GamesMaster 321 (Sampler) by Future PLC

destiny 2 reviewed! We’ve got the definitive score Triumphant return or tired rehash?

planet of the apes

we monkey around with the new game from andy serkis

Assassin’s creed origins exploring a new era

looking ahead to the stunning games lineup

of open-world action

behind the scenes with 2017’s most over-the-top shooter

75 games

‘some games have stellar gameplay, some have stellar stories. we do both’ jens matthies , creative director

inside!

FORZA 7 CRACKDOWN 3 SEA OF THIEVES MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF WAR WORLD OF TANKS BIOmutant Metro Exodus ANTHEM

Three sets of official Minecraft guidebooks up for grabs!

the evil within 2 fresh terror

from the creator of resident evil

Issue 321

welcome

Issue 321 / October 2017

“Ramping up the chaos, weirdness, and oldschool action” J Blazkowicz is a true videogame veteran, star of nine games over an impressive 25 years. Yet he’s never looked better – and that quartercentury has done nothing to diminish his love of slaying Nazis. With Wolfenstein: The New Order, Machine Games brought BJ kicking (Nazis) and screaming (at Nazis) into the 21st century of gaming. In the upcoming sequel, the team’s ready to outdo themselves, ramping up the chaos, the alt-history weirdness, and the old-school action for a year where fighting fascism feels freshly relevant. Find out more in our packed cover feature – we’ve been hands-on with the game, we’ve chatted to the devs, and we’ve personally travelled back in time and killed Hitler before he even had a chance to get in that mech suit. You’re welcome. Elsewhere we’ve dived into The Evil Within 2 and lived to tell the tale, explored the deserts of Assassin’s Creed Origins, put a score on Destiny 2, and much more! Enjoy your GM!

EDITOR’S CHOICE My top picks this issue

The most exciting thing about a new Planet Of The Apes game? All the monkey puns we get to make.

50 games in one? Derek Yu’s new project, UFO 50, has got to be breaking some kind of record.

Naughty Dog’s finally fixed Uncharted’s one problem: not enough Chloe.

Robin Valentine – Editor

Get more from your GM!

Online at www.gamesradar.com/gamesmaster

www.gamesradar.com/gamesmaster

…or subscribe. See p92 for details.

October 2017

Contents What’s In Your Latest Issue?

cover story

Evil within 2 38 The Detective Sebastian Castellanos must fight to survive a world so

Only the best games are featured on GM’s cover!

twisted and nightmarish it could only have been created by Resident Evil veteran Shinji Mikami. We’ve gotten our hands on the game, and they’ve come away shaking.

II: 24 Wolfenstein The New COlossus

2 64 Destiny Bungie’s pride and joy

You’ve killed Nazis in games before, but never quite like this. We go behind the scenes on the wonderfully weird sequel – and take a look back at Wolfensteins past.

Previews 34

XBox one x special

Biomutant

Laser league

UFO 50

Assassin’s creed origins

It’s the most powerful console in the world – but what will it actually do for your games? Let us explain… Kung-fu battles, self-administered genetic engineering, the postapocalypse, and you. Your next hit of pure local multiplayer action is here. Dare we say this could be the next Towerfall? The creator of Spelunky is building his own alt-history, with a collection of 50 fake retro games. We’re already experts at passing unseen in Ancient Egypt. Our top tip? They never look behind the Pyramids.

0ct0ber 2017

is back! But the question is: it worth buying into a second time? We’ve been hard at work shooting aliens, grabbing loot, running strikes, and levelling up, and we’re ready to give you our final score.

Reviews 68

Uncharted: the lost legacy

Sonic Mania

Hellblade

agents of mayhem

nidhogg 2

Chloe Frazer’s stepping into Nate’s shoes for this standalone spin-off. How come Tails and Knuckles are named after body parts, but Sonic isn’t? He should be Feet The Hedgehog. Want to know what it feels like to go utterly, terrifyingly insane? Ninja Theory’s got you covered! It’s got the word ‘mayhem’ in the title. It’s set in the Saints Row universe. So how is it so dull? The question is, is it possible to improve on absolute perfection? The answer: er, maybe not.

