on iti et
competition c om p
competition c om p
WIN!
on iti et
competition c om p
welcome
“There’s no bigger deal in gaming than GTA, and we’ve a full primer for the new-gen release” here’s a widespread cynicism around gaming – and most things, in fact – these days, but I defy anyone to look at this month’s cover and not get excited. There is simply no bigger deal in gaming than GTA V, and its imminent appearance on new-gen is enough to melt the stoniest of hearts. As such we’ve provided a primer to get you back into the fold of beautiful Los Santos, featuring secrets, conspiracies debunked, and even a bucket list of must-do activities. Let GM take you by the hand around possibly the best gaming world ever created. Outside a life of crime, this month we’ve all been fighting in the review trenches. Sunset Overdrive, Beyond Earth, The Evil Within, Driveclub: your inner horrorloving, caffeine-swigging, strategic petrolhead will be very happy.
T
Get more from your GM!
www.facebook.com/officialgamesmaster
My top picks this issue
22
My top pick this issue and almost any other: I cannot wait to get back to Los Santos.
52
Battling GTA for ‘big deal’ supremacy is Minecraft – so we’ve introduced a whole new section on it.
me Welco
Joel Gregory – Editor
Online at www.facebook.com/gamesmaster
EDITOR’S CHOICE
competition c om p
Issue 284 / Christmas 2014
on iti et
on iti et
A mega PC gaming hardware bundle from Razer! See p80 for details.
thosee s to all p Thank us – we ho… g in in jo it here e k li you
…or subscribe. See page 92 for details.
We’re as sad as anyone about the closure of ONM, but thanks to all those subscribers who have decided to give us a chance. We’ll be upping our Nintendo coverage, and we hope you decide to stick around.
christmas 2014
05
cover story
ver story co y co ve or r st
over story c yc ov or er st
Contents
over story c yc ov or er st
What’s In Your Latest Issue?
Only the best games are featured on GM's cover! ver story co y co ve or r st
Master 52 Minecraft Welcome to our brand new
section, celebrating the best builds, mods, and tips and tricks in the realm of Mojang’s blocky, openworld masterpiece.
theft auto V 22 Grand Take a tour of new-gen Los Santos
in our huge 10-page launch special. Discover all the must-see places and secrets you missed on your first trip, and the new features inbound!
54 Sunset Overdrive
Is this the killer game that Xbox One owners have been waiting for? The verdict is in! Top up a glass of your favourite energy drink and chug down our review.
Reviews
Previews
Evil Within 58 The Shinji Mikami delivers in his first
Metal Gear Solid V: 36 The Phantom Pain
horror game in yonks. Find out why Resi 4 fans should be excited.
2k15 61 NBA What does this sports sim do
way better than FIFA? Better head this way to find out!
Of The Fallen 62 Lords Can this Polish RPG upstart really
challenge the king of challenge? Join us for a spot of Souls searching.
64 Civilization: Beyond Earth
Technology knows no bounds in this Alpha Centauri-inspired strategy spin-off. Will it be a stellar experience?
74 Driveclub The servers may have imploded
upon launch, but when the dust has settled Sony’s racer is left looking mighty fine. 06
christmas 2014
New details abound as Snake gets his very own pet pooch. Woof!
Light 38 Dying We almost made it through an
Regulars 08 Fanbase One of our readers has been to the
Himalayas on a real-life gaming mission to scout out Far Cry 4. Check it out!
12 Upfront A first hands-on with Battlefield
issue without zombies cropping up, but then Techland’s first-person survival game grabbed us by the ankles.
Hardline, updates to the amazing looking Elite: Dangerous, and more besides.
tactical strategy sim, this time with an extra sprinkling of survival.
drain in our alt section this month.
48 IndieMaster A game based on a book influenced Total War: Attila 41 A whole new world for the expansive by gaming? We’re spiralling down the meta
42 Battleborn What on earth is Gearbox up to?
More bizarre genre-splicing, of course!
OR & AS 44 PokÉmon That’s Omega Ruby and Alpha
Sapphire for the uninitiated. Read about our extended hands-on as the forgotten ’mon get a new Lickitung of paint.
82 RetroMaster We’ve recovered enough from our
PT exploits to jump back into Silent Hill for this month’s celebration of gaming gone by.
88 CheatMaster Feeling the rough end of a
steely, saliva-strewn tooth-sausage? Perhaps a gander at our Alien: Isolation tips might help? www.twitter.com/gamesmaster
Team GM
Issue 284 / Christmas 2014
Meet The Magazine’s Makers!
