Hitbox Magazine

Our 4-page special:

HITBOX THE GAMES YOU ARE MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO.

Issue #1 May 2019

FEATURES: E3 and Sony

We predict the thrills and spills to expect from the E3 Expo!

Unions

Game developers are putting in 100 hours a week - do they need union protection?

Mental Health

Can video games be a saviour, or add to suffering?

REVIEWS: CRACKDOWN 3

ACE COMBAT 7

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

FALLOUT 76

CONTENTS FEATURES

OPINIONS

4-5

8

E3: What we know & what we

think will happen

6 MALE REP 7 From triangle

Wars!

20-21 boobs to combat

22

12 Video game violence + Disability

Loot Boxes: the beginning of the

end?

23

Acccess in gaming.

The games YOU are most

DLC: A money grabbing evil or a

business marvel?

24 Single player is NOT dead!

25 'A place in video game history' 27 Can Bethesda Redeem Itself?

looking forward to

18-19

Online gaming: Are you

getting a fair deal?

moves

14-17

EA cannot be trusted with Star

'I find myself a changed

person'

INTERVIEWS

REVIEWS

9 Overwatch: 'It's not for the money' 10-11 'They are made by real

26

Fallout 76: "The post-nuclear

glitch fest."

28-29

people with real problems'

13 Counterstrike: A fan among idols

Red Dead Redemption 2 :

"Rockstar has still got it!"

30

Ace Combat 7: "12 years was

well worth the wait"

31

Resident Evil 2 Remake : "It's

Professor Layton meets The Thing!"

32 Crackdown 3 33 Steam Reviews 34-35 Hitman 2:

07

10-11 2 HITBOX APRIL 2019

'Still heaps of

fun!'

28-29

MEET THE TEAM JESS CLAYTON-BERRY Editor-in-Chief

HOLLY HAMMOND Review Editor

I’m a big fan of role-player games but I occasionally venture out in fighter and shooter games. I am from the unheard-of Glemsford in the Suffolk countryside. For me the combination of plots and characters are the core of a game. I enjoy games where there is an open world element for when you don’t fancy playing the main storyline. For me, this makes the game feel more personal rather than following the exact same story everyone else does. My gaming time is primarily spent playing games such as Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption, Tomb Raider, the Witcher, the Arkham series, Fallout and GTA.

JACOB OTTAWAY Features Editor Hello, I'm Jess, editor of the magazine.

I've been a gamer since I was six-yearsold when I picked up my first Pokemon game for the Gameboy Advanced.

Now I play story-driven single-player games with my recent favourites being Red Dead Remption 2 and The Witcher 3. For this magazine, I have reviewed three titles, one of these being Red Dead, and the other two being Hitman 2 and the Resident Evil 2 remake. When I'm not writing for Hitbox, I'm studying Multimedia Journalism at the University of Essex and co-hosting my Youtube podcast called TheEntertainmentRoom.

WELCOME TO OUR FIRST ISSUE! Hitbox magazine has launched with a bang with our very first issue! Our team has worked very hard these last couple of months to bring you the latest news and reviews on games and technology. Our big story of the month will be discussing the upcoming games YOU are most looking forward to! This year is going to be a big year for video games and we have addressed this in our predictions for E3 and why Sony have opted out of it. And, although this is our first issue, we won’t let that get in the way of reaching the riskier discussions such as whether gaming employees should have a union and if Bethesda can dig themselves out of Fallout 76. And finally, we have reviewed recent releases from Red Dead Redemption 2 to Ace Combat 7. Enjoy!

From the Editor and Hitbox team

Logo icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY

I’m the casual gamer of the group, speaking for all the fair-weather gamers. Born and bred in Ipswich, Suffolk, I tend to spend my gaming time playing FIFA, Forza, Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto – popular titles. When I’m not playing, I’m working. I’m a freelancer with BBC Local Radio, working on BBC Essex Sport, whilst studying Multimedia Journalism at the University of Essex. With a passion for radio, and being a flamboyant broadcaster, I’m taking a dip into magazine creation with Hitbox, and hope I can provide a voice for all casual gamers around.

HK NORMAN Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Online Editor Hi, I’m HK. I’m a political nut who looks to video games as a means for escaping the real world, because politics is really stressful. I was born in Peterborough and raised in the middle of nowhere, aka Rutland. My favourite kind of video game is a big, ambitious, story-driven open world RPG like Skyrim or Dragon Quest.

That said, I do have a soft spot for the odd arcade shooter. Most recently, I’ve been doing my 5th playthrough of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II and getting stuck into Ace Combat 7 and Dragon Quest XI.

RHIANNON BEVAN Production Editor and Opinion Editor Rhiannon here and, when I'm not writing, I’ve got a controller in my hand. Fairing from sunny Suffolk, my favourite titles vary –from an 80 hour Dragon Age playthrough, to getting my perfect town in Animal Crossing. My project is writing about the gaming industryand holding the companies to account. From loot boxes to “crunch time”, these past few months have given me lots to write about!

This month, I’ve finally been getting through the gorgeous Spyro Reignited Trilogy and unlocking all the characters in Smash Bros.

Ultimate.

DANIEL CHARLEY News Editor

I’m Daniel, reigning from the English town of Leamington Spa. Gaming is a large part of my life. Whether it is pure escapism or being competitive as can be in the server. You will catch me playing all sorts of games when I’m not writing for Hitbox. From an early age, Kirby’s dreamland sucked me in and I’ve been gaming ever since. When I pick up the keyboard and mouse, I will be jumping into the worlds of Valve’s Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Lately, I have been delving into Crackdown 3 and Total War: Three Kingdoms.

3 HITBOX APRIL 2019

E3

FEATURE REVIEW

Written by Jessica Clayton-Berry

WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE THINK WILL HAPPEN

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is the biggest video game event of the year with this year’s conference due to take place from the 11th of June - 13th of June, 2019. Not much has been officially announced as it’s still early days, other than the frequent visitors expected to make a return to advertise their latest products. Other than that we have nothing but speculation and guesses to work on. But here are our predictions.

MICROSOFT Microsoft have confirmed their return this year with their 3 main projects presumed to be involved. The first being project 'Scarlett Family'; their upcoming hardware duo. Not much is known about this other than it contains two subprojects called Lockhart and Anaconda, rumoured to be two different consoles with varying prices and spec.

The sixth instalment of the Halo franchise, Halo Infinite, is an upcoming game being released by Microsoft. First announced at last year’s E3, it has been confirmed to come back for E3 2019. One of the biggest rumours for this project is that it will be launched with Microsoft’s next console, which is unsurprising considering it is the company’s most anticipated upcoming game. Few information about the game has been revealed other than it will be rendered on the all new ‘Slipspace Engine’.

The other main upcoming Microsoft project is of course Gears 5 which was also announced at last year’s E3. This sequel to the Gears of War franchise will follow the story of newcomer Kait Diaz and her journey to learn more about her Locust heritage. Characters from previous instalments are also expected to return including JD Fenix, Delmont Walker and Marcus Fenix.

Something that could also pop up at E3 would be the rumoured partnership between Microsoft and Nintendo which has been brewing for years after the two companies previously stated in the past their keenness to work together.

Nintendo already use Xbox live in the Minecraft Nintendo Switch port to incorporate crossplay between their console and the Xbox One and this could be expanded to all Switch games to further strengthen the alliance between the two companies.

4 HITBOX APRIL 2019

In comparison to Sony, Microsoft have been lackluster in their exclusives but fans are hoping Gears 6 could change this.

Halo 6 is among the very few games currently confirmed for E3.

OTHER LIKELY SHOWCASES THIS YEAR Nintendo Fire Emblem: Three Houses Astral Chain Bethesda Softworks Wolfenstein: Young Blood Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot Doom Eternal Starfield

CD Projekt Red's much anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 is also among those confirmed for this year's E3.

Capcom Deep Down Tekken X Street Fighter Konami Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 Square Enix Babylon's Fall Final Fantasy VIII Remake Project Prelude Rune The Avengers Project Ubisoft Skull & Bones Beyond Good and Evil 2 CD Projekt Red Cyberpunk 2077

Nintendo fans are hoping that Astral Chain will make an appearance, first introduced at the Nintendo Direct event earlier this year.

BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO SONY? Sony have announced they are not attending E3 2019 for the first time in 24 years, and it’s the only frequent E3 publisher doing so. A spokesperson said the reason for this was because the company “are exploring new and familiar ways to engage our community in 2019”. It’s speculated that their absence could be due to them arranging their own conference, as it’s not like they have nothing to show being that their 3 upcoming games - The Last of Us Part II, Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima – are amongst the most anticipated of all the upcoming games this year. E3 made a similar move in 2018 by holding its EA Play conference a few days before E3. However, Sony have confirmed that they are not ‘programming around E3’ and even cancelled its own Playstation Experience event in 2018. Therefore, the most likely explanation is that they are planning to come back with a bang in 2020 with the announcement of the Playstation 5, rather than appearing this year with only three games, which we have already seen so much of in previous events.

The Last of Us 2 is one of the most anticipated games of the year, almost entirely stole the show at last year's E3.

Death Stranding is the mysterious upcoming game from the mind of Hideo Kojima.

Not much is known about the story line or even gameplay.

5 HITBOX APRIL 2019

FEATURE

GENDER REPRES

From brooding hunks to sensitive souls...

Source: 2K Games

We've got a lot of Duke Nukems, but could we do with more Joels and Connors? HK Norman investigates how men in games are being written.

When we think of men in video games, we think of these buff, heavily tattooed, attractive action heroes with traumatic backstories involving the death of their entire families at the hands of some evil tyrant. That’s the stereotype at least. Suffice to say, that’s no longer the norm.

Master Chief is probably the pinnacle of the stereotypical male video game character. Tall, buff, shady past - but we know it’s traumatic because that’s just how it goes. He's referred to by his title rather than his name, but in true video game fashion his name is John. And he has an intimate relationship with his computer assistant, Cortana. I think Halo must’ve predicted the Otaku movement.

Enter Connor. He’s the Android sent by CyberLife. Probably the complete opposite to Master Chief. He knows how to handle himself in a fight, much like Master Chief, but then Connor has something that he doesn’t. Depth. Here is an Android struggling with his place in the world. Does he betray his own people in his search for deviants? Or does he betray those who created him and join the push for equal rights for Androids? This is a level of depth that I, as a writer, CRAVED in male video game characters of old. And unlike most other male video game characters, he actually feels... real?

Of course, there are many, many notable exceptions. There were some male characters who, at the time, bucked the trend and had depth. One example goes all the way back to BioWare’s Star Wars:

6 HITBOX APRIL 2019

Master Chief, as iconic as he is, isn't very two-dimensional. (source: Microsoft)

Connor shows just how far we’ve come in humanising men in video games.

Knights of the Old Republic, published in 2003. The main playable character, canonically a male in subsequent material (though the gender is at the determination of the player in the game), has a level of depth that, at the time, was rarely seen in video games. Rather than being completely faithful to the Jedi way or going full Sith, he seems to walk a line between light and dark, for extremely well-thought out and considered reasons. Even Darth Revan, the villain of the game and a Dark Lord of the Sith, has depth. Fortunately, Knights of the Old Republic II by Obsidian had plenty of depth for its huge cast of characters. In particular, there’s Atton Rand, a former Sith soldier and Jedi torturer turned-refugee and, eventually, turned-Jedi.

And then there’s Duke Nukem. Probably the epitome of the toxic male video game character. He’s brash, sexist, doesn’t give much thought to his actions, and lacks any sort of depth. His autobiography is even called “Why I’m so great”.

But we’ve come a long way from then.

It’s such a good time for single-player games now, with expertly and superbly written video game characters, from Connor in Detroit: Become Human to Joel in The Last of Us. Just as women in video games are becoming less sexualised, men are becoming a lot more human. And that’s good.

SENTATION

FEATURE

...and from triangle boobs, to combat moves How far have we come since Lara Croft hit our screens in 1996? Holly Hammond takes a look at how women are being represented in our games.

The cries of outrage to video games’ representation of females has been ongoing for years. Females characters have been constantly criticised from being sexualised to having no main role. With the evolution of Lara Croft from her triangular assets to strong modern-day characters such as Ellie from the Last of Us, I look at how females have been represented in video games over the years.

Lara Croft, the iconic protagonist of the Tomb Raider franchise, has undoubtedly come a long way since her debut in 1996.

Long-time fans will have noticed that in the 2013 franchise reboot, designers had opted for a less sexualised appearance for Croft. The outfit choices were also noteworthy as they were less revealing and more practical than their predecessors. Perhaps this was more suitable for a modern audience? Regardless, this decision opened to controversy itself as many gamers felt that there was nothing wrong with strong but sexy female characters.

The beloved Batman Arkham franchise was frequently criticised for its alleged misogynist approach to its female characters. Arkham City was the prime target for criticism for the frequent use of ‘bitch’ by male characters when referring to Catwoman. Although this was heavily criticised, it should go noted that these terms would likely be used in a real situation. It is unlikely they would refer to her as a wonderful person whilst being round kicked to the face. It is undeniable that the female

Some have found issue with Catwoman being called a 'bitch' in Arkham City (2011)

Lara Croft has certainly gone through some changes since her debut (credit: playstation store)

characters were somewhat sexualised, but as it relies on source material, part of the characters’ personality is based on their sex appeal.

