Issue 151 august 2018 £6.99 gamesradar.com/opm
o n ly o n p s 4 !
the last of us part II spider-man ghost of tsushima death stranding days gone
They’re back!
devil may cry 5 Nero and Dante get our blood pumping
f i r s t d e ta i l s
hacks into the…
It’s all greek
assassin’s creed odyssey It’s poetry in motion – we go hands-on inside
The Witcher 3 dev leads the lineup of the year’s best new PS4 games!
Just cause 4 kicks up a storm on playstation 4 Resident evil 2 remake betters the original Hitman 2 – Can you put a price on brilliance?
ISSUE 151 / August 2018 Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA
Editorial Editor Ian Dean @IanDean4 ian.dean@futurenet.com 01225 442244 Art Editor Milford Coppock @milfcoppock Operations Editor Miriam McDonald @crinolinerobot Games Editor Oscar Taylor-Kent @MrOscarTK Staff Writer Jessica Kinghorn @KoeniginKatze Group Editor in Chief Tony Mott Senior Art Editor Warren Brown
Welcome W
Contributors Matt Cabral, Anne-Marie Coyle, Mike Diver, Jordan Farley, Sam Greer, David Houghton, Luke Kemp, David Meikleham Chris Schilling, Rob Speed, Alex Spencer, Justin Towell, Alan Wen, Ben Wilson Cover Models: Ben Bergmann (retail) & Maja Felicitas (subscriber) Photos: eosAndy Advertising Media packs are available on request Commercial Director Clare Dove clare.dove@futurenet.com Account Director Kevin Stoddart kevin.stoddart@futurenet.com 01225 442244 International Official PlayStation Magazine is available for licensing. Contact the International department to discuss partnership opportunities International Licensing Director Matt Ellis matt.ellis@futurenet.com Subscriptions Email enquiries contact@myfavouritemagazines.co.uk UK orderline & enquiries +44 (0)344 848 2852 Overseas order line and enquiries +44 (0) 344 848 2852 Online orders & enquiries www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk Head of subscriptions Sharon Todd
game of the month Cyberpunk 2077 best game trailer Resident Evil 2
Circulation Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers Production Head of Production Mark Constance Production Project Manager Clare Scott Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Production Manager Vivienne Calvert Management Managing Director Julian March Commercial Finance Director Dan Jotcham Group Content Director Paul Newman Head of Art & Design Rodney Dive Printed by William Gibbons & Sons Ltd on behalf of Future Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU www.marketforce.co.uk Tel: 0203 787 9060 ISSN 1752210 We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. The paper in this magazine was sourced and produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and socioeconomic standards. The manufacturing paper mill holds full FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification and accreditation All contents © 2018 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.
e’ve taken a slightly different approach to this issue’s cover, Cyberpunk 2077’s V isn’t a render but a photo of model Ben Bergmann (or Maja Felicitas for our regular subscribers). We were so blown away by CD Projekt Red’s new game, as well as with Ben and Maja’s portrayals, we had to team them up to lead our annual Hot 50 issue. And what a Hot 50: there’s gameplay revealed for The Last Of Us Part II, Ghost Of Tsushima, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. We get to go hands-on with Anthem, Rage 2, and Resident Evil 2 – it could be even better than the original. On top of this the new games just keep on coming: Devil May Cry 5 arrived with a bang, Just Cause 4 soared into view, and FromSoftware shared Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Looking to the future, Bethesda is planning a red-hot line up for 2019 and beyond; Elder Scrolls VI and new sci-fi adventure Starfield are both in the works.
“We were blown away by CD Projekt Red’s new Ian Dean Editor game… it opm@futurenet.com had to lead @IanDean4 the issue.”