Regulars 06

Fanbase

upfront

indiemaster

RetroMaster

Culturemaster

This month we’ve been flooded with amazing cosplay photos – you creative lot, you! From apes to tanks to board games, we’ve got all the latest from the wonderful world of games. A game set inside a diary. If it’s anything like ours, gameplay will just consist of dodging weird secrets. Come back in time with us as we look at Timesplitters 2. Then back further, then forward, then back again… How do you turn a videogame into a live performance? The creators of Dear Esther have got it all figured out.

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Team GM

Issue 321/October 2017

Meet The Magazine’s Makers!

Future plc, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA Tel 01225 442244 Fax 01225 732275 Email gamesmaster@futurenet.com Web www.gamesradar.com/gamesmaster

Editorial

Editor Robin Valentine Art Editor Rob Crossland Senior Staff Writer Ben Griffin Operations Editor Miriam McDonald

Contributors

Louise Blain, Ann-Marie Coyle, Patrick Dane, Zoe Delahunty-Light, Ian Evenden, Samuel Horti, Leon Hurley, Phil Iwaniuk, David Jagneaux, Alex Jones, Andy Kelly, Luke Kemp, Russell Lewin, Kirk McKeand, Dominic Peppiatt, Sam Riley, Ben Tyrer, Jordan Erica Webber, Alvin Weetman, Josh West, Robert Zak

Advertising

Media packs are available on request Commercial Director Clare Dove Account Director, Games Kevin Stoddart +44 (0)1225 687455 Advertising Director, Games Andrew Church Director Of Agency Sales Matt Downs

International

GamesMaster is available for licensing. Contact the international department to discuss partnership opportunities. International Licensing Director Matt Ellis (matt.ellis@futurenet.com) +44 (0)1225 442244 Fax +44 (0)1225 732275)

Subscriptions

Email gamesmaster@myfavouritemagazines.co.uk UK reader order line & enquiries 0844 848 2852 Overseas reader order line & enquiries +44 (0)1604 251045 Online enquiries www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk Head of Subscriptions Sharon Todd

Circulation

Circulation Director Darren Pearce – +44 (0)1202 586200

Production & Distribution

Head of Production US & UKMark Constance Production Project ManagerClare Scott Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby Digital Editions ControllerJason Hudson Production ManagerFrances Twentyman

The most dedicated team in the business

In honour of Wolfenstein II, the team’s been attempting to reminisce about the ’60s. “That was when people wore ruffs, right?” “Nah, ’60s was all top hats.” “Did they have dinosaurs back then?”

Management

Finance & Operations Director Marco Peroni Creative Director Aaron Asadi Art & Design Director Ross Andrews Group Editor-In-Chief Tony Mott Senior Art Editor Warren Brown

Printed by

William Gibbons & Sons Ltd on behalf of Future

Ben Griffin 1

We like to get Ben out of the office regularly, mostly so we can empty out his drawers of mouldy fruit. This month he was sleepless in Seattle, playing Destiny 2 all the hours that God allows, and returned with tales of drunkenly high-fiving the game’s project lead.

Who’d be your perfect co-op buddy? Mr Motivator – team morale would never falter

Leon Hurley

We’re concerned that Leon’s fall-filled excursion into Worlds Adrift this month (see p16) may have left him with a fear of heights. It’s not ideal seeing as we work on the fourth floor. Last we saw he was typing on his laptop in reception. “No, I just prefer it down here. I like the lobby music.”

Who’d be your perfect co-op buddy? Mrs Doyle – unlimited tea! www.gamesradar.com/gamesmaster

Rob Crossland

This art editor gig must be going alright after all: Rob’s just bought himself a boat. It’s a surprisingly savvy move, considering our office is next to a river. Not only is it a quicker ride to work, but he can even catch himself some fresh lunch on the way. Cod and chips, anyone?