On the other hand, one legendary female character who mostly avoids this criticism is Jill Valentine from the Resident Evil franchise. She has often been praised for her competence, skillset and for her strong character being far less sexualised than other females. Valentine has been applauded for being shown as equal to her male companions. However, the game designers have received some criticism for some of Valentine’s more revealing costumes. Ultimately it is down to game designers for what their end goal is for the characters and the way they want them to be portrayed.

Ellie, the protagonist of the Last of Us has received unanimous praise for her captivating strong character. She’s also been applauded for her independence as well as boosting LGBT awareness in a realistic light. Many have liked that Ellie hasn’t been sexualised and has given a voice to minority groups. As well as this her friendly and not romantically-inclined relationship with the protagonist Joel has also been well loved.

Feminist, Afreen said that: “I think women in the video game industry are sexualized to an unnecessary and unrealistic extent.

Female characters in video games are usually just sidekicks to a “stronger” male protagonist. They’re simply viewed as cheerleaders and not seen as capable to be a part of the action themselves.”

In my opinion, if the game has a convincing storyline, enjoyable gameplay and interesting characters, I do not mind how a video game presents females. In fact, many of the mentioned games are in my favourites.

7 HITBOX APRIL 2019

FEATURE

1

2

Star Wars and video games: Then and now why EA cannot be trusted EA CANNOT BE TRUSTED

HK Norman explores the recent controversy surrounding recent Star Wars games

WITH STAR WARS!

1. It is SURELY a mark of quality on a game as old as Knights of the Old Republic that it’s been released for Android and Apple.

2. Ugh. There are no words for this other than ugh.

HK Norman the recent controversy surrounding recent Think backexplores to the early 2000s. in the old days.

We nearly got that, It was a golden age for Star Wars video games. Star Wars Knights of the Oldback Republic and its sequel were Think to the early 2000s.

It released to raveage reviews their inwas a golden for for Star Wars depth,games. story driven gameplay, video Star Wars Knightsand of StarOld Wars Battlefront and were Lego the Republic and its II sequel Star Wars the go-to-game for released to were rave reviews for their inprimary school playing on the depth and storykids driven gameplay.

PlayStation 2 when they around Star Wars Battlefront II go and Lego to their friend’s for tea.

Star Wars were house the go-to-game for LucasArts, and the companies primary school kidsfew playing on they the licensed the make these knew PlayStation 2 when theygames, go around what they were doing, to their friend’s houseand for they tea. did it so well.

LucasArts, and the few companies they These games are still enjoyed by knew many licensed the make these games, peoplethey the were worlddoing, over to day.didI’mit on what andthis they so my fifth playthrough of Star Wars: Knights well. of These the Oldgames Republic are II.still enjoyed by many Fast all forward to world the present people over the to thisday, day. and I’m speculation rampant thatofEAStar haveWars: canon my fifthis playthrough celled development of one their Knights of the Old Republic II. highly-anticipated upcoming Fast forward to thesingle-player present day, Star and Wars RPG, iscode-named Orca, order to speculation rampant that EA in have canrush through their smaller-scale RPG, Star celled development of one their highly-anWars Jedi: Fallen Order.single-player Star ticipated upcoming When Battlefront was Orca, released, it failed Wars RPG, code-named in order to to meet expectations, and began to raise rush through their smaller-scale RPG, Star questions to whether Wars Jedi: as Fallen Order. EA was the right company to hold thewas license for Star Wars When Battlefront released, it failed games. to meet expectations and began to raise Then came Star Wars 2, questions as to whether EABattlefront was the right which wastoalso by fans and critics company holdpanned the license for Star Wars alike, and sparked renewed calls for the games. removal of EA’s Star Star Wars Then came Warslicense.

Battlefront 2, What fans yearned a story-drivwhich was also pannedforbywas fans and critics en, single RPG, like what alike, and player sparked renewed calls we for had the

8 HITBOX APRIL 2019

when Visceral Studios, a subsidiary of EA, announced development of the game Ragtag, of billed anWars open world, single removal EA’s as Star license. player RPG in which our character What fans yearned for was awould stobe part ofsingle-player a group of bounty hunters, ry-driven, RPG, like what hence theinname Ragtag. we had the old days. We nearly got Butwhen EA decided close down Visceral, that, VisceraltoStudios, a subsidiary and cancel Ragtag.development And now, with the of EA, announced of the cancellation of billed Orca, as questions areworld, once game Ragtag, an open again being RPG raised to whether EA single-player in as which our characare would the right people hold the license ter be part of atogroup of bounty for Starhence Warsthe games, hunters, name especially Ragtag. when theBut only thing to come out of EA EAgood decided to close down Visceral, holding the Ragtag. license is And Star now, Wars:with The Old and cancel the Republic, something has noare creative cancellation of Orca, EA questions once controlbeing over,raised because developed by again as toit’swhether EA are BioWare. the right people to hold the license for In Wars my view, it’s pretty clearwhen that Star Star games, especially the Warsgood does not without EA.ofIn EA thewas last only thingbelong to come five years held the license, Star Wars: that The EA Oldhave Republic, something onlyhas two Star Wars over games have EA nomajor creative control because been released. the same amount of it’s developed byInBioWare. time before theit’s license given EA, In my view, prettywas clear thattoStar we had EIGHT. For Wars doeseight. not belong with EA.god’s In thesake, last EA, years give the Give five thatfans EA what have they held want. the license, us a two single player, only major Star story-driven Wars games RPG. have Let BioWare of the Old been released.make In theKnights same amount of Republic 3, for sake! time before thegod’s license was given to EA, we had eight. EIGHT. EA needs give the fans what they want. Give us a single player, story-driven RPG. Let BioWare make Knights of the Old Republic 3.

EA did not respond in time to a request for comment.

EA: Before and After Before

Battlefront was a huge disappointment to fans.

After

It is SURELY a mark of quality on a game as old as Knights of the Old Republic that it’s been released for Android and Apple.

INTERVIEW

'IT'S NOT FOR THE MONEY...'

Rhiannon Bevan had a chat

with an Overwatch Contenders player ahead of the big game

Bagging yourself a spot in Overwatch League will see you at least $50k richer, but what are the issues facing this growing sport? Pro-player, Karra, talks to us about his job.

What spurs him on?

It can’t be money; in a year's work, Karra has made just 800 dollars. He’s quick to admit he “hasn’t seen much of a return”.

The nineteen-year-old from the Netherlands can’t speak to me for long; his shift is starting soon. For the next few hours he’ll be playing Overwatch with his team, “We Have Org” - a joke on their lack of financial backing.

Nevertheless, the Dutch player is optimistic; “I've recently qualified for Contenders so I should be getting an extra grand or so from the season.”

It can’t be the security that keeps him going either; there is none. Karra is now about to compete in the second highest tournament in the Overwatch’s “path to pro” Contenders, but a win won’t send him to the highest Overwatch League (OWL) - where the audience hits the thousands, and the prize pool reaches the millions.

“Path to pro has a ceiling, that ceiling is currently Contenders. You cannot qualify into OWL in any way besides getting scouted, so the path to pro ends there,” explains the full-time gamer.

Karra may win - only to have to qualify again, and be no closer to the dream and the security of OWL.

So is it the support? Again, no.

Overwatch’s developers, Blizzard, created the “path to pro” to encourage more people like Karra to see professional gaming as a legitimate job, and to see how well the community think it’s being run - look no further from its nickname.

“The ‘Path to poverty’ label arose once it got announced that the number of Contender steams per region would go from 12 to 8,” Karra explained.

“This meant four team's worth of players would lose almost all financial backing from Blizzard.”

This isn’t all that worries the young gaming star. The sport is dominated by one country, South Korea, who recently bagged their third consecutive win at the World Cup. Contenders splits its tournaments into regions. In Korea, eSports is much more normalized, so it stands to reason that Westerners get steam rolled by their players. By keeping these crucial tournaments confined to regions, Karra is limited and worries he won’t be able to prove he’s “just as good as the Korean players”.

You’d expect that after two years of trying and so much little return, it would be enough to make him throw in the towel. After all, that’s what three of the six teams he’s played for have done. If he wins his upcoming competition, he and his team will split a $30,000 prize, but if an OWL team doesn’t notice him, he’ll be right back at square one.

So what is it that stops him from giving up?

"To get better and better until we’re known around the globe!”

In spite of all the politics, the rising star retains his hope. In a community with so much hostility and players giving up, he’s just kept going and now he’s closer than ever. Who knows?

Maybe it will be his gamertag on a jersey next season.

Karra, real name Karzan Schippers, is a support main in the multiplayer game Overwatch.

Contender Season 3 roundup: Losing in the group stage, Karra is down but not out.

Along with the rest of his team, he left We Hae Org but now plays for Novus Ordo Seclorum and remains optimisitc.

In a 4-2 win, Team Gigantti beat Angry Titans thanks to a well timed Lucio boop - courtesy of Lilbow destroying the Titan's defences against a D.Va bomb.

9 HITBOX APRIL 2019

Do we need

gaming unions?

REVIEW FEATURE

10 HITBOX APRIL 2019

'They are made by real people with real problems' Rhiannon Bevan sat down with Kevin Agwaze from Game Workers Unite UK - the first game workers union in the country, to find out what issues workers are facing.

Four day notice periods, relationships ruined, and long nights sleeping on the office floor. These are just some of the stories Kevin Agwaze, treasurer of Game Workers Unite UK, shares with me when I ask him what being a game developer is like.

While we’re speaking, it’s the union’s two month anniversary and what a start they’ve had.

Between Telltale’s demise, the public attention brought to “crunch culture” and, more recently, Activision Blizzard’s shocking 8% staff layoff, there’s no shortage of plans for the young group. But despite how fresh these controversies are to the public, Agwaze is adamant that “these are not isolated incidents,” and are symptomatic of an industry he calls 'tone deaf'.

“Everyone I know in the industry has crunched at some point, everyone has stories to tell about how it affected them,” Agwaze explains.

“The reason why companies are getting away with it is because nobody is holding them responsible.”

But what is 'crunch'? It’s been cropping up in the news a lot lately. 'Crunch' is a time at the end of a product's development where, in order to reach the deadline, employees must work overtime. It isn’t a term used much outside the games industry nowadays, and when it’s used in this industry, it goes hand-in-hand with the critical issue the young union wants to tackle: unpaid overtime.

“It affects their relationships with their friends and family, even stuff like their personal hygiene, their mental health, their physical health,” explains Agwaze, a game designer himself.

“You can see if someone’s

Concerns were raised when Rockstar's Dan Houser mentioned that the team was working 100 hour weeks. (source: @GWU_UK on twitter)

Kevin (far left) with the rest of the executive of Game Workers Unite UK. (source @GWU_UK on twitter)

crunching really hard.”

It isn’t surprising that so many developers have these stories.

According to research conducted by gameindustry.blz, 74% of game workers do not receive pay for their overtime.

You probably heard this come up recently with Red Dead Redemption’s developer, Rockstar Games, when co-founder - Dan Houser - bragged to New York magazine that “we are working 100 hour weeks.”

Shocking to some, but just another sign of an industry that expects 'martyrs', as Agwaze puts it.

The unionist raises the point that, “a lot of the products that

do crunch don’t go anywhere,” citing the latest Star Wars game to be axed by EA. “Crunch is not the solution to make good games.”

The counterpoint to the union’s concerns is that it’s just a sad fact of the industry. Any developer I’ve spoken to about this has confirmed that they’ve 'crunched' before, and if they hadn’t, they’d miss the deadline.

The aforementioned Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 - with its 100 hour working weeks - is an absolute hit, so perhaps the crunch was necessary?

But Game Workers Unite is concerned that staff are not

Game Workers Unite UK has been offering support to those affected by the Activison Blizzard layoffs. (source: @ GWU_UK on twitter)

always aware of the legality surrounding any extra hours they put in.

“There are some straight up illegal working practices that people engage in because they don’t know that it is illegal,” says Kevin, telling us of the union's aims to let workers know they are within their rights to turn overtime down.

Coupling this with the fact that most jobs in the industry last, at best, five years, it’s easy to see why workers are getting frustrated. It’s long hours, with no overtime pay, and it’s not even secure. Just ask the team behind Telltale’s The Walking Dead, who were in the recording booth with Clementine’s voice actress when they were told to clean their desks.

On the other hand, even when the office isn’t in crunch time, the young game worker tells us that issues with sexism, homophobia and racism also don’t make for a pleasant workplace - another topic we’ve seen crop up in the headlines.

When we speak about Riot Games, the publisher now facing a lawsuit for alleged sexual harassment and general mistreatment of women, Kevin is again, not surprised.

“It’s a self-fulfilling problem. So many people are straight white and male that they hire people like themselves,” he says, telling us that this accumulates in a 'rock star boy's club' in the office, where harassment may be normalised.