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this month’s e3 survivors
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25,190 A member of the Audited Bureau of Circulations
Oscar Taylor-Kent
Jess Kinghorn
Miriam McDonald
Milford Coppock
game of the month Resident Evil 2 best game trailer Cyberpunk 2077
game of the month Vampyr best game trailer Cyberpunk 2077
game of the month Lego DC Super-Villains best game trailer Beyond Good & Evil 2
game of the month Control best game trailer The Last Of Us Part II
Games editor Oscar went to E3 and will still be catching up on lost sleep as you read this. He should be recovered by next E3. Future plc is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR) www.futureplc.com
Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244
staff writer Having sunk her teeth into Vampyr, Jess is now adept at solving moral dilemmas. “Just eat people,” she advises. “Pie, anyone?”
operations editor Mim can’t wait to create a custom villain in the next Lego game. He’ll have short hair, glasses and a blue shirt. [Wait, what? – ed]
managing art editor Choosing which great PS4 game to put on the cover traumatised Milf’s gentle, artistic soul. “Which one has the biggest gun?” he asked.
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highlights The big 10
006 sony’s e3 showcase This year Sony takes us on a deeper dive into its biggest games, because details matter. 004
The big 10
012 Bethesda’s big five From a brace of Wolfensteins to a brand-new Elder Scrolls, Bethesda delivers the goods. The big 10
014 Dying light 2 The parkour survival horror returns with a new focus on narrative and choice. feature
028 the hot 50 The 50 biggest games you really should be looking out for, heading to PlayStation 4. review
080 vampyr To heal or to hurt: existence is one big dilemma when you’re a doctor who’s also a vampire. review
090 onrush A competitive driving game that isn’t a racer? We give you a crash course. review
092 to the top Colourful PS VR platforming with a healthy helping of puzzels: you’ll go ape for it.
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s e c t i o n s at a g l a n c e
the big 10
opinion
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reviews
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retro STATION
All the hottest news
The burning issues of the day
All the coming games that count
In-depth verdicts on every big new game
Max out your PS4, online and off
Classics revisited
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THE Games index 036 a plague tale: innocence 054 anthem 050 assassin’s creed odyssey 048 babylon’s fall 044 battlefield V 053 beyond good & evil 2 031 blood & truth 043 call of duty: Black ops IIII 040 concrete genie 048 control 064 cyberpunk 2077 086 dark souls remastered 049 days gone 036 dead or alive 6 053 death stranding 041 Déraciné 068 devil may cry 5 012 Doom eternal 037 dreams 014 dying light 2 039 fallout 76 040 fifa 19 031 firewall: zero hour 052 ghost of tsushima 062 hitman 2 038 just cause 4 050 kingdom hearts III 040 lego dc super-villains 034 metro exodus 090 onrush 030 Overkill’s The Walking Dead 041 pes 2019 039 planet alpha 058 rage 2 069 red dead redemption II 061 resident evil 2 042 sekiro: shadows die twice 060 shadow of the tomb raider 070 spider-man 048 spyro reignited trilogy 033 team Sonic racing 012 the elder scrolls VI 072 the last of us part II 020 The quiet Man 043 tom clancy’s The division 2 092 to the top 033 we happy few 012 wolfenstein: cyberpilot 012 wolfenstein: youngblood 080 vampyr 032 yakuza kiwami 2
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we’re starting with the smallest of details, a banjo refrain in a Stories everyone’s talking about dark tent.
The Big10
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Spixxxxty.
11 New game, Nioh you
Create your own character in Nioh 2
14 Light footed
Dying Light 2 lurches into view
16 VR shocker
Hands-on with The Persistence
TheBig10 Stories everyone’s talking about
Sony celebrated the detail at E3 2018’s showcase
Whether it was Ellie stealing a kiss, or rocking bananas, Sony surprised… Past Sony E3 conferences have set out to wow us, to PT Barnum us with reel upon reel of hot new game reveals. This year was a little different. June’s showcase was about the detail. Before a mic was turned on a virtual band tuned up on the large screens behind the stage. Then came a “Thank you for coming to church,” from a boisterous Shawn Layden, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America. We were sat in a makeshift tented church. But why? “Tonight we’re going to take all of you on a journey deeper into some of the key titles we’ve talked about before,” said Layden. And with that he introduced Gustavo Santaolalla who began plucking the chords to a soundtrack many of us have etched into our hearts: The Last Of Us Part 2 was here. We’re starting with the smallest of details, a banjo refrain in a dark tent. But it meant so much.
