ISSUE 169 CHRISTMAS 2019 gamesradar.com/opm
Cover #2 Iron Man
Christmas 2019
HIGHLIGHTS The big 10
012 DIABLO IV 004
Blizzard’s popular dungeon crawler is getting another outing on PS4. The big 10
016 JOURNEY TO THE SAVAGE PLANET Devs Alex Hutchinson and Reid Schneider reveal how to create an alien world. preview
032 BOUNDARY We lift off for action in the zero-G space shooter, and discover it’s a blast. cover feature
044 MARVEL’S AVENGERS Crystal Dynamics reveals how it’s making a game as super as the heroes at its heart. Feature
054 50 REASONS TO BE EXCITED ABOUT PS5 Yes, we trimmed our list down to 50 reasons – but nothing can trim our excitement! review
076 DEATH STRANDING Hideo Kojima’s enigmatic ‘strand game’ arrives – but will it connect with you?
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S E C T I O N S AT A G L A N C E
THE BIG 10
PREVIEWS
All the hottest news Latest info, screens and playtests and biggest games 006
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FEATURES
REVIEWS
NETWORK
RETRO STATION
To-the-point, detailed analysis
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 AWAY: THE SURVIVAL SERIES 102 BATTLEFIELD V – CHAPTER 5: WAR IN THE PACIFIC 032 BOUNDARY 088 CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 096 CLOSE TO THE SUN 076 DEATH STRANDING 094 DESTINY 2: SHADOWKEEP 038 DESTROY ALL HUMANS! 012 DIABLO IV 019 DISCO ELYSIUM 101 EFOOTBALL PES 2020 034 EMPIRE OF SIN 018 ENDLING 042 EVERSPACE 2 101 FIFA 20 103 FORTNITE CHAPTER 2 084 FROSTPUNK 100 GHOST RECON: BREAKPOINT 040 GOING UNDER 086 GRID 084 INDIVISIBLE 042 INERTIAL DRIFT 014 IRON MAN VR 016 JOURNEY TO THE SAVAGE PLANET 096 LONELY MOUNTAINS: DOWNHILL 044 MARVEL’S AVENGERS 082 MEDIEVIL 093 OUTER WILDS 020 OVERWATCH 2 097 PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: BATTLE FOR NEIGHBORVILLE 092 READYSET HEROES 041 REMOTHERED: BROKEN PORCELAIN 096 RETURN OF THE OBRA DINN 042 ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS XIV 092 THE BRADWELL CONSPIRACY 084 THE LEGEND OF HEROES: TRAILS OF COLD STEEL 3 085 THE OUTER WORLDS 092 TRAVIS STRIKES AGAIN: NO MORE HEROES 035 ULTRA AGE 042 UNTO THE END 010 VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE – BLOODLINES 2 042 YAKUZA 5 REMASTERED
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Control was used to showcase Nvidia’s ray tracing tech, so expect realistic reflections like this on PlayStation 5.
The Big10
STORIES EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
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STREAMING WILL BECOME SOMETHING THAT WE DON’T REALLY HAVE TO WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT.
10 BITE US
Bloodlines 2 gets festive.
14 FLIGHT OF FANCY
We go hands-on with Iron Man VR.
19 PRIVATE-EYE DANCER
Investigate crime in Disco Elysium.