He himself says he’s witnessed so called micro-aggressions: speaking over women or BAME workers and not listening to their ideas. According to Kevin, it’s the dismissive attitude to complaints of discrimina-

tion that’s also allowed employers to disregard worker's rights across the board; sexism, homophobia, racism and crunch are all related.

“You’re facing discrimination at the workplace, you’re probably in a zero hour contract, you’re crunching, your mental health is deteriorating and now you’re also getting harassed,” the more we speak, the more I can tell how personal the effects of this can be.

As much as these issues may seem buried in the past, these claims from Agwaze are supported in the 2018 report from Kotaku, which first exposed Riot Games.

28 employees of the company shared their experiences of the 'bro culture', where one woman alleges to have received an email detailing what it would be like to have sex with her, and a male employee reported having his genitals grabbed by senior staff.

Kevin becomes almost defeatist as we approach the end of the interview; “I could go an be a developer at a bank, they don’t do unpaid overtime.”

On the flip side, worst of all is how this bleeds into the entire gaming community.

“One of the most annoying things for me in the Video Game industry, we think about games being made by these corporate entities, totally ignoring that games are made by real people with real problems. And they shape the games they make,” an interesting point. Are we aware of who’s behind our favourite games?

“So we let companies get away with repeatedly firing people, or making a sequel with a completely different team and we’re like ‘oh this doesn’t matter, it’s

still an EA game’, even though it’s made by 600 completely different people.”

Going back to Telltale, while the final season of The Walking Dead will get finished, the nearly 300 staff left high and dry last September are still waiting for their severance pay. It appears the industries concerns may be with the brands, not the people. Will they ever get it? “Unlikely,” says Kevin. Even if they do, they’ve already lost their healthcare. “The damage is done.”

Wrapping up our chat, I have to admit, this feels like far too much for this two month old union to handle.

Unionising is about bringing change to the workforce, and Kevin admits that they’re contesting with “a lot of people who don’t think that is possible.

“It’s about telling people that change isn’t only possible, but they can make it happen.”

It must be remembered that, as small as they are, the law is on their side. Unpaid overtime is illegal. As is discrimination. As our Discord call ends, I don’t think the days are numbered for the CEOs of these companies and it’s hard to imagine institutional change happening in the industry so soon. But they will be beckoning in a new age of more confident and informed workers, who won’t be so easily bullied into illegal working practices.

“We want to show them that it is possible.

They can stand up for what they believe is right and make a difference “It’s definitely draining”, he laughs, ”but worth it.”

Activison Blizzard and Telltale were contacted for comment, but did not immediately respond.

11 HITBOX APRIL 2019

FEATURE REVIEW

VIOLENCE IS THE PLAYER'S PROBLEM! By Jacob Ottaway It’s no secret that violence has prominence in video games.

From beating prostitutes on the shores of Vespucci Beach in Grand Theft Auto 5, to beating the gory daylights out of a dragon in Skyrim. Even being given your first experience of it by smashing cars to destruction in Simpsons: Hit and Run. But does violence have a direct impact upon us or is it merely an element of escapism from modern society, where of course we abstain from inappropriate violence, despite our best temptations?

To the modern day, the older of us in society have slandered and slayed video games for their impact on youth. including the likes of President Trump just last year.

And who can honestly blame him? 85% of video games on the US market last year had violence of some sort – although I’m sure that doesn’t include a lovely two-footed crunching tackle in FIFA. Whenever there is a mass shooting by a young male, it tends to be asked ‘video games, surely?’ and it’s understandable. Even in the Columbine High School Shooting 20 years ago, this was asked – although the killers were found to enjoy bowling instead.

So, what do we do to fight this off? The American Academy of Paediatrics issued guidance in 2016, stating ‘video games

should not use human or other living targets or award points for killing, because this teaches children to associate pleasure and success with their ability to cause pain and suffering to others.

However, I don’t think this is the problem.

It’s no secret video gamers themselves can be toxic just via their attitudes, and not the concept of violence on screen. I find myself moved towards violence by the actions of other humans, not by the actions of graphics and things alike – I’d like to think humans cause upset, not pixels. It’s hyper-competitiveness. You lose, you smash a controller, you break a TV, you send an angry message – I’ve received them myself, and embarrassingly, done all of the above first hand.

An example of where I did this? Fortnite.

MEET THE XBOX CONTROLLER THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

It’s a brilliant game, but goodness me there are numerous occasions where I’ll be absolutely fuming at the game. And this isn’t because I’m firing an RPG at a giant wooden fort whilst assault rifle bullets and grenades rain down upon me – if anything I find that quite amusing. I get so riled when my sheer lack of ability leads to my death, and THEN my killer has the audacity to dance on my body whilst my friends laugh at my misfortune. It’s the human reactions that cause, well, more violent human reactions.

I believe the matter is not resolved via limiting graphic violence, but by implementing in-console software to prohibit the use of the console via censoring of violent messages or actions.

In the future it might be possible with AI, but violence is a human thing. Since the creation of mankind and always will be a problem.

Me playing Fortnite, shortly followed by violence...

The game-changing Xbox Adaptive Controller was released last year

By Holly Hammond At the end of last year, Microsoft released the first ever console controller designed for those with disabilities.

But how suitable is the controller and what could still be improved?

Although the controller was initially intended for those with limited mobility, the universal adaptability of it means that it can accommodate the needs of many disadvantaged people. The Xbox Adaptive Controller features two large buttons which can be used by hands, elbows and feet.

A significant feature to this adaptive controller is the inclusion of 19 ports on the back of the controller. This enables the player to plug in external devices such as switches and joysticks which makes the controller customisable to different needs. For example, pedals which can be operated by feet. These can also correspond to different buttons of the adaptive controller to make it more accessible.

The adaptive controller currently retails at £74 on the Microsoft store and is not 12 HITBOX APRIL 2019

available elsewhere. The controller has been met with mostly positive reviews for giving those with disabilities the opportunity to fully enjoy video games whilst catering to their needs.

However, the adaptive controller costs significantly more than a standard Xbox controller which tends to retail between £49.99 and £59.99 when bought from Microsoft. As well as this, any of the additional input devices cost approximately £50 each which has received some criticism. Currently, additional switches and other inputs have low to mixed reviews with many people expressing confusions about the arguably high price point. On the other hand, components such as joysticks with the price tag of £19.99 have been received with far better reviews.

I spoke to David Combarieu, a user of the adaptive controller. He said: “I started a project called handigamer in 2017 to find solutions for gamers with disabilities. I started to hack some PS4 and Xbox controllers, adding buttons, joysticks, or plugging some bigger boxes that you can leave on a table when you can’t hold the controller. With the Xbox adaptive my work has changed, I don’t have to hack any more but I have to build some new things such as buttons, joysticks and thumbsticks that you just plug in the Xbox adaptive. I see there are some good objects in USA but they are quite expensive and hard to find in Europe. I am now working on new product in order to have a complete solution here from France.”

INTERVIEW

'A FAN AMONGST IDOLS'

By Daniel Martin Charley

The now free-to-play title has been a mainstay in the eSport scene since 2013 (Source: Valve)

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an eSport which evokes intense passion. The first offline event for many modern British fans was Dreamhack London 2015. EnVyUs’ Vincent ‘Happy’ Schopenhauer’s historic desert eagle play left the Copperbox arena roaring.

A University of Greenwich business student wanted to take this emotional roar further than a release.

Tom Bissmire held nothing but aspirations to become the immersing voice in the scene of Counter-Strike after Dreamhack London 2015.

It is by no means an eSport which lacks voices. The field of eSports casting is one of the most competitive in the industry with such limited room at the helm.

Tom "Tombizz" Bissmire is a commentator for Counter Strike: Global Offensive (Source: starladder

can you really be considered an artist?

Bissmire would go onto joining a medium sized, Kiev-based company in an attempt to merely increase his popularity in the scene of Counter-Strike.

“Starladder gave me my first real shot into eSports. Up until that I had only really done a few online commentating gigs and some free offline events in Lithuania and Estonia. It’s hard to say whether or not I would be in this industry at all.”

“Joining them was one of the easiest choices I have ever made. Although I was young, unconfident and didn’t speak the language, I was earning consistent money and was able to attend events I would never have dreamed of if it wasn’t for this company.”

"When you first start into commentating you are earning far less than minimum wage or nothing at all.”

The prize pools can reach $1 million at the CS:GO tournaments. (Source: Valve)

“The original grind was without a doubt the most difficult part. When you first start into commentating you are earning far less than minimum wage or nothing at all.”

With such a workload and little gain comes the responsibility of having to earn a living elsewhere. Tom would have to work a regular job alongside his passion if this was to work.

A menial job in the form of freelance waiting came along. “I really did not enjoy this at all,” he proclaimed.

“The other thing is getting to a place where you actually earn decent money is partly down to drive and the willingness to give everything up for eSports. Like any success story you need an element of luck.”

Exposure in a freelance creative role is of high importance. If no-one sees your work,

Bissmire’s first event was the first Starladder i-League invitational which was held at the Olimpiyskiy Football Stadium. At this event, he would go onto cast with the American, now- Rainbow Six: Siege commentator John “Blu” Mullen. Tom would also get the opportunity to operate alongside long term idol in the form of Matt “Sadokist” Trivett, an established staple in the world of CounterStrike talent.

“I had told Sadokist at Dreamhack London that I was going to become a commentator.

To be able to commentate alongside someone who has probably heard these claims at every meet and greet broke a real barrier for me career-wise. This spelt victory for me.”

13 HITBOX APRIL 2019

FEATURE FEATURE

THE GAMES YOU ARE MOS Beyond Blue (2019), Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC “I'm excited for Beyond Blue mainly because the creators of this game made 'Never Alone', which I adored for its story and visuals which were entertaining, educational and engaging. Never Alone took place in the cold Arctic environment, so I'm excited what story they will be able to tell and what world they can create with the deepest depths of the ocean.”

Corey, 22-years-old With all the stories, films and video games about outer space, it’s easy to forget just how unknown and breathtaking our own oceans are. There’s still so much that haven’t explored and there’s a mystical awe-inspiring beauty in what we don’t know.

Beyond Blue’s teaser trailer encapsulates this feeling.

With the gameplay, we can see protagonist Marai scan almost alien-looking sea life. Publishers, E-Line Media, have confirmed it will be educational to players, much like Never Alone, but this will be an “added bonus” in their words, with the focus being to entertain.

But this isolation won’t always be tranquil. According to Polygon’s experience with a demo of the game, the sense of being cut off from civilisation make the situations the game puts you in (repairing equipment, navigating dangerous waters) all the more intense.

Judging from the trailer, it’s unsure if the game with feature the puzzle elements of Never Alone, but we are certainly in for another atmospheric experience.

The Elder Scrolls 6 (TBA) “I'm a big fan of the story arc, learning the lore of the different characters, and most importantly the in open world.”

Mark Adams

Elder Scrolls is, undoubtedly, one of the best video series in recent history. Its upcoming sixth entry is a lot more anticipated than it should be considering the only bit of material available is a short trailer with a logo shown at E3 last year. People have, as expected, over-analysed this trailer. But the truth is, we have no idea what’s coming. Bethesda are notoriously cagey about what goes in their games. Still, after Fallout 76, the only way from here is up!

14 HITBOX APRIL 2019

FEATURE

ST LOOKING FORWARD TO Super Mario Maker 2 (June 2019), Nintendo Switch “Limitless customizability and massive online community.”

David, 22-years-old

Super Mario Maker 2 is an upcoming creative platform game by Nintendo which allows you to design your own custom Super Mario courses that can then be shared online for others to play. It is the direct sequel to Super Mario Maker (2015) where players could similarly build their own courses based on material from the previous Super Mario games. It was well received by critics and fans alike who found the game to be creative and fun as well as having flexible toolbox options with good online features. Super Mario Maker 2 is expected to feature new enemies, themes, items and editing tools such as creating slopes, further embellishing upon the vast customisability from the previous game. It is due to be released worldwide in June 2019 and will be exclusively available on the Nintendo Switch.

Animal Crossing (2019), Nintento Switch “I kind of have a few regrets with my Animal Crossing New Leaf copy (which I foolishly sold off without realising what I was doing), so I guess a fresh start for me on a fresh game will be a good thing.”

We’ve had 3 spin-offs since the last main series entry in 2012 which, while exciting for the most part (looking at you Amiibo Festival), they have failed to satisfy fans of this bizarre, but simply entertaining, social simulation series.

We’re looking forward to Animal Crossing’s Switch debut for good reason! The mainline games have never failed to impress and always provide hundreds of hours of peaceful, wholesome and mortgage paying gameplay.

We don’t know anything about the gameplay yet, but given the game's track record, Nintendo wouldn’t make a new Animal Crossing without some new features in mind. With “Let’s go to the city”, we got voice chat and, of course, a city to explore, letting us escape our towns. With 'New Leaf' we became the mayor!