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The lights dimmed and Ellie was on screen. A far cry from the grim Paris Games Week trailer, here Ellie is happy, she’s smiling, and kissing… her ‘girlfriend’ Dina. Not one to fade away from a debate, Naughty Dog demonstrated again that games can be more than pure entertainment. Happy times? Maybe not: “Ellie, they should be terrified of you,” whispers her smooch partner. Cut to someone’s throat being sliced open… Kiss and kill Whether sexual politics or graphic violence, The Last Of Us Part 2 doesn’t pull its punches. The in-game walkthrough shows Ellie creeping around a woodland area, stopping as she comes across a poor soul being lynched and gutted alive. Faster and more physical than the original, The Last Of Us Part 2 crashes from one confrontation to the next at pace. Ellie grabs a bottle on the run and throws it into an enemy’s face. She grapples, turns and uses a hostage as a shield to take an arrow. Enemies have names now: “Ethan!” screams an AI as Ellie
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The Big10 Stories everyone’s talking about
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puts a barrage of shots into her nearest foe. The bullets strike with a thud and a spurt of blood. There’s an animation for everything, too. Arrows aren’t just collected, they’re tugged from bodies with purpose. These details sell the horror, and the audience loved it. Ghost Of Tsushima was next, and Sony’s open world stealth adventure didn’t disappoint the faithful either. Like The Last Of Us Part 2 this is a violent game, but one that’s capable of moments of great beauty. There’s a power in the game’s silences that sells its brutality in a unique way. As hero Jin faces off against his first sword-bearing enemies, he takes his stance, hand on his hilt, feet planted, and waits. The music dims, the wind picks up and leaves blow across the duellists’ path at an increasing rate. In a split second Jin unleashes an iaijutsu move, pulling his sword and killing in one motion. “It’s an orchestra,” commented creative director Nate Fox on the iaido strike. “It’s about building space before it, the drum of the music, and that’s what makes it really powerful.” For a game that aims to offer an open world of possibilities, Sucker Punch is clearly focusing on subtly selling life as a samurai. show shredder A heavy metal banana took to the stage! Why was there a yellow
bespectacled fruit riffing and throwing devil signs? Maybe to draw attention from the true weirdness of the new game reveal, Remedy’s playful physics shooter Control. Traditionally an Xbox dev, Remedy has gone multiformat and chose the Sony conference for a world exclusive reveal. The rest of the evening was a flutter of new reveals and focused exploration of big games. An animated jazz trumpeter introduced the Resident Evil 2 remake. In keeping with the detail matters theme, Capcom chose to reveal its impressive reworked survival horror from a rat’s-eye view – old pizza never looked so good – before the camera landed on a zombie chewing on a victim’s neck, a call back to the PS1 original. Singing purple bamboo trees? Why did we get a Muppets-like musical interlude? Over to Death Stranding, and this reveal was all detail. Hideo Kojima doesn’t play by the rules of others. While most game on the night were all-action affairs, Kojima had his
we had no idea what was going to be shown… we get to do a little trumpet fart.
PS Plus point
Got a PS Plus subscription? Then you were treated to a bonus free game live as Sony’s E3 showcase played out. Activision and Sony partnered up to give away Call Of Duty: Back Ops III to every PS Plus member.
hero delivering parcels. The slow montage gave us the chance to dwell on the game’s beauty – its rolling hills, lakes, and landscapes. “Sam is unlike any other hero you may have seen in games before,” said Kojima. Sam delivers packages, it’s that simple. It was a streamlined reveal that drew us in so much we took the real revelations for granted: actors Léa Seydoux and Lindsay Wagner have joined the cast. gate crashing molecules Next came Spider-Man’s in-game reveal, Nioh 2 was teased, and we got a new PS VR game, Déraciné, from Bloodborne’s Hidetaka Miyazaki. Wrapping the show was left to an orange going full Whiplash. But we couldn’t help wondering, where was Dreams? It turned out, Media Molecule’s game creator had been on stage all night. The raging banana, singing plants, and musical interludes were made in Dreams. Media Molecule’s Alex Evans said: “We had no idea what was going to be shown with the games, so we have Resident Evil and we get to do a little trumpet fart.” All along, the real draw of Sony’s evening was in the hidden details, whether that was Ellie’s stolen kiss or Dreams’ musical fruit. Turn to page 28 to read our hands-on impressions of E3’s best new games.
We knew Spidey would be great, and seeing which infamous foes he’s facing was even better.