TheBig10 STORIES EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Remedy is in Control for PlayStation 5
The Control team discuss the potential of PlayStation 5’s new features Sony keeps teasing us with titbits of PlayStation 5 news, and on p54 we’ve gathered up all the latest info on Sony’s next console. But what does it all really mean for developers? We catch up with Control developer Remedy and ask what the future holds. “Ray tracing is a fundamental shift in how to approach computer graphics,” says Tatu Aalto, lead graphics programmer at Remedy, as we jump straight into one of PS5’s biggest graphics features. Aalto goes into more detail: “Gradual improvements in processing power and programmability have made it possible to do very accurate material shading and effects on the previous generation already, but for global connectivity games have used either precomputed static data, or relied on incomplete screen space information. Ray tracing is not just a
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single effect, but a leap towards actually resolving that global connectivity in real-time.” POWER PLAY Will PlayStation 5’s specs, such as a faster CPU, a more powerful GPU, and an SSD, aid developers in making better games? Lead programmer Sean Donnelly uses Control’s move to a semi-open world to illustrate how PS5 could help developers. Control streams and loads chunks of data as you move between environments and this ate into what the CPU could do. “With the extra burden of a detailed destruction system, it’s safe to say we hit the limit on what could be achieved on older CPUs,” says Donnelly. “When it comes to the PS5, faster hardware is always appreciated and will make life easier in the short term. But it’s the new SSD that really stands out; essentially streaming will become something that we don’t really have to worry so much about and it will free up some extra CPU bandwidth in the process.”
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TOGETHER (OR ALONE) YOU’LL BE ABLE TO EXPLORE SANCTUARY AS ONE SEAMLESS LAND MASS. STORIES EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
The Big10
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The Big10
BUILD-A-BATTLER
Diablo IV will offer a variety of customisation options, from cutting your own path through your class’s talent or skill tree to ponying up on a personalised mount.
■ Once this boss is defeated will you turn on one another over the loot?
STORIES EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
■ The world of Sanctuary is now one vast landmass to explore with friends.
Diablo IV is coming to PlayStation 4 The devil’s in the detail as Blizzard’s hit is back A brand-new instalment of Diablo is coming to PS4, teasing a return to the darker tone of the earlier games but now playing across one large, continuous map. The world of Sanctuary once again proves to be anything but in Diablo IV. Both the monstrous, demonic forces and the High Heavens’ angelic army have been worn down, creating a power vaccuum and, with it, an opening for one Hell of a homecoming. The creator of Sanctuary, Lillith, has returned after aeons in exile. As the daughter of Mephisto, one of the series’ big bads, her mere presence gives rise to the very worst in humanity. Furthermore, the wildlife has become corrupted by her demonic influence and the Burning Hells’ denizens roam the world freely. That’s where you come in. Three classes have been announced so far: the Barbarian; the
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Sorceress; and the Druid. The barbarian is the big, beefy lad you’d expect, fond of war cries and body slams that’ll send the horde reeling backwards, but he’s also now something of a blade master and can rapidly switch between four different weapon types. The Sorceress wields powerful elemental magic, and is capable of a variety of flashy attacks from lobbing lightning bolts at foes to raising jagged peaks of ice to decimate demons. Lastly, the Druid can fluidly transform into a variety of beasts in the heat of combat. (LAND) MASS APPEAL Together (or alone) you’ll be able to explore Sanctuary as one seamless land mass… or you could just batter each and every other player you happen across. But perhaps partying up and playing nice will be better? After all it’s easier to loot a randomised dungeon with friends than it is with enemies. No release date has been set, but you can learn more at diablo.com.
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MARVEL’S AVENGERS After watching the trailer for Marvel’s Avengers, PlayStation fans thought they knew the lineup. But…
…A new hero appeared! A shapeshifting teen from Jersey City, Ms. Marvel packs one hell of a punch.
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Now we’re going hands-on with the game - prepare for your excitement to be properly embiggened!
“SHE ISN’T THERE TO PAD OUT THE NUMBERS, SHE’S THE GLUE HOLDING THE TEAM TOGETHER.”