My best guess? Nintendo’s new focus with the Switch is all about creativity, and player customisation is everywhere in their games (a new Mario Maker, Nintendo Labo, the spirits in Smash Ultimate). So I think it’s fair to assume we’ll get even more free range with how our town looks, rather than just stick a few buildings somewhere now and then. And fingers crossed they’ll implement Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer's decorating mechanics.

Richard, 18-years-old

15 HITBOX APRIL 2019

FEATURE FEATURE

Battlefield 6 (TBA) “The graphics, gameplay and hopefully a modern setting which is something that's not been used in recent years in triple A FPS games.”

Lolo, 19-years-old Fans have been speculating for months about the future of Electronic Arts’ Battlefield franchise and whether it could be heading to the modern day. Although this title hasn’t officially been announced, fans are eager to see a more modern day setting for the next shooter game due to the progression through time with the previous game.

Battlefield 5 was released in 2018, with a mixed reception before release for the historical inaccuracy including having female soldiers in the World War 2 setting. However, once released the game received praise for the gameplay but criticism for the lack of change from other games. Battlefield 5 was considered a commercial disappointment

by EA as it sold less than half of the copies as the previous game.

The Resident Evil Remakes (TBA) “It's one of the top horror games that started on the Playstation 2 and its older versions are getting redone.

I'm excited to see how the creators choose to remake them.”

Heather, 20-years-old After the Resident Evil 2 remake dropped in January, and the Resident Evil remaster before that in 2016 – Resident Evil fans are now jumping with joy at the prospect of the entire franchise getting a makeover. Capcom announced they were remaking Resident Evil 3 soon after the latest installment was released, which leaves fans anticipating the possibility of a remake for the muchloved Resident Evil 4 in the future. The Resident Evil 2 remake received overwhelmingly positive reviews from both newcomers and long-time fans of the franchise. Built on the all-new RE engine, it looked gorgeous and went over and above all expectations.

Outer Worlds (2019), Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC Colin Mitchell, 22-years-old “I love Obsidian.”

The Outer Worlds is another hotly-anticipated game, this time from Obsidian, the studio behind the hit Star Wars classic, Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. Think Fallout meets Mass Effect with a more light-hearted twist and brighter colours. And what we’ve seen so far of it looks amazing. The trailer paints a picture of a game that is both serious and humorous at the same time. And it so far looks visually stunning. It’s nice to see Obsidian making big, ambitious games again. It’s just a bit sad that Chris Avellone isn’t about anymore.

16 HITBOX APRIL 2019

FEATURE

The Last of Us Part II (TBA) “I thought the first one was one of the best single player story driven games of the last decade maybe even ever. And I can’t wait to see where they take our characters next, especially considering Naughty Dog take long to perfect their games.”

James Harrison, 18-years-old The Last of Us Part 2 was first shown to us in 2016 as a sequel to the much-loved Playstation exclusive. We were then treated to a gameplay trailer at E3 last year but, since Sony are not making an appearance at E3 this year, we probably won’t get much more for a while. Despite a release date not being in site, fans are hoping that NaughtyDog are simply taking their time to make this instalment even better than the last. So far it’s already won multiple awards for being the most anticipated game since its announcement, and fans are eager to continue Joel and Ellie’s journey in the zombie apocalypse.

Doom Eternal (2019), Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC “It’s an ambitious and promising to what is one of my favourite shooters, and is shaping up to look bigger and better years in triple A FPS games.”

Patrick, 19-years-old It’s no secret that Doom Eternal has a lot to live up to, with the Doom title released in 2016 by Bethesda & id Software being received positively – it was given 9/10 by IGN. Of course, this game will also have to consider the legacy it carries from the original Doom titles between 1993-2004. The good news of course is you will have the power to be DOOM SLAYER, in their first person perspective, and as ever, you will kill everything standing in your way. The gameplay reveal last year was very positively received, with deep, vibrant graphics, wonderful gore, and so many ways to kill enemies – the game looks like a whole heap of fun. That’s probably why it revived ‘Most Wanted Game’ at the Golden Joystick Awards 2018. No release date yet, but it is set to be this year, and I imagine it will be very much in demand.

Halo Infinite (TBA)

“The Halo games are visually stunning, it will be nice to have a new story to continue.” Elenid, 20-years-old

Although all we’ve had is a trailer at last year’s E3 so far, from that the capabilities of the gameplay engine – called SlipsSpace - look magnificent, and hopefully this will continue into the gameplay itself – continuing the trend of gorgeous Halo games.

The story continues on from Halo 5, and you will still be following the story of the Master Chief. No release date as of yet for this one, but if Microsoft follow previous trends it could well be Autumn 2019. However, if the game, with a gorgeous new engine worked on for years by 343 is the real deal, then this game may well wait a while longer and be a first release on the next generation console, rumoured for 2020 release. The game will also be on Windows 10 as well as console – so expect the potential for some cross-platform gaming. Halo Infinite is a huge game on the horizon, and I think the gameplay trailer when it comes has the potential to blow minds.

17 HITBOX APRIL 2019

FEATURE

'I FIND MYSELF A CHANGED PERSON'

Jacob Ottaway has been exploring gamers stories, seeing how their mental health has been impacted, and the positive changes.

Mental health is a pivotal part of everyone’s life. Whether you’re a baby, toddler, child, teenager, young adult, middleaged, or elderly.

For years, there has been debate over the impact video games have on mental health, it will always have an impact upon your life. It is becoming more common knowledge that video game ‘addiction’ can be awful and ‘gaming disorder’ is now a recognized condition. However, in these modern times, maybe it is time for us to lose the ludectrophobia (fear of videos games) and ask the question of whether mental health can be boosted positively by video games.

“At the very start of 2018 I lost my job, my mental health deteriorated severely, and aside from the other struggles that these circumstances introduce, it also stopped me from playing and enjoying most video games”.

These are the words of Ollie, who, at the age of 21, was in a position of huge difficulty and struggling. Having been a gamer for much of his life, Ollie was aware of the relief video games can bring.

However, in such a dark phase, it was

hard to find a game that could do this.

“I’d load up in the e-shop on the daily basis, desperately searching for a game to bring me out of my depression-induced state – more time passed, and I still hadn’t found a game to give me some small amount of pleasure in what ultimately was the worst period of my life”.

The e-shop is, of course, on the Nintendo Switch console, and one of the games that was released during the attempt to find a game to provide relief was Celeste. A platformer game made by Canadian developers Matt Thornson and Noel Berry, it stirred a storm. Getting a 10/10 from IGN and Steam, it also later won multiple awards. Ollie saw Celeste, and initially didn’t purchase it due to ‘sucking at platformers’ - in his own words.

However, a few weeks later Ollie decided to plunge into the world of Celeste.

“The very moment I loaded my first level of Celeste, I knew I’d made the right decision. Not since I was 12 or 13 years old had I sat down with a new game and played it for hours on end – it broke this

"Celeste rescued me and for that I thank it endlessly" trend in the most spectacular way possible, gripping me so much that I completed it (celeste) twice in just three days”.

The game’s storyline is following the character of Madeleine, who is attempting to overcome obstacles, and stark warnings from ‘Granny’, to get to the stop of Celeste Mountain. The game has a large focus on the mental health and wellbeing of Madeline herself, which was a huge thing for Ollie.

“Every step of Madeleine’s journey I found relatable – as her self-confidence fluctuates throughout the journey, so did mine. With a relatively small amount of dialogue and cutscenes compared to the majority of game releases these days, the game still manages to deliver an emotionally gripping, satisfying and uplifting narrative – presenting a range of emotions from total self-worthlessness to embracing self-love to overcome one’s own struggles. I felt obliged to persevere to and make the way to the peak of Mount Celeste no matter what stood in my path”.

The game impacted Ollie massively.

“After two play-throughs of Celeste I felt my mind opened up and directed to a new path of recovery from my own mental health struggles. I sought support from friends and family, I began to eat more healthily, and even double down on the meditation sessions. All this from a video game made by just two guys, rather than a big triple-a studio. It taught me that there was hope, it taught me to look after myself, it taught me that mental health issues can be overcome and ultimately defeated in time”.

The impact Celeste had on Ollie is still felt to this day.

Madeleine reaching the condescending 'Old Lady's' house, as she aims to start her ascent of Celeste Mountain.

18 HITBOX APRIL 2019

“Almost a year after the game's release, I find myself a changed person. I’m far from ‘normal’, but I’m no longer the shell of a person I’d become. I embrace my inner struggles, like Madeline does. I’m studying for a new career in software development and I even bought my first apartment. All of us can learn from this game, whether you’re experiencing hardships like myself, or you’re 100% content in your daily life. You’ll find a new appreciation in your own existence, as well as the games industry as a whole.

“Celeste rescued me and for that I thank it endlessly”.

That’s Ollie’s story with Celeste. Mental health can be impacted positively by video games, but what about someone who you wouldn’t expect to be helped by video games?

Chris is 58-years-old and lives, for the most part, alone – except when her busy son finds the time to stay. By no means is Christine particularly good at using technology – she doesn’t have a laptop and has a very minimalistic smartphone.

Working 3 all-night shifts a week means it isn’t easy to find time to be out and about, to socialise and, of course, can be exhausting. However, simple gaming consoles and concepts help her mentally, keeping her stimulated and her brain active.

“Every day I’ll always spend a little bit of time on the Nintendo DS or the Gameboy. It keeps my mind active and is enjoyable – even if rather simple”.

The consoles Chris refers to are obsolete to most. An original Nintendo DS Lite (which can be found on eBay nowadays for about £20) and a Gameboy Colour, from 1998 – which is powered by two AA batteries.

“I’m fully aware of how ‘outdated’ these consoles are, but the value they have in just keeping the mind active is

The Nintendo DS that keeps Christine entertained.

The GameBoy Colour with Scrabble that keeps Christine Entertained

really big. I have one, as does my sister, and we have both played games which help keep us entertained, fight off boredom, and can even brighten a day slightly”.

“My sister has played a lot of the Professor Layton games on her DS and, from what I saw of them, I found them fascinating! I find myself on the DS playing 42 All Time Classics, a game with various card, board and other games in.

Mahjong Solitaire tends to be one I play the most. Other times I’ll play Scrabble on the Gameboy – it may be 20-years-old but it does what it needs to – keeps the mind active and is enjoyable.

Chris is a Senior Nurse, working with many elderly dementia sufferers, and knows how important an active mind is.

“I’m aware of research that video games and computer usage can supposedly lower the risk of dementia and, whilst it’s not my job to prevent dementia, but only look after those who are suffering it, I can agree with such research.

The main idea is that keeping the mind

active is the way to lower the risk. Whilst there are other ways to keep the mind active – for instance my mother does a crossword every day and plays along with TV quizzes and game shows – I think these small, portable, and nowadays relatively cheap gaming devices are a great way to do it”.

The research behind mental health and video gaming is vitally important. The great thing about research, however, is that it causes debate, educates, and is easy to find with the internet – which, of course, facilitates one hell of a lot of gaming.

For instance, just typing in ‘The Benefits of Playing Video Games’ will direct you to free, brilliant research from Isabela Granic, Adam Lobel, and Rutger C. M. E. Engels.

Highlighting a boost in cognitive skills, motivation, emotional benefits, social benefits and even education, this outstanding case for mental health being impacted positively is taken beyond the voices of people, and into the hands of science and research.

By no means can we take research reports like this at face value - they must be taken with a pinch of salt. Of course, we must all be accountable for playing video games and managing them in the right way. As I mentioned earlier, we must avoid violence - see page 14 for that.

However, we can look brightly at these findings and these stories. For when the first game consoles were released, their purpose was, of course, to entertain, provide a form of escapism, and advance in quality. They still serve this wonderful purpose, but they have gone above and beyond, and will hopefully continue to do so.

Whether you are ever so young, or ever so old, I believe there is a positive benefit available for video game players and their mental health. And with more consoles and games available now than ever, the time to play and discover the impact for yourself is now...

19 HITBOX APRIL 2019

FEATURE REVIEW

How to make an MMORPG that works

We laughed at Fallout 76, we rejected Anthem... Where are the game developers going wrong? HK Norman breaks it down: what are the ingredients for a decent online title?

1. Plots are important. Incredibly important.

The plot of your game is going to be its central pillar. For many people playing, they’re going to want to do more than just slash other players to death with lightsabers or blow each other up with nukes. You’re going to want a plot that is well thought out, (eg. Star Wars: The Old Republic, Elder Scrolls Online), and, ultimately, satisfying to the player. Without the plot, your game has no lore. Without lore, people can’t roleplay and they won’t play your game. And make sure your plot is longer than a few hours. You want people to keep coming back and carry on with the plot. The only reason I play Star Wars: The Old Republic anymore is to keep up with the plot.

2. Don’t be too reliant on your players.

You need non-playable characters. If you go down the Fallout 76 route of no NPCs your game will fail. NPCs are what drive any game and plot. Star Wars, World of Warcraft, or Elder Scrolls Online would be hollow shells without NPCs.

Picture: GamesPress

World of Warcraft is one of the best known MMORPGs, and sets the standards for all of them.

3. Keep your players engaged with expansion packs.

This is a tried and tested way to keep players engaged with your game. Regularly, released expansion packs deliver new content to your players and creates revenue.