Who’d be your perfect co-op buddy? Steven Seagal – the ultimate sensei

Louise Blain

Horror fan Louise is already feverishly prepping for Halloween, bombarding Robin with spooky game pitches and hiding human bones in people’s lockers. The safest thing when she gets like this is just to ignore her. And, er, don’t eat the gummy eyeballs.

Who’d be your perfect co-op buddy? Stephen King – for even scarier gaming

Distributed by

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Disclaimer

All contents © 2017 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication 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. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/ services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/or have the necessary rights/permissions to supply the material and you automatically grant Future and its licensees a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in any/all issues and/or editions of publications, in any format published worldwide and on associated websites, social media channels and associated products. Any material you submit is sent at your own risk and, although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents, subcontractors or licensees shall be liable for loss or damage. We assume all unsolicited material is for publication unless otherwise stated, and reserve the right to edit, amend, adapt all submissions. ISSN 0967-9855

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Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Non-executive chairman Peter Allen Chief financial Penny Ladkin- Brand Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

october 2017

CONTACT US Email gamesmaster@futurenet.com Twitter www.twitter.com/gamesmaster Facebook www.facebook.com/ officialgamesmaster Web www.gamesradar.com/gamesmaster Post GamesMaster, Future, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1AU, UK

Adventure time

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The best of your emails, tweets, and carrier pigeon death threats ase fan fanb ba se se ba

With so many games now requiring an online connection at all times, the difference between physical and digital is smaller than ever.

L E T T E R

of the month

Digital or disc? asks Alexandre Ross

ecently I’ve taken the plunge and upgraded to a new PS4. It’s awesome, but PS Plus has raised a question for me: What’s the best way to get games? Back in the day getting a disc was the only choice, but now you can download a game straight to your console. Smashing! I tried this and it seems to work great. However, no console lasts forever. What happens if my console dies? Do I lose my digital collection? This isn’t made clear anywhere. Also digital games eat hard drive space. So I’m stuck in a conundrum. What would you recommend to a newbie: digital or disc?

Choice is great and I’m not knocking it, but which option in your experience gives the best combo of performance and benefits? And is there any difference between the digital version of games and their disc counterparts? Alexandre Ross, email With almost all of the major services (except, sometimes, Nintendo), your digital purchases are tied to your account, not your console – so they’re yours forever. Technically, your ownership of a digital game is less clear-cut than a physical copy, as what you’ve really bought is just a licence to download it. In practice, though, short of the company suddenly folding, there shouldn’t be any risk. Which is better? It’s up to you really. Which do you prefer to keep uncluttered – your house, or your hard drive? How reliable and fast is your internet connection? Do you like being able to trade games back in? There are pros and cons to each, but there’s no right or wrong choice! n

win!

Got an opinion? Have even the barest grasp of words and how to put them together? The best letter bags a free mystery prize!* There shouldn’t be any difference in content or performance between physical and digital versions.

October 2017

*Don’t forget to include your postal address and chosen gaming format!

I just wanted to respond to the Take Aim article in issue 318 [“Stop making characters extraordinary. Just once, let me be average” by David Meikleham]. “You know what I can relate to? Being insignificant. Not being special. Struggling with the grind of daily existence,” he wrote. I’ve been disabled for over 14 years now. I can’t do a lot of things I used to enjoy and my social life is nonexistent. I know how it feels to be insignificant all too well, but for an hour or so a day, I escape. I am special, I’m a hero going on epic adventures in amazing worlds. This is due to the wonder of games and my life is so much brighter because of them! So if you’ll excuse me I’m off to save the world again!! Sue Muskett, email Thanks for writing in Sue! Escapism means different things to different people, and we certainly didn’t mean to invalidate anyone’s gaming experiences with that Take Aim. Dave was just arguing for more variety, so that both you and he can have the games you each enjoy!