Future plc, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA Tel 01225 442244 Fax 01225 732275 Email gamesmaster@futurenet.com
Editorial
Editor Joel Gregory Games Editor Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman Art Editor Phil Haycraft Production Editor Daniella Lucas
Contributors
Louise Blain, Matt Elliot, Ben Griffin, Leon Hurley, Phil Iwaniuk, Leigh Loveday, Dave Meikleham, Matt Pellett, John Robertson, Phil Savage, Chris Scullion, Justin Towell, Sam White, Iain Wilson
2
Senior team
Group Editor-in-Chief Dan Dawkins Group Art Director Graham Dalzell
Production 3
1
Production Controller Fran Twentyman Production Manager Mark Constance
Advertising and marketing
Ad Manager Andrew Church (020 7042 4233) Group Marketing Manager Laura Driffield
Subscriptions
Senior Product Manager Adam Jones Phone our UK hotline 0844 848 2852 Phone our International hotline on +44 (0) 1604 251045 If you would like to purchase the images featured in this publication, please visit www.futuremediastore.com or email mediastore@futurenet.com
Licensing
International Licensing Director Regina Erak (+44 (0) 1225 732 359)
Future Publishing
Head of Content and Marketing Nial Ferguson Head of Games, Film and Music Declan Gough UK CEO Zillah Byng-Maddick
the most dedicated team in the business
The frozen horror as the team contemplate Christmas deadlines… not even a table full of alcohol and an excess of plush chairs can bring smiles to those steely faces. Back to your desks!
1
2
Subscribe online at www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk Next issue on sale 4 December 2014 Printed in the UK by William Gibbons Distributed in the UK by Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT. Tel: 020 7429 4000.
3
A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations
Daniella Lucas
Here’s a game for you all: try and guess which GM writer Dani said “Seemed sexually frustrated” based on their reviews output this issue. Anyone who answers “All of you” will have their free gifts taken away and be put on Santa’s naughty list.
Phil Haycraft
A big birthday for our man of art this issue (we won’t say which), however that the gift bundle included both extremely strong coffee and some electrolyte-infused tabs may have been a mistake. He keeps talking very fast and twitching…
Matthew Sakuraoka-Gilman
As far as excuses for being late go, Matt came up with a doozy this month: his bike wheel actually fell off as he was riding into work. The fact that he arrived without a single scratch suggests he might be Bruce Willis from Unbreakable.
The big game finder
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Life Is Strange
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Preview – P32
Preview – P40
Preview – P46
17,492
Jan-Dec 2013
Future produces high-quality multimedia products which reach our audiences online, on mobile and in print. Future attracts over 50 million consumers to its brands every month across five core sectors: Technology, Entertainment, Music, Creative and Sports & Auto. We export and license our publications. Future plc is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR). www.futureplc.com
Chief executive Zillah Byng-Maddick Non-executive chairman Peter Allen CFO Richard Hayley Tel +44 (0)20 7042 4000 (London) Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244 (Bath)
© Future Publishing Limited 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. The registered office of Future Publishing Limited is at Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA. All information contained in this magazine is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. Readers are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this magazine. If you submit unsolicited material to us, you automatically grant Future a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in all editions of the magazine, including licensed editions worldwide and in any physical or digital format throughout the world. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents or subcontractors shall be liable for loss or damage. Future Games: The First Choice For Gamers. This magazine is brought to you by Future Publishing Ltd., the makers of Edge, PC Gamer, Official XBox Magazine and Official PlayStation Magazine.
We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from well managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. Future Publishing and its paper suppliers have been independently certified in accordance with the rules of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter
Review – P66
Review – P68
www.facebook.com/officialgamesmaster
Endless Legend Review – P71
march 2014
07
se
fanbase fan se ba a b se n a
e fanbase f an bas n ba fa se fanbase nba fa fa n
fanbase
CONTACT US Email gamesmaster@futurenet.com Twitter www.twitter.com/gamesmaster Facebook www.facebook.com/ officialgamesmaster
The best of your emails, tweets, and carrier pigeon death threats
Post GamesMaster, Future, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1AU, UK
Online? Nonline!
se ba
base fanba fan se
f
Looking forward to an upcoming game? Probably not so much that you’d hop on a plane, though, right?
L E T T E R
of the month
Brendan checks out Far Cry’s Himalayan locale… in person!