Which means you have more money to make more content.

4. As far as possible, make the game free to play.

Generally speaking, you should only make your game pay-to-play if you’re not expecting it do very well as a way of cutting your losses. You’re likely to get more people (and more money) if you make the game free-to-play with paid premium features, much like what World of Warcraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic does. And at the end of the day, more people can enjoy your game. And that’s what it’s all about.

The Elder Scrolls Online had a bit of a rocky start, but it soon found its feet and makes for a solid game.

5. If you have merch, make sure you give people what they paid for.

We’re all familiar with the canvas bag incident. What people are less aware of is the dark rum incident. Bethesda, the developers behind Fallout 76, released a Nuka Dark Rum for $80, with buyers expecting the bottles to be shaped like the Nuka Cola bottles seen in the game. Instead, they got a normal glass bottle in plastic casing. Not really worth the $80. Nice art books, visual guides, or plushies are a safe bet. You don’t want to be in a position where you’re releasing merch that’s worse than what other people make themselves to sell on Etsy.

6. Listen to your players.

Feedback is going to be the most informative thing that you use to develop your game further. That’s why it is vital to listen to your players.

Looking at this, it seems really simple to make an MMORPG. Of course, there is a lot more to it, but this guide will at least ensure you get a minimal amount of hate.

Star Wars: The Old Republic was one of the most expensive MMORPGs to make, and it shows in just how good it is.

FEATURE

ARE YOU GETTING A FAIR DEAL? Whilst online games may well be excelling for the more seasoned gamers, Jacob Ottaway asks whether casual gamers are given enough.

Online Games. For the casual gamer, a generally relaxing escape from reality.

There is a lot of platform for experienced, seasoned-pro gamers to have fun online.

But do fair-weather gamers, like myself, have enough on offer to them and how are online games changing to give more choice to our casual gamers?

It’s bad enough having to pay for a membership to play online games – I pay £60 a year for Xbox live because I’m too lazy to not do it by direct debit and paying more for games is just another burden.

So what about free games? Free games have always been available, albeit being indie games, so seeing ‘Battle Royale’ game Fortnite come onto the scene, was a big win for the fair-weather gamer. A game with lots of hype, yet no cost. If you didn’t like it, you didn’t lose – you hadn’t invested a single thing. Now admittedly, that’s what game demos are for but if Fortnite can make an alleged £3 billion profit in 2018 alone just through optional in game microtransactions, then is there any reason why other predominantly online-based games can’t do the same?

FIFA titles tend to be the best selling physical copy titles most years and FIFA 19 was not an exception. But in terms of online content, what justifies the purchase of new content every year, when to most it is an unchanged game? In fairness, the last two FIFA titles have boosted the credibility of the online platform to a fair extent. The introduction of the weekly worldwide tournament FIFA Ultimate Team Champions (FUT Champs) was a large stepping stone for Electronic Arts (EA), makers of the FIFA titles. The concept involves players playing up to 30

games a weekend with their ‘ultimate team’ against various players worldwide and a ranking being ascertained from the results of the games, resulting in in-game rewards for the players.

The rewards, compared to how much they’d cost to buy, are fantastic, and are a real incentive for players who don’t throw themselves at microtransactions to keep playing. I’ve not spent a single penny on in-game transactions on FIFA 19 this year and, despite this, I find the Ultimate Team mode the best it has ever been. Even if you don’t have the time to commit to FUT Champions, you can play matches in the more open Division Rivals mode.

To put this in perspective, I only played 4 or 5 matches last week in this mode, yet my rewards were equivalent to just under £10 of in-game currency, which is remarkable, especially considering that was a bad week. So, props to FIFA for encouraging a fair-weather online player like myself to stick with them.

Escapism is a huge part for casual gamers too. Most casual gamers will have a full day of work, or education, before coming back and will play not much more than an hour or two.

Therefore, escaping from the everyday cycle of work, and stress that it may cause it vital. I believe one of the games that does this most successfully is the Forza Horizon series. To those unfamiliar, it is a racing game in which you have an array of cars and an openworld to drive wherever you please. In Forza Horizon 3 this was a representation of Australia, whilst in 4 this is the Northern reaches of Great Britain. The

Rewards obtained from a less than mediocre performance on FIFA Ultimate Team - Division Rivals.

premise of Horizon’s online is brilliant. You can cruise with friends – or race if desired – with no limitations. The range of cars has always been immense and players can share their designs, tuning set ups, and even sell their vehicles (for in-game earned currency). That’s how I ended up with a 200mph Austin Mini, aptly named ‘FAST BOI’, with a Union flag on top. That’s the beauty of it, it’s wherever you want to be and with whoever you want to be - driving whatever you like.

Where in the real world can you do such a thing?

For me, that sums up what online gaming needs to be for casual gamers - rewarding, innovative, and a form of escapism. To see two of the bigger gaming series doing that, as well as the new big game (Fortnite) on the scene joining in, we could be looking forward to a good future for fair-weather online gamers.

21 HITBOX APRIL 2019

FEATURE REVIEW

LOOT BOXES: THE BEGINNING OF THE END Love them or hate them, the might not be around much longer.

Rhiannon Bevan looks back at the history of the loot Box.

Gaming companies have had the rug pulled out from under their feet as the law catches up on Loot boxes. It may seem that this is a sudden end to a short-lived trend, but did you know they’ve been in our games for a decade now?

Popularised in 2016 with the release of Overwatch, the mechanic's roots actually go back to 2007 in China – ironically one of the first countries to kick off their regulation recently. But going back a decade, the intentions of the game developers appear to be a lot more noble.

Zhengtu, or ZT online, is a Chinese made free-to-play game that holds the honourable title of being the first to charge for random in-game items. The thinking behind it was that the Chinese market couldn’t afford to shell out for a full priced game, so the loot boxes were put in to assure some return. And what a return it was. The company behind ZT online reported a monthly revenue of $15 million – a fair bit more than what they would have got from charging the standard 40 quid.

This is where loot boxes can flourish. Of course, we must partially thank them for keeping Team Fortress 2 going for twelve years now. So where did it go wrong?

Moving on a decade later, it’s still working a treat, for the publishers at least. Last February, Techspot reported that over a half of Activsion’s $7 billion earnings came from “in-game net bookings” (microtransactions to you and I). And of course, Activision’s cash cow for its third year running now is Overwatch, which now offers a mix of loot boxes and its own micro-currency with Overwatch League tokens.

“But I’ve never bought a loot box!” I hear you cry. Or at least that’s what I hear about 95% of you cry.

According to “A Case Study on Loot Boxes in Two Video Games”, only 5% of players are actually forking out enough money to make the system profitable, but these “whales” (as they are affectionately dubbed) don’t go over the average by a few dollars. These are the horror stories of players running themselves into debt, as $10,000 goes into games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

It’s easy to say it’s all about personal choice, and these big spenders only have themselves to blame. But gambling addiction is already a recognised mental illness and the more games replicate casinos, the more the law will be at their door.

So, that’s more or less where we are now.

The gaming community reached a consensus that EA pushed it too far with Star Wars Battlefront 2, where it took over 40 hours to unlock a character as iconic as Darth Vader if you weren’t willing to throw more money at the full-priced game.

But whatever side of the fence you’re on – whether you think it’s the worst blight on the industry, or Battlefront 2 was just EA being bad – it seems like the house of cards is coming down. Last September, the Belgian government declared that loot boxes are a “game of chance” and thus subject to gambling laws. EA fought valiantly but lost the appeal and, as of January, removed Fifa points from their annual football game.

And it doesn’t end there. Investigations are still active across Europe and over in the US the Federal Trade Commission, calling for more consumer protection in the gaming industry.

Say what you want, but we’ve certainly come a long way from horse armour...

The system can be a great way to fund freeto-play titles, but it’s now commonplace in the fully priced titles. (Credit: Corey Gibbs)

The Origins of lootboxes trace back to China in a free-to-play game.

Where are we now? Battlefront 2 managed to get on the wrong side of players and lawmakers alike.

22 HITBOX APRIL 2019

DLC: A MONEY GRABBING EVIL, OR A BUSINESS MARVEL? Jacob Ottaway has been

exploring the world of Dowloadable Content in video games, and whether YOU are actually getting ripped off...

DLCs. Downloadable Content. A worthwhile collection of extra fun for gamers or a money-making scheme for publishers?

This is a question that has been posed for a while, ever since the advent of online gaming services like Xbox Live in 2005 and, of course, onto Sony PlayStation and Nintendo online platforms not much later.

The original idea posed small transactions, like horse armour in Bethesda’s Oblivion, costing about £2. When this came about in 2006, gamers around the world were enraged at this ridiculous figure. So why aren’t we enraged today? Why do we see this as normal? Let's throw some numbers at you so you can understand this. The Sims 4 came out in 2014, made by EA. The game itself currently costs around £45 for the popular ‘Deluxe Version’.

However, if you add all of the downloadable extras, the total comes to around £300. You could go on Autotrader and buy an actual car, maybe two for that – even if they are spares of repairs. Shocking right?

Let’s give you some more shocking numbers. Rock Band, the popular music-performance game, is still releasing downloadable songs to this day despite being released in 2007. Most songs cost about more or less £1, but the key number is 2,212 songs being released as DLC to this day. No confirmed figure is available for the cost of ALL these songs together, but it is most likely over £2200. For that you could buy a Samsung Family Hub Fridge, which has a tablet on.

Of course, these are extremities. People still buy normal, smaller DLCs, such as FIFA Points in FIFA 19, car packs in Forza Horizon 4, and of course, wonderful danc-

es and pretty things in Fortnite. Whilst we badmouth DLC’s and microtransactions for the cumulation of cost, I have to admit they are marvelously clever. People laugh and scoff when I say that, from a business level, Fortnite might be one of the best games of all time. Well, there’s a seemingly never-ending supply of new items, they keep the game fresh and they’re desired. I’ll always openly admit that I see my mates with a new skin, and I want it too, so I spend a fiver on it. That’s harmless.

Or is it? These all add up – one purchase turns into ten - I’ve done it, and my friends have done it too. Why do we do it? I’d say we are influenced by YouTube content creators and those around us – we live in a consumerist world, we want the best things, even if we see it as another small digital item. It’s amazing – you’ll never see a televised advert for a DLC item and you’ll very rarely see even an online advert for them, but they advertise themselves just by being used by fellow gamers – and thousands of people spending a fiver makes thousands of fivers for Epic Games and companies alike.

Clever.

How do we combat these transactions though? Do we even need to? I’d say the answer is no, and there is no way to fight against it. A price cap on DLCs would lead to larger amounts of smaller purchases that add up to the same value. Including things in the full game. This is doubtful – publishers need revenue. This is a fair way to make profit and there’s not too much overly wrong with it. An analogy would be the prominence of fast food restaurants. Fast food restaurants are addictive, convenient, and easy - just like any DLC. However, unless you are me, you don't uncontrollably buy fast food. The exact same premise applies to DLC, and funnily enough there has been a rapid growth in these DLCs as fast as these food outlets. Ultimately, it’s just

an issue of self-control and whether you can put the credit card down. Video games need to be accountable of course, but the video game companies don't have you debit card number.

A Dog from Sims 4: Cats &Dogs DLC, which costs roughly £30. Cheaper than a real dog I guess?

The £30 dog in question. He's cute, but should he be in the base game?

23 HITBOX APRIL 2019

FEATURE

SINGLEPLAYER IS NOT DEAD!

By Jess Clayton-Berry

F

or years, games developer tycoon EA have been preaching the impending doom of single-player games. Just under a decade ago, EA label president Frank Gibeau told Develop that the single-player game model was ‘finished’ and EA’s growing devotion to ‘connected’ online games were ‘where the innovation, and the action, is at’. However, 2018’s year of games has proved him very wrong indeed.

A few years after this comment Bethesda Game Studios, a company barely a tenth the size of EA, released Skyrim. It was a hugely successful game which would go on to sell over 20 million copies and even 7 years after its release, treated us to a remaster which sold over 5 million. In 2017, EA once again emerged with the controversial statement that their reasoning for closing down Dead Space developer, Visceral Games, and cancelling their upcoming single-player Star Wars game was because there was no longer a market for it. This sparked backlash from various game studios, including Bethesda who spearheaded the #SavePlayerOne campaign. Strangely enough, and arguably even delusional, this was just two years after single-player openworld game, The Witcher 3, won over 250 Game of the Year Awards (the most ever recorded), developed by Polish publisher

CD Projekt Red with under half the budget that an EA game of that size would be granted.

As EA continue to insist that providing games as a ‘service’ is the way to go, they seem to be constantly proved wrong with their recent release, Battlefront II, performing abysmally in sales only making half of its predicted profits. This has been blamed

The Evil Within 2 was one of many in a string of critically acclaimed linear singleplayer games published by Bethesda.

mainly on the bad press it received for including microtransactions – the muchhated ‘elephant in the room’ for most online releases. Meanwhile every game nominated for Game of the Year in 2018 had solid single-player gameplay and half

Red Dead Redemption 2 was among those lined up to win Game of the Year.