MARVEL’S AVENGERS
SIVE! OPM EXCLU
ics h Crystal Dynam it w s lk ta t n Ke Oscar Taylorcover how it’s is d to s r e g n Ave about Marvel’s ics, for superhero rm fo at pl g in o g building an on . Marvel starting with Ms
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e might not possess Ms. Marvel’s polymorphic superpowers, but you’d be forgiven for not realising that, given how closely our hands are wrapped around the DualShock in our behindclosed-doors time with the sixth hero in Crystal Dynamics’ Avengers roster. The most recently announced on Marvel’s Avengers’ roster of heroes, she’ll be fighting alongside some other titanic heroes who
everyone who’s been within Hulk’s throwing distance of a cinema will be familiar with: Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America (who ‘dies’ within the tutorial mission). But make no mistake, Ms. Marvel (or Kamala Khan, out of her super-suit) isn’t there to pad out the numbers. She’s the glue holding everything together – or, at least, the glue that must eventually restick together the fractured superhero team, as she helps them come together after they’re held responsible for San Francisco’s destruction, and superheroes are outlawed as a result.
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50 WAYS PS5 WILL IMPRESS
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REASON EXCITED
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Around 12 months from now you’ll be booting-up your fifthexpect it to do? We’ve rounded up the latest details, speculated on industry’s devs on what they expect. It’s time to get excited,
50 WAYS PS5 WILL IMPRESS
S TO BE ABOUT
STAT COMPARISON
PS4
Eight cores, eight threads, based on AMD’s Jaguar cores clocked at 1.6 GHz.
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PS4 PRO
Eight cores, eight threads, based on the same Jaguar cores, but clocked slightly higher at 2.13 GHz.
PS5
Eight cores, 16 threads, based on AMD’s Zen 2 cores. Rumours suggest it’s clocked at 3.2GHz
generation PlayStation, but what can you what’s to come, and quizzed some of the because PlayStation 5 is almost here…
From base PS4 to PS5 the jump in CPU performance will be approximately a factor of seven.
BUYER’S GUIDE
OPM’S CHRISTMAS BUYER’S GUIDE A treasure trove fit to fill you and the rest of your party with seasonal cheer
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is the season for giving and receiving the sweetest of loot. Whether you’re looking for a pressie for someone else or want to
Prices all correct at time of publication but are liable to change.
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add a few more entries to your own wishlist, we’ve got you covered. From PlayStation gear to festive cheer, it’s all here so read on.
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hardware Heaven
Listen up and get a grip! It’s our most-wanted tech this holiday season 01 GSP 670 Wireless Gaming Headset £299
This headset cradled our ears in a way that can only be described as ‘lovingly.’ The 20 hours of battery life plus the Sennheiser
sound performance makes for an auditory experience that’s nothing to sniff at. But if that price is too high, the GSP 370 model is a fraction of the cost. en-uk.sennheiser.com
Limited Edition Death Stranding 1TB PS4 Pro console bundle £379.99 02
Have we unravelled the mystery of Death Stranding? You’ll have to check p76 to find out. We do know for sure that this Pro bundle is exceptionally snazzy. game.co.uk
03 Turtle Beach Recon Spark Headset £39.99
As well as a stylish white-and-lilac colourway, this headset features glassesfriendly memory foam ear pieces. If you’re looking for something less heavy duty (or pricy), the Turtle Beach Battle Buds will set you back £24.99. uk.turtlebeach.com 04 Revolution Unlimited Pro Wireless PS4 Controller £149.99
The wired connection offered by this
controller is perfect for those big into their fighting games and concerned about input lag, complemented by a comfort grip that can keep up with your winning streak. argos.co.uk and game. co.uk
DualShock 4 in Electric Purple or Rose Gold £39.99 05
Level up your Sony gear with first-party colourways that are anything but average. A selection of new colours was recently released exclusively across an array of online retailers;
these are our faves. They’re perfect for under – or even on top of – the tree. Purple: currys.co.uk Rose gold: amazon. co.uk 06 Rotor Riot Controller £59.99
Not only can you load up PS4 Remote Play on your phone and slot it into this bit of kit, you can control drones with this USB-C-wired controller. It takes its power from your mobile device so there are no battery power or latency issues to worry about. amazon.co.uk