I
've just got back from a trip to the Himalayas and while I was there I thought I'd do a little field research for Far Cry 4. I only went as far Manali (the game is set much further up the mountains), but watching the trailer it really does feel like looking out over the Kullu Valley again. Ubisoft really has done its research, although I did see a few flaws. First off no wild elephants live in the Himalayas. Second an auto rickshaw (or tuk-tuk) is not a fast getaway vehicle, nor is it a smooth ride. I nearly cracked my coccyx several times – the suspension on them is awful. Third and finally,
the dialogue. My girlfriend grew up in the Kullu Valley and speaks both Hindi and the local Manali dialect. She noticed something odd about the way the characters in the trailer spoke. The game is set near Nepal where they speak a local dialect which changes from village to village and is pretty much its own language, however the characters in the trailer speak perfect Bombay Hindi without a hint of any local dialect at all. Even so it looks set to be a great game and I personally can’t wait to climb, glide, shoot, blow up and generally cause havoc while exploring. Brendan Richardson, email Incredible work, Brendan! Virtual tourism is great and all, but nothing beats the real thing. What about the rest of you? Has anyone been to the location of a game for a holiday? Send us your snaps if so – and bonus points for anyone who goes to Mordor or Rapture. n
I am writing to express my concerns regarding the future of games and in particular the influence of online gaming. I’m a person who enjoys playing singleplayer, story-driven games. It seems that devs are concentrating more on the multiplayer section of the game and not enough time on the single-player experience. Battlefield 4 and Killzone are two recent examples of this. I understand developers/publishers target the majority of gamers who want online gaming, but this should not detract from those like me who prefer to play solo, especially when we are paying over £50 for a game these days. My worst nightmare is playing online and being sniped by some spotty kid from LA (or anywhere in the world for that matter, and could be a spotty adult); it’s just not my idea of fun. It’s something I’ve experienced whenever I’ve dipped my toe into the online gaming world. It was good to hear recently that devs DICE and Visceral have put back Battlefield Hardline until next year so they can focus on single-player story depth and stability. I do hope other developers follow suit and invest in a single-player experience that can be played over and over again. I am, however, very worried that there will soon be very few games to play with that single-player experience. Andrew Taylor, email While we love a competitive online game every now and then, sometimes we too just like to pull up the drawbridge and go solo. But fear not, Andrew, for there are still so many great single-player games knocking about right now: Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor, Alien: Isolation and The Walking Dead to name just three.
Crews control
There have been many Need For Speeds, but Ubisoft’s upstart The Crew looks like it could take over. I’m a huge car fan and I love racing games so for me it’s a real bottleneck between these two games. Maybe soon, in 2015 or by Christmas,
win!
Got an opinion? Have even the barest grasp of words and how to put them together? The best letter bags a free mystery game!* Thankfully Ubisoft's virtual trip to the Himalayas doesn't come with actual altitude sickness or jet lag.
08
Christmas 2014
*Don’t forget to include your postal address and chosen format!
www.twitter.com/gamesmaster
fanbase
reader’s crib
Show us your rooms of gaming glory!
This Month: AJ Edge Jones, Facebook “I started gaming when I was a wee toddler,” says AJ, whose epic array of consoles and collector’s editions covers an entire wall. “My first memory was being given my uncle’s original Game Boy with Tetris. The most prized part of my collection? It’s a hard decision but I’ll go with my Assassin’s Creed selection. I have the Assassins Creed Unity Collector’s Edition on pre-order so that will be the next part!” AJ’s secret to building such a monster accumulation? “I had collected before this but always traded in so I could buy new releases. I no longer trade in any of my games.” n Do you have a gaming throne room you’re particularly proud of? Then send us your pics!
PS3 and 360 first came out? There’s always a gap between the first salvo of launch titles and the second wave. We’d go so far as to say that we’re lucky the second wave is here already!
Re-release: reloaded
“We want new IP not games most of us have already” I might be getting an Xbox One, and it’s hard to decide between the two. They both include police chases but The Crew includes customising your car to adapt for different races. I sure do hope there is going to be another The Crew. Cameron Walker, email Hold on to your engines there, Cameron. The Crew’s not even out yet and you’re already pining for a sequel! Driving fans like yourself are loaded up and ready to go on new-gen machines at the moment, what with the games you mentioned plus Driveclub and Forza Horizon 2. Vroom indeed.
Re-release: shots fired
Do we really need to keep getting re-releases of last-gen games on PS4 and
XO? Enough is enough! I’m more than content with The Last Of Us and GTA V, but we have Metro Redux just out and now Saints Row IV! We want new IP not games most of us have already played. As much as I enjoyed them the first time, there’s very little to make me go back and want to replay anything because it’s got shinier graphics and DLC included. I know we are going to have a great few months ahead with some decent titles, but I’m annoyed that since launch there’s been few new games released so devs are filling the gaps with re-releases. I don’t think I am alone with this view… Ryan Booth, Facebook
Portioning the best debates on our feeds Will you buy GTA V again on new-gen? Watch Dogs 2 – whatcha want? Could FFXV be the best in the series? The future of Minecraft The ultimate RPG party roster
www.facebook.com/officialgamesmaster
That there’s a choice involved is a really important point. It’s your money, folks, and you can spend it how you like. No one is forcing you to buy re-releases, but they do make sense for those new to consoles, shifting from one platform to another, or who simply missed out on something the first time around. n
This month we asked to see your Destiny shots in celebration of Bungie’s latest. Send us your own stuff to feature in next month’s issue!