■ Trumpet fart time? It’s squeaky bum
time for Leon, that’s for sure.
■ Hi-res Resi 2. It looks utterly horrible
but in the utterly right sort of way.
The facial animation in ND’s The Last Of Us Part II is on a different level.
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■ Special delivery from Mr Kojima? It’s always special when it’s from him. Never has working as a courier looked so intriguing.
Ghost Of Tsushima, fluid and brutal in equal measure.
The new crop of outstanding indies offer more thoughtful, quirky experiences.
The Big10 Stories everyone’s talking about
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E3’s indies bait our interest Behind the blockbuster reveals, E3 played host to indie gems With a week as jam-packed as E3 always is, it’s easy to miss the smaller titles. We’re here to spotlight just a few of the indies that may have slipped under your radar. And, speaking of searching for things via radio waves, the first title we’re going to dive into is Beyond Blue. As Mirai, the lead of a newly formed research team in the near-future, you explore the depths of our oceans, encountering the creatures that call it home. Featuring a strong focus on story plus plenty of resource management, you’ll need to make tough decisions that will determine just which research objectives the
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crew can achieve during their watery expedition. Part deep sea adventure, part educational game, you’re able to unlock Ocean Insight videos that expand on what you discover underwater. This is thanks to a collaboration with BBC Studios and their Blue Planet II production. You’ll be able to swim through this one early in 2019. In a similar deep sea vein, EA gave us a first look at a new game from its EA Originals stable, called Sea Of Solitude. As Kay, a woman suffering from loneliness, you are transfigured into a monster that must sail alone through rough waters in order to become human again. It looks to be a very personal project for the dedicated team at
you explore the depths of our oceans.
Jo-Mei Games. This one’s pulling into port next year as well, and beside a very distinctive look will feature exploration and puzzle-platforming based gameplay.
team talk “The indies have done it again, providing plenty of adorable adventures I can play with my younger sister without risking corrupting the youth. As she starts her third playthrough of Grand Theft Auto V and The Last Of Us, I’m sure she’d welcome a palate cleanser.” Jess Kinghorn Staff writer
on yer bike Coming from shores a little closer to home is Knights & Bikes, made by London-based developer Foam Sword Games. Set on a fictitious British island in the ’80s, and with just a touch of The Goonies about it, you take on the roles of Nessa and Demelza as they uncover treasure and trouble in equal measure. In a hand-painted world, the pair can pedal to the rescue of a number of islanders, each one bestowing new abilities to aid in your exploration and overcome the puzzles ahead. This tale of friendship and facing up to the adult world will be playable alone or with a bud later this year.
game of death
Nioh 2 will retain the extreme Soulsborne difficulty level of the original, but to ensure you keep playing the dev team is focused on making your new deaths as satisfying as possible.
The Big10 Stories everyone’s talking about Nioh was a monster hit on PS4. Do you have room for another Soulsborne in your life?
Team Ninja’s Nioh 2 is back for more Demonically hard adventure set for PS4 return The lack of Bloodborne 2 at this year’s E3 was offset by news of Nioh 2. Team Ninja revealed the sequel at the Sony 3D conference. The fact the original’s director, Fumihiko Yasuda, is once again in charge of the chaos should ensure this will be as good as ever. The first Nioh was a Dark Souls-like set in Sengoku-period Japan. It was imbued with developer Team Ninja’s sense of fast-paced swordplay – like a double-hard version of Ninja Gaiden, itself a relentlessly hard melee adventure – and featured a cast of gruesome demons and possessed samurai. At E3 Yasuda-san stated he wants to make a sequel that feels like an evolution of Nioh, and not a dramatic change of pace or focus. The first game was a PlayStation 4 exclusive, and while it sold well and
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While there’s no solid release date yet for Knights & Bikes, Unravel Two – another EA Original – is out right now. The publisher stealth-released this one at its E3 conference. Also playable solo or with local co-op, Unravel Two spins a tale of two Yarnies bound together by a fateful thread. From an island shore to a more urban setting, the pair must work together to overcome a variety of obstacles, flinging string and swinging towards their goal. Featuring similar physics-based puzzle platforming gameplay to its predecessor, there already seems to be a lot to love for this follow-up. Be sure to pick up our next issue, on sale 31 July, for our full review of this sequel, and many more new games besides. You can find out more about all of the EA Originals at ea.com/ea-originals
earned stellar scores (OPM awarded it 9/10), Yasuda-san says there were things that couldn’t be included during Nioh’s development, which will be featured in the sequel. We expect Nioh 2 to tie directly into the original game’s story, which saw real-life historic Western samurai William Adams journey to Japan to kill ‘yokai’ and undo the corrupt plans of Queen Elizabeth 1’s chief advisor John Dee, though the exact location and time period will be revealed at a later date. What is confirmed by Yasuda-san is the sequel will feature character customisation, which will enable you to choose the race and gender of your character, meaning we likely won’t be playing as William Adams this time around. The dev also confirmed a demo is on the cards, closer to release.