Switch on

I am a huge Nintendo fan but haven’t yet got a Switch; I wanted to wait and see if it would get better third-party support than the Wii U did. I was really impressed with the E3 Spotlight and will hopefully be getting a Switch for my birthday (thanks to my awesome wife). It’s great to see Nintendo bringing most of its biggest franchises to the Switch. But I worry it needs more than just these first-party games. Zelda, Mario, Metroid, etc, are awesome and are reasons alone to get a Nintendo console, but these games take a long time to create, which means that there is not a steady flow of good games available for the console. I’ve seen some developers plan to ‘eventually’ bring their games to the Switch well after being released on Xbox and PlayStation, or even avoid the console completely. I know the Wii U didn’t sell well and perhaps this is why developers are worried about bringing their games to the Switch, but if these developers actually supported a Nintendo console then sales would surely rise for both Nintendo and them. I really hope the early success of the Switch encourages third-party developers to support it. Stan Cohen, email

www.twitter.com/gamesmaster

fanbase

reader review Scott Jones writes in with his thoughts on Mass Effect Andromeda

I was sceptical of this game after Mass Effect 3 – I won’t lie, it had a lot to live up to. The plot is basically ‘find a new home for humanity’, but there is a hostile new alien race (surprise, surprise) that play as the villains. That’s pretty much it – no plot twists, just forgettable moments till the credits roll. It’s a huge shame that a AAA studio with a large budget and years of development time could not address the obvious flaws before release. Soundtrack was unnoticeable for me. The customisation is weak. The gunplay is not very good, nor is the cover system. It’s a buggy game and load times were too long, cutscenes were repetitive, and the planet visits were so tedious, I groaned each time I had to go back to the same place. What I did like was driving the Nomad. The crew does grow on you and that’s what made me finish it, I wanted to see what happens next for them, not for my unlikeable main character.

“I worry switch needs more than just the first-party games” ‘Don’t hold your breath for triple-A thirdparty support for Switch’ would be our advice – we reckon Nintendo’s less interested than ever in courting the likes of Activision, EA, et al. There are plenty of great indie devs getting involved, though, so there’s still stuff to look forward to beyond the admittedly infrequent first-party releases.

Sky high

It’s been a year since No Man’s Sky was released to very mixed reviews, down to the fact that a lot of what had been promised in the build up to release was missing, and the game slowly changed

from an exploration game to a pointless one. Your only real options were to farm resources and get a bigger, better ship, and its ‘campaign’ was too short, especially when you have a billion different planets to explore. Luckily, Hello Games’ has been adding free updates since launch. I can say, with the release of the Atlas Rises patch, that No Man’s Sky feels like a game I could happily put hundreds of hours into. There is now a 30-hour story which has taken me from trying to find another fellow explorer, triangulating his position planet to planet, to setting up my own base and workers to find this lost soul

amongst the stars. The base building has been in No Man’s Sky for a while now, but the story gives you bullet-point missions to gather resources and build the basics. Side quests are a more important reason to increase your standing with the three main alien factions. You can find varied missions at each solar system’s space station, which means an infinite amount of quests. The main thing I’ve taken away from the past seven to eight hours playing the new content is that the game now has a beating heart, a purpose to all the exploring, grinding, and upgrading you are doing. It finally feels like a fully realised game There are even random bounties in space. I guess my final thoughts are these: If you were bitterly disappointed by NMS a year ago, it’s now very different. Hello Games has finally made a game worthy of its triple-A price tag. Atlas Rises is a new beginning. If you do decide to give it a second chance, it’s often on sale for cheap, and has enough substance now to have justified the price tag at launch. A lot can change in a year, and NMS is now the benchmark of change for any game. Charlie Ridgewell, email We’re very tempted ourselves to give the game a second chance. It’s great to see devs working so hard to improve a game – especially, in Hello Games’ case, in the face of online harassment and abuse. n

Your TOP 5 The most exciting upcoming games, as voted for by you on our Facebook and Twitter pages

red dead redemption 2

Format PS4, XO ETA Spring 2018 The battle between Red Dead and Mario for the top spot rages on. Rockstar’s back at number one this month, but for how long?

super mario odyssey

Format Switch ETA 27 October He may have been knocked down a place this month, but Mario’s not giving up yet. Will he have his revenge next issue? That’s for you to decide…

assassin’s creed origins

Format PS4, XO, PC ETA 27 October That year’s break certainly seems to have helped stoke anticipation for this latest entry. It’s clear you’ve got the need – the need for Creed.

spider-man

Format PS4 ETA Summer 2018 He can do whatever a spider can, we’re told – but does that include starring in a good videogame? Well, Deadly Creatures was alright, wasn’t it?

off the chart!