1
Fancy an eyeball of the Vault of Glass Raid boss without having to commit to the ten hours of rock-hard shooting, team work and swearing to get there yourself? Rayza dropped this rather sneaky screenshot bomb over on our Twitter feed. Show off!
Rayza, @_rayzablayde_
2
After seeing Aarron’s Fireteam assemble for a group photo in the Tower Plaza, we’re waiting for Destiny selfies to become a bona fide thing. Fancy a challenge GM readers? What’s the biggest Destiny selfie you can grab? We’re looking for your most dangerous locales!
Aarron ‘Azza’ Barker, @Alpha118
3
It’s a dangerous business this Guardian malarkey, hence the need for a sit down emote button we suppose. Shame there’s no ‘put a brew on’ emote, or an option to have a little catnap. Either would have been welcome for John’s avatar, who looks shattered here on the Moon.
John Lee Breeze, @JohnBmufc
4
And yet here we are, slap bang in the middle of big release season. Remember when
off the chart! 33% 12% 11% 22% 22%
I’m not usually one to buy games twice (though I am considering GTA V) but these re-releases aren’t for me. They are for people who didn’t buy the game the first time around. And if there are people who love the game so much as to ‘upgrade’ then great! It’s no different than buying Star Wars on Blu-ray. The chances that these releases are actually taking resources away from new games are slim to none; I don’t see the point in condemning these. These games aren’t taking anything away, they are just plugging gaps. Richard Cadman, Facebook
SHOW US YOUR SNAPS!
It’s so easy to peg it through the Tower on the way to your next series of Fallen-shaped targets, but Daniel teaches us with this stellar screenshot just how important it is to stop and drink in your surroundings once in a while. The Last City on Earth looks gorgeous, no?
Daniel Horkan, @LightSamus
Christmas 2014
09
fanbase you love ga mes me ga e v
SOCIAL GROUSING
es you love g am am eg e ov
s
ove games yo ul ul o y
you love games s
Cool stuff and videogame culture
Wisdom and weirdness from our social media channels
killer fan art
ove games yo ul ul yo o
Zelda + 3D printing = Hyrule Foundry. A blog dedicated to recreating items from across Ninty’s RPG series. (http://bit.ly/GMHyrule) What’s better than cake? Cake lolly pops! What’s better than cake lolly pops? Piranha Plant cake lolly pops! Have a look-see and make ’em yourself with the recipe over at cakecrumbs. me (http://bit.ly/GMcakepop)
Finally got the GamesMaster October edition and I’m currently crying about MGS V. Thanks. Shalashaska , @Lucy_Tyrrell
Make me 15 years younger. Games seemed better back then. Jamie Wainwright, Facebook
Bought GamesMaster for the free game (Magicka) and didn’t even realise I already owned it. Damn Steam and their wicked sales! Michelle, @ObtuseMusings
maniac of the month! Gabriel Taylor sent in a shot of the cover of his sketchbook, adorned with etchings of his fave game characters. Can you name them all?
Aiden’s kind of an ass and it’s hard to relate to someone who goes around hacking stuff willy-nilly for no real reason. And his voice is more gravelly than Solid Snake eating a driveway. Daniel Horkan, Facebook
91% for Diablo III. Surely you meant 19%? I fell asleep at one point. Anthony Harris, @1stLegend
Jennifer Olivarez has prepped tortoises for winter in style. Koop a load of these Bowser threads! (http://bit.ly/GMbowser)
Microsoft finally has a mascot of its own: creepers. Aron Sutherland, Facebook
d.i.y. magic!
Check out this Mario tapestry, put together by Craftster forum poster Cross Stitch Ninja. (http://bit.ly/GMCross)
10
Christmas 2014
This is why backwards compatibility wasn’t featured on either the PS4 or XO: they had planned to re-release last-gen games with glossier coats and they know consumers will buy them again. I for one have more sense. Paulus Gregorious, Facebook
www.twitter.com/gamesmaster
14 Trading spaces With a new beta out, we venture where no man has been before in the remarkable Elite: Dangerous.
COP A FEEL
Hands-on with both sides of the law in Battlefield Hardline
Multiple Exposure
Three brand new online modes explained
In Heist, robbers must blow open a vault and escape with the cash while cops try and stop them.
12
Christmas 2014
Hotwire is about chasing down criminals in cars – or trying to flee – across open environments.
For Rescue, the authorities have to save hostages by hoisting them on their backs and running away. Fast.