fumihiko yasuda is once again in charge of the chaos.
Did you love Nioh? What do you want from the sequel? Let us know.
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Wolfenstein is going co-op in the Youngblood spinoff; play as Blazkowicz’s daughters in ‘80s Paris.
Bethesda’ s new big five Revealed first, franchise spin-offs, a sequel, and a new series… 012
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Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Hey young blood, doesn’t it feel like time is running out for the rebellion? The Blazkowicz family returns, and this time it’s double trouble as BJ’s twin daughters take centre stage beating back Nazis in ‘80s Paris. Set nearly two decades after their father kicked off the second American Revolution, Jess and Soph are armed to the teeth in their search for the now-missing Blazkowicz patriarch. Taking their father’s words to heart, they’ll be dishing out just as much pain as they’re dealt as they fight back against the Nazis. We can’t wait to drink in more of that obligatory neondrenched ’80s aesthetic teased by the announcement trailer.
ETA: 2019
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Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot
We’re in ‘80s Paris for this one as well, but not with the previously introduced Jess and Soph Blazkowicz. It’s time to gear up and strap on your PS VR headset for this firstperson takedown of fascism. As the best hacker in town, you can take over one of the Nazis’ flame-spitting Panzerhunds and turn their war machine against them. Aiding the French Resistance from the belly of one of their enemies’ beasts, you’ll be able to turn the tide by running, ramming
and gunning your way through the gorgeous City Of Light.
ETA: 2019
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Doom Eternal
In a direct sequel to 2016’s gloriously gory series revival, the Doom Slayer returns to ravage the hordes of Hell. As always, he’s here to chew bubblegum and kick arse and he ran out of bubblegum a really long time ago. There’ll be familiar faces as well as more monstrous additions to turn into piles of viscera and ammunition as you fight your way across dimensions. The action – more of the fast-paced, all-out assault combat of the last game – is all set to a new soundtrack composed by Mick Gordon. We’ll find out more about Eternal this August at QuakeCon. Reload your BFG and get ready to rock, Doom guys and gals. ETA: 2019
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The Elder Scrolls VI
Yes, it’s really happening; you didn’t pass out while watching the stream and have a very vivid vivision. You’ll return to Tamriel offline in the next mainline entry, although where exactly within Tamriel is not yet clear. As we finally watch the many re-releases of Skyrim grow small in our rear-view mirror (an unexpected Alexa
audio adventure now joining that pile), Bethesda remains tight-lipped about exactly what the sixth installment will bring to the table. But judging by the brief length of the E3 trailer and just how many pies Bethesda has various limbs in at present, we’re unlikely to be playing this new game any time soon. Watch this space!
ETA: TBC
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Starfield
Speaking of space, Bethesda rounded out the herd by announcing that it’ll be dipping a toe into the pool of original series for the first time in 25 years (which further suggests the sixth Elder Scrolls game will be quite a way off as the dev prioritises this new title). This space epic will be a single-player adventure, which is where Bethesda really shines. Much like a trek through the cold vacuum of space, it looks like it’ll be many light years before we see another glimmer of life from this project. The title has been doing the rounds of the rumour mill for a few years now, but we’ll bring you all of the official details when they are released. ETA: TBC
Which one are you most excited for and why? Tweet us @OPM_UK
■ Given how good the world building is in all the established series, we can’t wait to get onto Starfield’s space station and start exploring.
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