FOLIO 2

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of the UK best sellers last year were singleplayer games. Red Dead Redemption II (originally released as solely single-player) was the second fastest selling video game ever to GTAV and it hasn’t even been released on PC yet. Its online BETA has performed poorly in comparison.

And even when Bethesda* betrayed the #SavePlayerOne campaign by announcing Fallout 76 just 6 months later, the game

also failed to meet sale expectations and was ripped apart by critics who branded it ‘lazy’ and ‘broken’. Fans and critics alike were begging Bethesda to return to their old ways of releasing enjoyable open-world single-player games.

Overall, it’s safe to assume that singleplayer games are indeed not ‘dead’ and the summary of their success in 2017 further proves this. With the most anticipated upcoming games for this year and next being mostly single-player, and as EA continues to close down countless studios and cancel promising Star Wars games, we can only wonder how long they will parade the warped idea that ‘single-player games are dead’. *EA & Bethesda were contacted for comment but didn't respond promptly.

OPINION

'A PLACE IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY' HK Norman looks back at what is

regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time - Skyrim.

H

ow did I end up here again? There I was, trying to cross the border into Cyrodiil, before a horse thief got us both arrested by the Empire, and now I’m on my way to get my head cut off.

I get a bit too immersed in Skyrim.

With good reason, as well. It is one of my favourite games of all time, with an incredibly high level of replayability. Bethesda’s fifth entry, and last entry to date, to the Elder Scrolls series garnered critical acclaim on release, over 200 “Game of the Year” awards, with some hailing it as one of the greatest video games of all time.

And now, as it reaches seven years since its release, it has been remastered and rereleased with improved graphics, VR compatibility and next-gen console support.

But does it still hold up as one of greatest video games of all time?

Upon its release, the original version of Skyrim set the standard for graphical detail in video games. The Creation Engine, specifically built for Skyrim and later used on Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 boasted immersive gameplay and cutting edge graphics at the time. And you need only look at the screenshots in this article to see how stunning it really looks.

Skyrim, and the Special Edition, are notorious for the sheer number of bugs.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen random old ladies float up into the sky, or birds flying underwater, or corpses lodge themselves into walls. Just yesterday I went to get a ride in a horse and carriage and the driver had merged with the horse.

Yeah, it looks a bit dated now, but with the release of the Special Edition in 2016, it set graphical standards once more, and if you look at the comparison below, you can see why. The character design leaves a little to be desired (again, fixable with mods) but one thing I have always loved about Skyrim above everything else is just how visually pleasing it is.

The mechanics used for fighting are simple, almost too simple at times. It’s just a generic hack, slash, and block, and lacks any sort of complexity.

So, looking back on everything, is Skyrim still one the greatest video games of all time?

I would certainly say so, even if it is

Short answer, yes. Long answer...

Skyrim has become a buzzword for describing story-driven, open world RPGs, for the reason that it pretty much set the standard for what makes effective story telling in video games. With a very loose main campaign, you take the role of the “last Dragonborn”, an individual with the ability to absorb the souls of slain dragons and use that to power your Thu’um, or Voice, turning it into various shouts of immense power. As Dragonborn, you set out on a quest to help the Blades find out why dragons are re-appearing in Skyrim. But the thing about Skyrim is that when it’s described as ‘open world’, it is an incredibly open world, with different storylines and questlines pretty much in every corner of Skyrim, from choosing a side in the civil war between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks, to joining the elite band of warriors known as the Companions.

Killing in slow motion is fun, no matter what game you're playing.

Sound and music are certainly where this game excels. All the sounds, from footsteps to animal yelps to the sounds of Draugr in caves are enough to immerse you completely. On top of that, the soundtrack, by Jeremy Soule, is one of the best video game soundtracks of our age, and that’s not just me saying that.

becoming a bit dated. There are games that age well, and those that don’t. Skyrim, thus falls into the latter. I personally think it will stay that way for years to come, and Skyrim has earned its place in video game history as the standard-setting monolith in the realm of visually stunning, open-world, single player RPGs.

27 HITBOX APRIL 2019

REVIEW REVIEW

Fallout 76: THE POST-NUCLEAR GLITCHFEST

4/10 Holly Hammond bites the bullet and plays Fallout's first venture into online gaming.

Tears filled their eye as the survivors wandered the wasteland. 3 months ago, Bethesda’s first multiplayer open-world game debuted in the form of Fallout 76.

The game is set in post-nuclear America, specifically Appalachia, West Virginia. The game features recreations of real-life locations from the region. It was undoubtedly an ambitious game filled with high potential and creative opportunity, however fans quickly became wary once the game was released with no non-playable characters (NPCs).

The game’s character creation was honestly not that bad. Although it could be better, there were plenty of customisation options for creating the playable character. Perhaps compared to some other online games, this was fairly substantial. In comparison to Fallout 4, Bethesda’s previous addition to the postnuked world, Fallout 76 is fairly similar in customisability. However, the facial options are perhaps not as detailed.

The game’s graphics are also quite similar to Fallout 4, but you can take that as you will.

However, since Fallout 4 was released in 2015, it could be argued that you’d expect slightly better graphics in the newer game. On the other hand, you can say that you’d expect lower quality graphics in an online game. But in my opinion, even the Red Dead Redemption 2 online BETA version’s graphics are superior to those of Fallout 76.

Something to praise the game for is that it hones in on creatively incorporating the setting into development for the game. One example of this is the inclusion of creatures from West Virginian folklore.

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Since the game’s release, Bethesda has been frequently criticised by fans for failing to resolve bugs and issues within the game, and sometimes reinstating previously fixed ones.

Glitches have occurred frequently throughout my playthrough of the game, such as killing the Grafton monster which then respawned seconds later and essentially become unbeatable.

The quests would usually be given by NPCs in the Fallout universe, however the absence of these mean that the player receives missions through other means. It can be argued here that they lack any real depth. I feel that not having any NPCs in Fallout 76 really made me lose interest in the missions and quests as I found that they didn’t have the drive and character interest behind them that is present in other Fallout games. Instead, the quests are largely found through notes, terminals and holotapes where the player can then explore the land and join factions. I do think the idea of having factions in the game lifts it to some degree as this can preoccupy where the game would otherwise be lacking. This could stop the quests from seeming quite so repetitive.

The overall online gameplay isn’t bad if you are playing it with friends, however as a solo game it is relatively underwhelming. When playing the game solo, interest quickly dies down as there isn’t much to do due to the weak storyline and quests. Then being faced with overpowered players, progress in holding and building a camp is almost impossible. Another issue with the camp feature is that, if you leave the online server, it is very unlikely that you will still hold your camp once you go back

The lack of NPC's has not gone down well with the fanbase.

The game features recreations of West Virginian landscapes. online. This essentially wastes all the time spent building defenes and collecting materials to build facilities. This ultimately calls into question what the purpose of this feature is.

Overall I will rate Fallout 76 a 4 out of 10 as although it is a broken and troublesome game, it can be enjoyble if it is played with someone else.

REVIEW OPINION

CAN BETHESDA REDEEM ITSELF?

By Jess Clayton-Berry and Holly Hammond For years, Bethesda fans have laughed with amusement at Todd Howard’s extravagant and bold promises during promotional events for a new game, which would ultimately turn out to be either missing from the released product or exaggerated. Memes were made of their games’ infamous bugs and glitches, some quite funny whilst others frustrating.

In the past, Bethesda have even admitted to keeping some reported glitches in a game because they find them funny. However, it’s undeniable that Fallout 76 was a colossal train wreck, from game-breaking glitches that make it impossible to play, to buyers not being able to get a refund. Long-time Bethesda fans are, quite frankly, hurt by the company’s seemingly lack of devotion to their craft in comparison to companies such as Rockstar or CDProjekt Red. No longer are these once laughable traits considered ‘cute’ which raises the question; Can Bethesda redeem itself from this?

Possibly no, as not only is Fallout 76 a glitchy mess – even completely unplayable at times - but it also presents the same bugs reported in Fallout 4. This shows that not only have Bethesda failed to address these in the first place, but they are even still present in future titles. When you consider the fact that other games released today are capable of much more whilst avoiding such hazards, it makes Bethesda appear lazy in comparison. Bethesda’s move onto multiplayer games felt almost like a betrayal for fans who most appreciated the company for making high-quality single-player RPGs, even spearheading the #saveplayerone campaign after E3 suggested that single-player games are a dying breed.

Most fans were on board for Bethesda because the storylines of their games were so fun and their worlds an exploration playground. Though, without NPCs, Fallout 76 doesn’t even have this to fall back on and is merely an open world shell of their previous successes. Customers are now bailing so it’s likely Bethesda will continue desperately to return to the glory days, meaning Starfield could suffer being rushed and copying the same mechanics and gameplay format Bethesda have been pumping out for years.

And, in a fast-growing industry, their products are becoming highly outdated whilst their fans move on to bigger, better things.

However, the possibility that Bethesda could survive this is still in the water. Despite Bethesda’s obvious problems over the years, the majority of the games they have produced have risen to critical acclaim with Skyrim, arguably their most successful, being among the top best selling games of all time.

This could signify that Bethesda will be able to redeem itself from its bumpy history as their previous achievements are undeniable.

Bethesda’s ability to create captivating storylines, exciting and complex characters, and huge open-world maps where everything you see is at your fingertips, are some of their traits that have been beloved through- Skyrim is seen as one of Bethesda's most iconic out their hardships. This is clear through games. the failure of Fallout 76 where the absence of their intriguing NPCs and storylines caused the game to suffer where previous companies, who produce similar multiplayer games, have not.

Notably, even if the company were to stop actually developing games, they would not be dead as their published titles have been recently well-received with the Evil Within, Doom, Dishonoured and Prey all having recent releases that scored well in reviews. The Evil Within 2 received praise for its gameplay and visuals, and effectively creating the appropriate suspense for a psychological horror game. Doom (2016) found success for its hugely enjoyable single player mode with great graphics, action gameplay and soundtrack. However, the multiplayer mode did receive criticism which signifies a clear flaw in Bethesda’s games.

Dishonoured received positive reviews for the missions’ narratives and stealth aspects, this shows that at least the games published

by Bethesda are not repetitive and each has their different strengths.

One solution to Bethesda’s rocky road could be to alter their mechanics and upgrade their Creation Engine to meet a more modern demand. The gaming industry has skyrocketed over recent years which results in more pressure to keep their games up to scratch with their competing companies. If this were to happen, Bethesda could finally redeem their reputation for the glitches and bugs in their franchises such as Fallout and The Elder Scrolls.

We asked Bethesda for a comment but they did not respond in time.

Fallout 76 has been met with vast criticism since its release.

The Evil Within 2 was praised for its visuals and atmosphere.

27 HITBOX APRIL 2019

REVIEW REVIEW

ROCKSTAR HAS STILL GOT IT!

Jess Clayton-Berry and Holly Hammond have been playing one of the most anticipated games of the decade: Red Dead Redemption 2.

In 2013, Rockstar shocked the world with its instant success, Grand Theft Auto V which turned out to be the fastest selling entertainment product ever (making $1 billion in just three days). Players became involved in the story of three main characters on their mission to score big in the world of crime and corruption – revealing the vast openworld map of San Andreas. The question of whether Rockstar could ever top the controversial monument arose. Yet, after six years in development, Red Dead Redemption 2 proved us wrong.

This glorious masterpiece of a game takes place in 1899 across several fictional states, some revisited from its predecessor. We play as Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van Der Linde gang currently on the run from government officials and many other rival outlaw groups as they continuously attempt to scrape together enough money to make a new start. The world Rockstar have created is marvellous to behold, so full of life and refinement that it’s hard to forget that it’s only virtual.

Red Dead Redemption 2 serves as the prequel to the award-winning Red Dead Redemption which was released in 2010. In fact, the predecessor was often regarded as unbeatable, but Red Dead Redemption 2 has since risen to further critical acclaim. It is not often that sequels and prequels are released without vast critical differences.

Both games have been well received by fans and critics alike, and it is not hard to see why. They both feature prominent and complex characters, a gripping storyline,

praised music and voice acting, and impressive graphics for the time of release.

The Guardian has dubbed Red Dead Redemption 2 the ‘most realistic game ever made’ and it’s easy to see why with its vast list of wildlife, huge variety of NPC models and weather systems actually reforming in the horizon (take note Bethesda). As you ride through the varying environments from the snowy mountains to the polluted streets in the city of Saint Denis, you can see birds of prey hunting rabbits, a bear taking on a pack of wolves, and vultures feasting on the decomposed carcass of a deer. Arthur will run out of breath if he whistles for his horse too many times; dogs that you have petted and praised in the past will remember you when you return and come running to you with their tails wagging; shopkeepers that you have robbed and/or injured recently will return to work with bandages and bruises where you hit them; and during conversations on horseback the characters will gradually raise their voice and shout at each other if they ride too far apart. And if that’s not all, one or several Rockstar employees even created realistic horse testicles that shrink in cold weather, just for the players that have been waiting for decades for this kind of attention to detail to arise.