The hot topics you’ve been gabbing about 30% The scariest gaming moment ever 28% Your longest gaming sessions 18% Game worlds you’d love to live in 14% The coolest game character ever 10% Your favourite boss fights

www.gamesradar.com/gamesmaster

middle-earth: Shadow Of War

Format PS4, XO, PC ETA 10 October Talion’s got one weird trick for taking over the wastelands of Mordor! Orc captains hate him!!!

october 2017

fanbase

Kristen Jones must have used magic to make her cosplay of Flemeth from Dragon Age look this good… For more of her great work, search Little Miss Metamorph on Facebook! [Photo by Manticore]

SOCIAL GROUSING Wisdom and weirdness from our bustling social media channels

I love collector’s editions. I have Arkham City, Origins, and Knight, so have some lovely statues. They are overpriced but if the quality is good, I feel they’re worth it. Jon Gates, Facebook

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you love games

IAL! C E P S Y A L COSP es m

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Richard Marshall’s Garrus costume is seriously out of this world! [Photo by KD Photography]

Cool stuff and videogame culture

Most of the time audiologs feel like an afterthought. It doesn’t feel like real people talking to you, but the developer. Sian Bradley, @Siantology

maniac of the month!

I want to live in Gotham City from Arkham Knight… is that strange? I just can’t help but admire the architecture. Dan Wood, @Dan_Wood98

Charity Ann Fleites says her chilling Silent Hill nurse costume cost just £20-35 to make. Talk about cheap scares!

Rosalie Barnett’s Malon from Zelda is spot on! Search Little Record Girl on Facebook for more of her pics. It ain’t easy being green – but Sam Foston makes cosplaying Thrall from Warcraft look effortless!

I bought No Man’s Sky at launch, hated it, and traded it in not long after. I am done with it. There’s plenty of new stuff to get my teeth stuck in to. Releasing a patch months later is not going to encourage people who already tried and didn’t like it to buy it again. They should ensure the game is at this stage when it’s launched. Dario Orlando, Facebook

We could believe Will Morris has lived through the apocalypse in his brilliant Fallout outfit.

October 2017 october

Bianca Bautista’s take on Noctis from FFXV even includes a custom-made Moogle/Chocobo sword. [Photo by Sight FX Photography]

Had a 15-hour binge of FFXIII on Xmas Eve once. From the opening cutscene at 4pm Eve to chapter 11 with a maxed Crystarium 8am Xmas Day. All so I could say I was the first one up at Christmas! Jamie Sergison, Facebook

www.twitter.com/gamesmaster

12 On the pulse Unlock the power of your own heartbeat in mobile card game Champions Of The Shengha.

PostApe-ocalyptic

Decisions abound in Planet Of The Apes: Last Frontier The Simione Family

The ape tribe has parallels with the Corleones from The Godfather. We’ll prove it: meet the Family.

The level-headed one, and the player character. Hopefully he doesn’t end up as cold as Al Pacino…

Prone to going ape, Tola is the brute of the bunch, and considers Juno unworthy of the family crest.

The fragile one. Unlike Fredo, Juno can’t be sent off to work in a casino, so the tribe has to string him along.

October 2017

www.twitter.com/gamesmaster

13 All a board

14 No PvP, tanks Fallout and Civilization reimagined as board games – get your dice bag ready.

16 Bad air day Our intrepid Early Access reporter discovers the joy of airships – and the woe of falling.

World Of Tanks’ new War Stories update is here to give console players the chance to go it alone.

We, for one, welcome our new simian overlords. We’ve spent enough time looking at Twitter to be acclimatised to the, erm, mud-slinging.

