the US with Wing Commander, followed by Privateer, Starlancer and more. Developer History Wing Commander 1990 [Multi] Strike Commander 1993 [PC] Wing Commander: Privateer 1993 [PC] Starlancer 2000 [PC, Dreamcast] High Point Wing Commander remains the touchstone for pretty much everything Chris Roberts has done since its release. Even when Roberts…

“You can create a shooter, or a racer, or a platformer or even a genre that doesn’t even exist yet”MARK HEALEY MEDIA MOLECULE CONCEPT • Media Molecule’s new surreal, player-creative offering hopes to turn dreams into delights INFORMATION Details Format: PS4 Origin: England Publisher: Sony Developer: Media Molecule Release: TBC 2016 Developer Profile Formed in 2006, the Guildford-based Media Molecule prides itself on creating games all about creativity and captured imaginations. The LittleBigPlanetseries became a pillar of Sony’s PlayStation exclusivity, while Tearawayand Tearaway Unfolded took papercraft and gently shaped it into one of the most memorable and charming games ever. Developer History LittleBigPlanet 2008 [PS3] LittleBigPlanet 2 2011 [PS3] Tearaway 2013 [PSV] High Point While Tearaway’s majestic papercraft meanderings comes close, the sheer level of creativity offered in the original…

2016 is the year virtual reality ceases to be a part of a hazy futurist’s dream and finally becomes, well, a reality. Oculus, HTC and Sony are all readying for the release of the first home-use displays, commercially available (and more importantly, affordable) hardware that threatens to be one of the most transformative and important pieces of technology humanity has seen in decades. But there isn’t an architectural, medical, or even educational drive behind the emerging technology; it’s videogames taking charge of this incredible innovation. Virtual reality can offer the same escapism that’s been so dangerously peddled by sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll over centuries – metaphysically sweeping the user away to a mind-altered state, regardless of time, place or age. This emerging tech might offer that same transformative…

Fighting games aren’t dying. The genre might have taken a series of hits in recent years – dwindling sales figures mixed with player fatigue at re-releases and DLC malpractice has seen to that – but there’s still plenty of life left in the metre of one of gaming’s most hardcore genres yet. As the world takes a breath and straps a VR helmet to its widened eyes, a community of grizzled veterans and enthusiastic newcomers crack their knuckles and pick up sticks: there’s going to be a fight. Street Fighter V was developed as a total reset for the series. That’s what long-time director of the series Yoshinori Ono told us, anyway – that Street Fighter V is aimed at enticing lapsed players that got frustrated with the similar characters…

“‘YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN’, SAID ROBERT FROST, BUT HERE I AM.”MAX CAULFIELD Released: 20 October 2015 (complete game) Developer: Dontnod Entertainment Publisher: Square Enix Format: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC It’s a sad reality of existence that no matter how much you might want it to be, life isn’t a fairytale, and there are frequently no easy answers and simple choices. Of all the situations thrust upon you on a daily basis, regardless of whether you approach them with the purest of intentions – or in Max Caulfield’s case, safe in the knowledge that you can always have a second chance – sometimes life is a losing game. Life Is Strange explores this delicately, powerfully, across its five episodes. In many respects, it’s a consistently torturous journey…

“The game itself really demonstrated an elegant combination of narrative, gameplay, and rewards ” CHRIS MCQUINN, DESIGNER DRINKBOX STUDIOS “For me, Wing Commander easily sits atop the pile of my favourite games. I routinely would get my hands on various joysticks to see which one I think would simulate a space yoke most realistically. The game itself really demonstrated an elegant combination of narrative, gameplay, and rewards. Each mission unlocked more background story of the evil Kilrathi and their intentions, along with filling my electronic locker with heroic medals. Gaining rank was awesome! Needless to say I’ve been really excited about the upcoming title Star Citizen being the “successor” to Wing Commander, although, that is a lofty, lofty goal.”…

DETAILS FORMAT: PC ORIGIN: UK PUBLISHER: Codemasters DEVELOPER: In-house PRICE: £33.99 RELEASE: Out now PLAYERS: 1 MINIMUM SPEC: Intel Core i3 / AMD FX Series, 4 GB RAM, NVIDIA GT430 / AMD HD 5450 graphics card, DirectX 11, 35GB free disc space ONLINE REVIEWED: Yes You’d be forgiven for thinking that the era of the rally simulator was dead. Not since 2004’s Richard Burns Rally has there been a rally game that has approached the sport with the goal of definitively portraying it as it exists in reality: cars that require significant practise to master, terrain as difficult to memorise as it is to slide across, weather that makes ‘white out’ literal and opponents that punish even the slightest hesitation. Dirt Rally does all of these things, and it does…

OTHER SHOOTERS WERE VERY ACTION ORIENTATED AND WE WANTED TO MAKE A MUCH DEEPER, MORE ENGROSSING GAME Released: 1999 Format: PC Publisher: Electronic Arts Key Staff: Ken Levine (lead designer), Jonathan Chey (project manager/programmer), Rob Fermier (lead programmer), Josh Randall (composer/producer) FOR ALL THE LOVE THAT BIOSHOCK RECEIVES THESE DAYS, it’s easy to forget there was another title released years earlier that first introduced many of the elements that made the words ‘Rapture’, ‘Andrew Ryan’ and ‘Would you kindly?’ some of the most powerful in the industry today. System Shock 2 implemented that careful blend of RPG and FPS that BioShock so often gets credited for, simply by virtue of System Shock 2’s relative insignificance upon its release – it’d be remiss to point out that the title didn’t do…

SUPER TIME FORCE • This pixel-art retro shooter saw players having to manipulate the flow of time to make it through some truly challenging moments of bullet-hell platforming. Upon death, time would be rewound and you’d get to play as a new character, fighting alongside a clone of the character you just played as, who runs through everything you just did – it’s one of the weirdest (and most wonderful) co-op games out there. LIFE IS STRANGE • A tale of two hipsters in small-town American suburbia, Life Is Strange is Twin Peaks as written by one of those laptop-wielding table-stealers in Starbucks. Thankfully, it makes great use of time manipulation – giving you the opportunity to try and affect the outcome of conversations and truly emotionally crushing moments as…