Your horse feels as though it actually has some weight to it, having to actually build up speed rather than magically turning to a gallop in a second and rearing up in refusal if you try to push it too far. I turned the Witcher 3 on after a long stretch of Red Dead Redemption 2 game play and the

Arthur could easily be Rockstar's most well-written character.

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10/10 horse felt as though it was gliding over the road in comparison. The bonding mechanism is perfect for ensuring the player doesn’t view the horse as just another vehicle like most RPGs – after I had spent over half an hour taming my Arabian horse from the wild I was devastated when she almost died after an unfortunate accident involving a cliff and a waterfall.

The survival elements are in depth and realistic though not too demanding and don’t hinder progress. Even though you have to ensure that Arthur and his horse are fed, rested and clean – it’s not so urging that it becomes an annoyance. You can even grow out Arthur’s hair and beard, or style it out so he resembles Abraham Lincoln more than a 19th Century outlaw. Fast travel is available, though presented at rare opportunities but this doesn’t become troublesome as the world is detailed enough to make every ride interesting. Hunting has become a huge part of the game as it comes with the survival aspects. When hunting, you need to first select the right animal, consider the choice of weapon and where to shoot it as these will affect the price it can be sold for. If left for too long, a carcass will rot and attract vultures and various predators.

One thing to note about the fast travel feature is that it has a catch. You can only fast travel from Arthur’s tent, meaning you cannot just randomly fast travel whilst out in the wilderness. However, I think that this is ultimately better as it can allow the player to enjoy the richly detailed American landscapes, as well as chance encounters and items for Arthur’s journal. This is arguably a flaw with games such as Skyrim where this option is possible which means that the player can become dependent and miss out on the years of landscape creation by the game developers. For a game spending years in development like Red Dead Redemption 2 where there is such precise attention to detail, this was a very wise decision.

This is some of the best lighting and graphics I have ever seen in a game. The eerie nights look impeccable with the wild darkness being so black and so sinister in the foggy swamp areas of the game that I am convinced to settle down and set up camp for the night. Snow collects on your coat and trousers whilst you can see Arthur’s breath

REVIEW

fog in the cold air. In rainy weather, the ground gets muddy and the grass dampens – you can even see water dripping off the branches on the trees. The facial emotions and voice acting are top quality and really make you feel for the characters. Every conversation is well-written and I rarely found myself skipping dialogue. A lot of each character’s back story is revealed either through horse rides with them or by listening in on their conversations back at camp.

NPCs interact with each other – giving you an opportunity to eavesdrop on some compelling and, at times, amusing conversations. They are coded to react realistically in most situations; getting freaked out or angry if they catch you following them around or standing too close to them for an extended amount of time. Town folk will also remember your past actions if you have caused trouble before and will comment on this as you pass them in the street. They will also mock you for wearing ridiculous clothing, not washing enough, or putting on weight.

Action scenes come often in the game, either in form of a mission or just by starting a vicious shootout in ones of the many settlements. It’s fun and there’s plenty of variety in weapons and attack styles – giving you a bow or knives should you wish to go down the stealth route. I also found first-person mode to come as a pleasant surprise as it fits so well in this type of game, I often switched between first and third person mode as they both look just as good. However, I did find the controls to be clunky and awkward at times – something that is often a trend in Rockstar games. Some actions with opposite consequences share the same button and will only differ when pressed in the right moment – such as the ‘aim your weapon’ button being the same as ‘talk to someone’.

This meant that, if I forgot to holster my weapon, an intended simple ‘hello’ would end up with a town shootout and a hefty bounty. There are also sections in the game, mainly when the player is in camp, when the character moves excruciatingly slow.

Rockstar have strived for realism however this quickly becomes annoying when you have to drag yourself to the ledger, to your tent, to Pearson to donate some food, and then to your horse before it painstakingly creeps out far enough for you to eventually be allowed to gallop.

The main story line is an emotional rollercoaster as you are taken on Arthur’s journey of redemption. He is probably Rockstar’s most well-written character with a book load of back story and character development. In the over 100 hours of game play the player can get attached to Arthur through his witty remarks and questionable moral compass which improves with his character arc. It feels as though Rockstar definitely reserves its character writing for the Red Dead series which feels so much more mature from the wacky unlovable characters from Grand Theft Auto. I was also surprised at how much the honour system impacts on the story line – potentially leading to different endings and scenarios depending on how evil you have made Arthur to be.

The side missions are just as fun as the main missions and I would spend hours completing them as I encountered new ones whilst moving through the main quest – often going days before I would eventually move on with the story line. However, despite the honour system being available and many players opting to go through a high honour route – some missions do not support this and force you to commit deeds that are going to lower your honour no matter what you do. The bounty system is also particularly harsh in this game. Early on in my play through I made the simple mistake of forgetting to put my mask on during a prison break out – as a result I was left with a $300 bounty and the next mission to progress the storyline was within the area I was wanted in. Because of this, I had to spend hours slowly raising this money up again – something quite difficult so early on in the game – as every time I entered the area, psychic bounty hunters would hone in on my location every 5 minutes and I would be gunned down instantly. This almost ruined my experience as it was very early on and took several hours to get past. The currency system also feels broken as not even halfway through the story line you can complete a mission which leaves you with a huge sum of money, but not much to spend it on. Once the camp has been fully upgraded there is not much left to buy other than minor provisions or clothing. I feel like the game would have benefitted more if there was a larger variety of camp improvements or the opportunity to invest money into some businesses whilst remaining loyal to Arthur’s character. The witness system, although a great concept, also didn’t sit right at times.

I would sometimes take someone out far into the wilderness to kill them, making sure

Hunting is a vital aspect of Red Dead Redemption 2. there was absolutely no one around – yet somehow a random rider will suddenly pop up from behind the tree and run off to tell the law.

Alongside the side missions, Arthur has the chance to encounter many quirky characters who are just as colourful as those who are in the gang. These characters provide missions of their own, some being fairly simple tasks, whereas some are straight out bizarre. You can also take part in hunting missions throughout the game, including seeking out legendary beasts. The player is able to record many of the things they find in Arthur’s journal which is pretty much a mission in itself. These include collectibles, items and points of interest you can find throughout the play-through. This is even more of a reason for you to keep an eye out for strange sights throughout their travels.

However, these are just simple nitpicks of what is a masterpiece of a game and once again proves that Rockstar are still making some of the best games of this generation.

For such a small company, their attention to detail and dedication to the craft is inspirational and I really look forward to what they have to deliver next.

29 HITBOX APRIL 2019

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW

'12 YEARS WAS WELL WORTH THE WAIT!' HK Norman explores the skies in the latest addition to the Ace Combat series

The first thing I did when I launched Ace Combat 7 on my laptop at about 11:00PM on January 31 st was take a picture of the title screen and upload it to Facebook, with the caption “I have waited so long for this day.” I had, in fact, waited around 6 years. But that’s not nearly as long as some people who have been waiting for a “real” Ace Combat game.

It’s been 12 years since Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation was released. Between then and now, all we’ve had is an attempt to make a Call of Duty-style Ace Combat game set in the real world, which was universally panned by critics and fans alike, and the freemium PlayStation 3 exclusive game, Ace Combat Infinity, which blended aspects from the original games set in the “Strangereal” world of the previous games in a real world setting. I never got to play it.

So now, having clocked about 17 hours on Ace Combat 7, I can say with good authority that 12 years was well worth the wait. In the four years since the game was announced, Bandai Namco has managed to come out with a game that is intelligently written, aesthetically pleasing, and graphically impressive.

It is the first game in the series to be built in Unreal Engine 4, giving it cuttingedge levels of graphical detail and performance, with every visual effect feeling like it's real. They even make your canopy fog up with water droplets as you fly through clouds, and freeze up if you go too high!

Your remote even vibrates when you

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hit turbulence. That’s the level of detail Bandai Namco has gone to with this game, and my goodness does it make all the difference. Even the planes that are fictional look and feel real.

The main campaign follows ace fighter pilot Trigger, the number 2 in Mage Squadron, and his journey fighting for Osea against an expansionist Erusea.

Partway into the war, Trigger finds himself court-martialled and assigned to a penal squadron for reasons that become apparent in the campaign itself. It is an interesting break away from the normal dynamic of a pilot who slowly becomes an ace through his own exploits. The cutscenes between the missions follow two main characters, the first being Avril Mead, aka the “Scrap Queen”, who is stationed as an engineer in the same penal unit as Trigger.

The other is Dr. Schroeder, a Belkan scientist who works with the Erusean Air and Space Administration to develop their drone technology, working alongside grizzled ace pilot and veteran Mihaly Shilage.

The campaign itself is intelligently written and thought provoking, as it sparks questions relating to the use of drones in warfare, a recurring theme throughout the story. Jumping between two characters with different narratives in the cut scenes, however, can make it feel a little disjointed in places.

In terms of gameplay, one of my favourite additions is the use of stalling manoeuvres, which involve slowing down an aircraft to the point of stalling to execute a

The previous game was released 12 years ago

The game has impressive graphics and visual effects

The remote responds to the game by vibrating with air turbulance

complicated move to reposition the aircraft. This makes the game all the more realistic in how it deals with flying the aircraft. One thing that is annoying, though, is that in previous games you were able to give your squadron orders on whether to disperse, attack areas to the front of you, or cover your 6 o’clock. That feature is not present in this game, which is an issue in some missions.

Overall, I think Ace Combat 7, while not 100% perfect, is a fantastic entry to the series. It is fun, fast-paced, and sure to please newcomers to the series and seasoned Ace Combat veterans alike.

REVIEW

'IT'S PROFESSOR LAYTON MEETS THE THING!' Jessica Clayton-Berry plays a remake of a game that came out the year she was born: Resident Evil 2.

Over 20 years ago the Resident Evil franchise changed the face of horror games.

From the jump scare of the zombie dog bursting through the window to being consistently chased by the terrifying Nemesis.

Now, one of its most successful entries, Resident Evil 2, has been gifted with a complete makeover – and for once the idea of rebooting an entire series might actually work. The Resident Evil 2 Remake has an entirely fresh yet recognisable take of the original 1998 game. It has taken what made Resident Evil 7 so effective whilst maintaining loyal to its roots. Quite frankly I’m impressed with how Capcom have found the perfect balance between the two. We have returned to the classic third-person-view and are given the main task of solving puzzles whilst also bumping into the shock-horror gruesome scenes and monsters that Raccoon City Police Station has to offer. It’s Professor Layton meets The Thing.

Although the dialogue is certainly better than the wooden delivery from the original, it does still feel a little stiff with Leon and Claire seemingly acting very calm considering they have walked into the zombie apocalypse – Claire not really being too bothered about the fate of her brother whom she has come to the city to find, and Leon entirely stress-free despite turning up to his first day of work to find his new colleagues in the zombie infested police station are dead.

Despite this, the characters are likeable and the motion capture is impressive. The chemistry between the characters is so great that at times I felt as though I was intruding on something by just watching.

I love the setting of the police station and the amount of backtracking and exploration required to complete the main mission of escaping it. The player is made to consider their inventory space and if picking up more

ammo is really worth the risk of not having room for a puzzle piece. And consistently checking your map becomes a key element of gameplay until you reach a point where you know the police station off by heart.

Despite being a short game, you are constantly surprised by what else it has to throw at you. Just when you start to get used to the zombies, the game will throw the terrifying ‘lickers’ at you. And just when you work out how to get around the lickers, you will bump into fan-named ‘Mr. X’, an unstoppable Tyrant who will follow you around the rest of the map and give you a fear of hearing his stomping footsteps. There is a decent variety of enemies, enough to keep you on your toes. Though I do wish there were more boss battles – to really put a strain on ammo as even on normal difficulty I had reached a point where I had so much ammo and not a lot to do with it. However, the action is still fun and unpredictable. Some enemies will soak up more bullets than others before they go down which makes you more considerate of how and when you pick your fights. But I do think a game as tense as this missed an opportunity by not offering stealth elements, even if this is just a crouching option so you

can duck out of sight whilst Mr. X is out on the hunt, or give you the opportunity to take out a zombie stealthily so their growls don’t immediately draw the Tyrant to your location.

Speaking of Mr. X, his ominous and consistent presence in the game was well done, and reminded me of the paranoia whilst playing Alien Isolation, knowing that you have to keep as quiet as possible because you are being hunted – even when zombies are growling in your face and lickers are tailing you. Many Resident Evil fans believe Mr. X’s change of form is due to Capcom prepping players for the arrival of Nemesis in the upcoming Resident Evil 3 remake – another stalking monstrosity.

Overall, Capcom have seemingly defied the impossible by releasing a genuinely good reboot and making a 20-year-old game scary again. The characters are easy to get attached to and it’s sad considering that – if Capcom remains true to the original Resident Evil 3 – they won’t return in the third remake. Despite this I’m actually looking forward to what seems to be a much-deserved reboot of the Resident Evil franchise and I’m glad Capcom are finally taking this series in the right direction.

Just when you start getting used to things Raccoon City Police Station will throw something new and even more terrifying at you.