Most of the action takes places in rural north-eastern America, because lord forbid people seek out somewhere warm and pleasant post-apocalypse.

lanet Of The Apes is enough of a phenomenon now that if you use the acronym ‘POTA’, then people may just know what you’re talking about. Three hit films and nigh-on $2bn later, it was inevitable that a game would follow. But with Planet Of The Apes: Last Frontier, debut developer Imaginati isn’t content to slap the POTA licensing on the trendy genre du jour and claim its paycheque. This is a super-cinematic interactive drama, incorporating a clever multiplayer element that’s unlike anything we’ve quite seen before. Last Frontier takes place after civilisation’s collapse following the simian flu pandemic. Switching between the perspectives of a young simian in a rugged ape tribe and the leader of an agrarian group of humans, it’s an adventure where every choice, snarl, and uncouth chest-beat can affect who lives, who dies, and how things ultimately pan out. It looks great, as you’d expect from a game made with the help of Imaginarium, Andy Serkis’ mo-cap and performance-capture company (which has worked on the POTA

they argued over whether or not to torture an ape for information. Classic moral conundrums. Perhaps most intriguing is the multiplayer. Up to four people can play simultaneously, turning each choice into a decision-bycommittee (it’s Playlink-compatible for PS4, so smartphones will suffice as controllers). If there’s an equal split over a course of action, then you need to discuss among yourselves which is best. Unless, that is, the player with the rotating ‘tiebreaker’ card decides to overrule everyone and make the decision they want.

“Up to four people can play, turning each choice into a decision-by-committee” movies and The Force Awakens, among others). The mo-cap is done using the exact same tech used for films, while Steve Kniebihly, director of Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, has taken the directorial helm. There’s serious cinematic gravitas behind the scenes, and it comes across in front of the camera (even if our hands-on suggested it still needs some visual polishing). Though ‘hands-on’ is a bit of a misnomer, given that Last Frontier removes movement control from the players’ hands, leaving them only the crucial decisions to make. In our time with the game, these entailed stealing cattle from humans when playing as the apes, then, as the humans, calming tensions in the group as

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Another interesting multiplayer mechanic surfaced during our hands-on. As the apes, we had a timed prompt to shoot a human trying to flee on horseback. In such situations, even one player pressing the button executes the action. We can already hear the screams of ‘Don’t shoot!’ during rowdy multiplayer sessions, and gasps as one person goes rogue to use their tiebreaker against the consensus. The lack of movement controls may prove divisive, but Last Frontier deserves credit for trying to harness the social nature of interactive adventures. In so doing, it’s playing its part in evolving a challenging genre – which is more than you can say of most movie tie-ins. n

october 2017

Playable factions include Fury, Joy, and Fear, each with their own unique abilities to take advantage of in battle.

Find out more on the Champions Of The Shengha website: http://bit.ly/gmshengha

catch your breath

Control yourself to control the game in Champions Of The Shengha

he deadline-filled, scoop-chasing, coffee-slurping world of games journalism is not one conducive to moments of calm and focus. It’s with some sense of trepidation, then, that we approach Champions Of The Shengha – a mobile card game controlled by your state of mind. A bio-sensor clipped (painlessly) to your ear, dubbed the ‘Magic Transmitter’, tracks your heart rate, and uses that to determine your arcane power moment-to-moment. Your current level of magical focus then dictates what cards you can play. Want to unleash your most powerful spells and minions? You’ll need to stay cool under pressure and carefully regulate your breathing.

October 2017

Trust us: it’s easier said than done. The one-on-one card duels are real-time, rather than turn-based, so the tension’s always high. Balancing reacting to your opponent’s moves on the fly with managing both your hand of cards and your mental and physical state is surprisingly tricky and exciting; it’s far from the contemplative, meditative game you might be expecting. Building your deck is all about risk vs reward – how confident are you in your own heart rate? It’s tempting to include more powerful cards, but they’ll be no use if you’re too jumpy to play them. Getting involved’s not cheap, unfortunately. While the game is free, the Magic Transmitter is a hefty £40, creating a significant barrier to entry. But if you’ve got the cash to spend on a truly unique bit of gaming tech, you can pick it up now from the official website. n