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REVIEW REVIEW

'MAYHEM TAKES PLACE' CRACKDOWN 3 REVIEW 6/10

Daniel Martin Charley takes a look at the latest entry in the Crackdown franchise. Is it worth the wait?

New Providence is in trouble and Terranova operations have overtook the running of the city. Civilians face peril. Crackdown 3 throws the player into the hero’s shoes to take down the evils of the once-named island paradise.

A Crackdown game without the tools to promote all sorts of destruction is unthinkable. Crackdown 3’s campaign certainly delivers on a destruction front.

Although the agent cannot destroy structures around the city, the demolition of vehicles, enemies and the environment make for a recipe of ruin. Where performance lacks, the title redeems itself with the core Crackdown facets which enticed players into the first release of the series.

The Microsoft exclusive title uses a wide array of colours to present the image of New Providence. A game previously criticised for graphical capabilities, now boasting an acidic display across the map with the use of the Xbox One X enhancement feature.

For Xbox One X players, a rock-steady 30 frames per second with 4K possibilities on both wrecking zone and the campaign is what can be expected.

Mayhem takes place throughout the whole story and specifically in the rewarding boss battles. The bosses in Crackdown 3 are 32 HITBOX APRIL 2019

fought through a hierarchy system, much like in Mercenaries: Tools of Destruction, where the agent fights the lower-tier bosses and makes their way up to the head of Terranova operations.

Although there are some on-the-surface enjoyments, the third title in the series fails to deliver in multiple aspects. This criticism would not be so crippling given the delay which only heightened anticipation. While the online multiplayer “Wrecking Zone” is fun, it becomes undeniably repetitive after three or so games of Agent Deathmatch.

There has evidently been no effort put into this aspect of Crackdown 3 since the tease of the Cloud Destruction demo. This leaves wrecking zone feeling fumbled into the final product in a desperate attempt to give the title more longevity than the title warrants.

Despite a varied range of aesthetically pleasing vehicles acquirable throughout the open world, there is one factor which guarantees a tedious experience while driving in Crackdown. The driving mechanics feel like a complete slog. Whether your character is racing at lightning speed in a sports car or riding at snail’s pace in a tank, the handling is the feature that will always be at your demise in races. There is simply no consistency in how each vehicle makes a left or right.

Perhaps you’re asking yourself, “should

Visually, Crackdown 3 is much better than its predecessor.

Unfortunately, Crackdown's gamplay gets repetative and dull too quickly.

I purchase this title?”. The game ties itself arm-in-arm with the Xbox Games Pass.

The Games Pass made the title available to install for subscribers on release. With the £7.99 per month subscription with a potential free trial, it is certainly worth giving the February release an install, even if your intentions are just to muck around and cause chaos.

REVIEW

STEAM ROUNDUP What's the latest in the indie PC gaming scene? Rhiannon Bevan takes a look at some new releases.

When the Darkness Comes

Anime Pixel Girls

Publisher Sirhaian Developer Sirhaian Released 01/03/2019 Overall Very positive

Publisher Enjoy Games Developer SharkGame Released 02/03/2019 Overall N/A

“A game without meaning, a game nobody should play”.

Bold words from a game that clearly thinks highly of itself.

After this eerie, atmospheric caution, we get the more traditional warnings: this isn’t the game for you – according to the creators - if you’re easily effected by depictions of depression, anxiety, abuse and suicide.

But what has Steam made of it? Many praise it as “deep”, some even calling this walking simulator the most powerful game they’ve ever played. It’s brought in some comparisons to The Stanley Parable “but depressing”, and judging from the trailer, that’s the perfect was to summarise the atmosphere.

Criticisms have been made about how the “deep” themes are a bit ham-fisted, but this is to be expected from a game that lists these themes in its bio. Whereas some only find the lack of nuance noticeable when compared to other walking simulators, but a good experience on its own merits – especially since it won’t cost you a penny.

Oh come on, it’s Steam, I had to share something like this.

It’s an absolute joke that the creator charges almost a quid for this “game”. The description claims it’s a puzzle game, but I find that hard to believe when the completed image is already under the “mosaic” itself. I could excuse that in a kids game maybe, but with the bouncing breasts of the titular anime pixel girls upon completion of a “puzzle”, I certainly hope that isn’t the target audience.

Let’s call it what it is, a chance to stare at some 8-Bit ladies, which if that’s your thing, no judgment here. But please, have some self-respect - that doesn’t have to cost you 79p.

To developer Shark Game’s credit, it appears they own the copyright to the images used in-game, which is more than most in this genre can say.

And I’m sure the 21 levels of the game will be a nice surprise to those who get this as their joke Christmas present.

Dawn of Man

Call of the Mighty Warriors

Publisher Madruga Works Developer Madruga Works Released 01/03/2019 Overall Very possitive

Publisher SC Jogos Developer SC Jogos Released 02/03/2019 Overall Mostly negative

This strategy/simulation game seems to have captured the attention of most players – being propelled into the new top sellers in just two days - but many feel it hasn’t reached its potential yet.

Dawn of Man has surprised many with its AAA quality at a fraction of the price. There are many praises to its slow, but rewarding sense of progression. As the title suggests, you’ll be controlling humans who are at a level playing field with the animals, as you navigate them through discovering technology to discovering war.

Favourable comparisons have been made to fellow strategy game, Banished, for its simplicity and season mechanic, changing the needs of your tribe depending on the months.

The main issue players seem to be facing is a dull combat system, which some feel doesn’t require a great deal of skill.

And with a campaign of 10,000 years, you don’t really want any aspect of the game to be a slog.

Another typical Steam early access title. Despite being in early access for almost three years, no change in quality can be seen overtime, and just means the game – now finally released in March 2019 – is bogged down in negative reviews, dating back all the way to 2016.

The developers seem to have tried to make a call back to classic tower defence titles, but as many reviews point out, it’s a genre that’s had its day. It doesn’t help that the “call back” to the genre just results in some dated visuals and sound.

As for the actual gameplay, the main theme is dull. Some managed to get through the games ten levels in less than an hour, and there is little variety in the enemies. Overall, players just seem confused by the lack of tutorial and progression tracking. It does make you wonder what it was even doing in early access.

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REVIEW

HITMAN 2

"IT'S MORE OF AN EXTENSION, THOUGH STILL HEAPS OF FUN." Written by Jess Clayton-Berry Hitman 2016 was the best thing to happen to the Hitman franchise since Blood Money. It was clean, fun and brought new things to the table as well as maintaining the classic Hitman sandbox mechanics. More interactive than ever, the levels were huge, interesting and diverse. Originally intended to be a 3 part series, the latest instalment should have been Hitman: Season 2 – however somewhere along the line became a full blown sequel. This was a move I believe to be questionable considering how little this game has to offer in terms of improvement from the first, and would have worked better as an expansion as previously planned. Here is my review of Hitman 2 - beware of minor spoilers.

The menu – which I found to be awkward in the first game though manageable – has become a lot more confusing.

When first opening up the game, you have various modes thrown into your face; featured, destinations, escalation, sniper assassin – when all I want is the main campaign. And to make things worse, the menu music which I found so sleek and professional-sounding has been exchanged for a far more actionorientated score, which sounds generic and over the top. Hitman (2016)’s score was lacking the ‘Hitman’ feel however this is a thousand times worse. It’s times like these when I miss Blood Money’s Ave Maria which would instantly bring back some class to this messy menu system.

7/10

The first level, Hawkes Bay, felt like the tutorial level the game should have had which I found lazy and an underwhelming start.

One of the biggest major improvements the previous game brought to the franchise as a whole was intelligent AI. Though NPCs will still fall for the old trick of leaving a body for them to investigate so you can kill them until there is a large pile of bodies, they are still impressive with their reactions to the player as a whole. However, one addition Hitman 2 brought to this was the AI ability of spotting you in a mirror – something that changes the way a lot of players take out targets or NPCs, especially in bathrooms. Despite this, some of the AI reactions to finding you doing something you shouldn’t be doing can be completely unnecessary. Whilst playing the Whittleton Creek level I came across an exterminator who looked like he was about to pump toxic gas into a series of mole holes. Upon

The large city maps, although detailed, felt incredibly difficult to navigate around.

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approaching the mole hill you are given the option to place an item in there so, to see what would happen if I did so, I threw a tennis ball down there. This ultimately ended with the exterminator running off to tell the police about this action, and the police then attempting to arrest me before shooting me to death. This is either supposed to represent the American policing system in a nutshell or a fault as the AI completely overreact to minor nuisances.

The one great flaw of this game was the disappointing ‘cinematic’ cuts. Maybe cinematic wasn’t the right word because what we were given was exactly the opposite of this. Hitman (2016) had fully animated cinematic cuts which were interesting and well-made. However, Hitman 2 fell back on this and has instead opted for a more ‘artistic’ route which is the only way I can describe the frozen ‘picture book’ style cut scenes it presents us. They are off-putting and make the story line feel a lot more boring than it actually is – especially when there are long pieces of dialogue and you notice the character’s mouths aren’t moving. It was odd though I understand that this could possibly be a result of IOI’s departure from Square Enix – a move that nearly meant this game wasn’t released. This must be the fallback which I am willing to excuse if it really was the result of IOI’s struggle to put this game out in the first place, though I do hope they fix it through an update patch in the future.

In my opinion, although the map sizes have expanded and increased in their

REVIEW

In my opinion, the most enjoyable maps were the ones located within a single building such as Miami, Isle of Sgail and Whittleton Creek.

variety of weapons, interesting events and environment interaction – I found them a lot less interesting than the first game. The most enjoyable maps in its predecessor were usually the ones located within a single building such as Hokkaido, Paris and Bangkok which the sequel reflects as Miami, Isle of Sgàil and Whittleton Creek were the highlights. The larger city-like maps such as Mumbai and Santa Fortuna felt like re-skinned versions of Marrakesh - my second least favourite map to Columbia from the first game.

These levels felt cluttered and hard to navigate around.

Once again, there are only six levels.

Though their replayability makes up for this, I found the first level, Hawkes Bay, to borderline being the tutorial level this game should have had rather than the imported tutorials from Hitman (2016) - which I found to be lazy and underwhelming. The story also felt rushed and mediocre. The developers had already established that the first game in the trilogy would not have much of a story line as they were more focused on introduction the characters to new Hitman-goers and weaning in the new style of game play for old fans. This wasn’t a problem as Hitman is one of the very few games where I actually value the game play over the story line. Hitman (2016) was merely a build up for what was supposed to be something more detailed and indepth in the next two games. However, I found it to be lacking in excitement – another Agent 47 origin story which was disappointing as this is something already covered in previous games and is getting old now. This is especially the case when the game acts as though Agent 47’s origin is intended to be a mystery but most long-term Hitman fans already know he is an experimental clone.

Other additions include a difficulty setting which I found to break the immersion. Having difficulty levels that determine the different levels of detection or what a character can get away with further draw the player from the game’s otherwise impressive realism. I much preferred the previous mechanism of completing the game through achieving dif-

ferent levels of professionalism – rather than having to complete it by doing the same thing only at different difficulties. There is also the inclusion of hiding in crowds and long grass – a much needed feature that gives the player further options in evading enemies and opting for the ‘silent assassin’ path in Agent 47’s signature suit. We were also granted the much-anticipated return of the brief case from previous Hitman games, meaning gamers can now move around the map to a position perfect for sniping without strapping it to your back and alerting every authoritive figure on the map. Agent 47’s face was given a much needed makeover and now appears more human-looking. I think we have finally found the perfect balance between the reboot’s look for Agent 47 and the older series’ more angry-looking facial features. Luckily, despite the model change Hitman 2 has maintained the muchloved voice actors for Agent 47 and Diana Burnwood, something that any long-term Hitman fan would not be able to forgive if they were changed.

Overall, although it wasn’t a major improvement of the first game, and despite the fact its minor additions are outweighed by fallbacks such as the clunky menu, frozen cut scenes and generic score – it’s still an enjoyable game and I do hope IOI are able to pull off a third game to complete the

trilogy as planned. The first Elusive Target, The Undying, was fun to play and it was a joy to have Sean Bean in the game.

Despite its flaws, Hitman 2 is an enjoyable sandbox game where the maps act as your very own murderous playground. It’s probably the most freestyle Hitman instalment to date offering many various ways to kill off your target. The maps are detailed and highly interactive – offering multiple hidden side plots that can be discovered by listening in on NPC conversations. But I still miss minor touches that made Blood Money so great, such as the classical music, the on-screen image which shows you not only when a body has been located (this is available in the options menu of Hitman 2) but also the death of your victim so you don’t miss anything if you scurried away too soon and missed it. I still long for the return of the newspaper front pages shown at the end of every level in Blood Money, insulting the player for being an ‘inexperienced shooter’ or describing a bald man with a barcode on the back of his head leaving the scene if you left too many witnesses. Although the reboot has been impressive so far, it still has much to offer and I feel this shouldn't have been released as a full sequel, which is why I am only giving it a 7/10.

There are plenty of fun moments, and I had bundles of fun terrorizing NPCs whilst dressed in ridiculous costumes.

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COMING TO POPULAR CONSOLES ON 21/09/19