Issue 104 christmas 2014 ÂŁ5.99 officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk
20 YEARS OF PLAYSTATION inside
from the makers of heavenly sword
ho - ho - ho !
Xmas buyers guide Essential gifts and gear
HELLBLADE this christmas rated
reviews special
Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare, PES 2015, WWE 2K15, Lords Of The Fallen and more
you need this Christmas
BATTLEFIELD HARDLINE tested INSIDE THE CRAZY NEW PROJECT FROM THE team behind BURNOUT gaming'S BEST FESTIVE SCENES
ISSUE 104 / CHRISTMAS ‘14 Future Publishing Ltd, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA, United Kingdom Tel +44 (0) 1225 442244 Fax: +44 (0) 1225 732275 Email opm@futurenet.com Twitter @OPM_UK Web officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk
Merry… C
SANTA’S LITTLE HELPERS Editor Matthew ‘Jingle Pells’ Pellett @Pelloki Managing Art Editor Milford ‘Pockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ Coppock @milfcoppock Production Editor Dom ‘Seigh Ride’ Reseigh-Lincoln @furianreseigh News Editor Dave ‘A Spaceham Came Travelling’ Meikleham Games Editor Phil ‘Mr. Iwankey, The Christmas Poo’ Iwaniuk @PhilIwaniuk CONTRIBUTORS Writers Louise Blain, Nathan Brown, Jordan Farley, Joel Gregory, Mike Harris, Andy Kelly, Louis Pattison, Rob Pearson, John Robertson, Chris Schilling, Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman, Joe Skrebels, Rob Taylor, Ben Wilson, Iain Wilson Designer Rob Speed Cake designer Hannah Wiltshire ADVERTISING For Ad enquiries please contact Michael Pyatt, michael.pyatt@futurenet.com MARKETING Group Marketing Manager Laura Driffield Marketing Manager Kristianne Stanton Production & Distribution Production Controller Vivienne Calvert Production Manager Mark Constance Printed in the UK by William Gibbons & Sons Ltd on behalf of Future Distributed by Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT, Tel: 0207 429 4000 Overseas distribution bySeymour International
Game of the month The Evil Within XMAS DAY 2014 GAME Grand Theft Auto V
CIRCULATION Trade Marketing Manager Juliette Winyard – 07551 150 984 Subscriptions UK reader order line & enquiries 0844 848 2852 Overseas reader order line & enquiries +44 (0)1604 251045 Online enquiries www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk Email pom@myfavouritemagazines.co.uk LICENSING International Director Regina Erak regina.erak@futurenet.com +44 (0)1225 442244 Fax +44 (0)1225 732275 Management Content & Marketing Director Nial Ferguson Head of Content & Marketing, Film, Music & Games Declan Gough Group Editor-In-Chief Daniel Dawkins Group Art Director Graham Dalzell NEXT ISSUE ON SALE 19 December 2014 The ABC combined print, digital and digital publication circulation for Jan-Dec 2013 is
29,973 (Print 27,758 Digital 2,215) A member of the Audited Bureau of Circulations
Future is an award-winning international media group and leading digital business. We reach more than 49 million international consumers a month and create world-class content and advertising solutions for passionate consumers online, on tablet & smartphone and in print. Future plc is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR). www.futureplc.com
“the next 12 months threaten to be the best yet for team playstation.”
hristmas to one and all. This issue we’re celebrating not just the holiday season, but an amazing milestone for PlayStation: the 20th anniversary of PS1. Sony’s now given the world two decades of unparalleled entertainment, and while the first year of PS4 has suffered from too many delays, the next 12 months threaten to be the best yet for Team PlayStation. If you’d permit me brief a moment of ‘bah humbugging’ I quickly want to talk about reviews. In short, there are fewer in this issue than we’d have liked. Mostly it’s because Day One patches prevented early access to code, but in some cases formatexclusivity deals kept things out of our hands (in one case we were invited to review a title on another format – we laughed, we cried, we semi-politely declined). In spite of those hurdles, the mag you’re holding is still an Xmas treat. Be sure to visit p11 first to help us crown OPM’s Game Of The Year, and have yourself a tremendous festive period.
Matthew Pellett
Editor matthew.pellett@futurenet.com @Pelloki
this month’s festive funsters...
Chief executive Zillah Byng-Maddick Non-executive chairman Peter Allen Chief financial officer Richard Haley Tel +44 (0)207 042 4000 (London) Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244 (Bath)
All contents copyright © 2014 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored, transmitted or used in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price and other details of products or services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any changes or updates to them. If you submit unsolicited material to us, you automatically grant Future a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in all editions of the magazine, including licensed editions worldwide and in any physical or digital format throughout the world. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents or subcontractors shall be liable for loss or damage. We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from well managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. Future Publishing and its paper suppliers have been independently certified in accordance with the rules of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
Phil Iwaniuk
Dave Meikleham
games EDITOR A COD and Battlefield shooter double whammy gave Phil gaming PTSD. The poor guy now flinches at every cracker pull.
news editor News ed Dave dubiously claimed ‘exclusive eating rights’ for p6’s PS1 cake. His Secret Santa present WILL be a lump of coal.
Game of the month Alien: Isolation XMAS DAY 2014 GAME Dragon Age Inquisition
Game of the month The Evil Within XMAS DAY 2014 GAME Far Cry 4
Dom ReseighLincoln
Ben Wilson
PRODUCTION EDITOR Is it cold outside? Nope, that’s notorious Xmashater Dom spreading his unique holiday ‘cheer’.
guest writer WWE mega-fan Ben is having a December To Dismember with WWE 2K15 on p91. Do you like it Ben? “No! No! No! No! No!”
Game of the month COD: Advanced Warfare XMAS DAY 2014 GAME Assassin’s Creed Unity
Game of the month Madden NFL 15 XMAS DAY 2014 GAME Alien: Isolation
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Christmas 2014
highlights The big 10
006 happy 20th, PS1 004
Sony’s first games console is almost old enough to buy a beer in the USA, so we made it a cake and looked back on that two-decade-long legacy. pREVIEW
030 battlefield hardline Imagine a remake of The Wire with 400% more headshots and you’re only halfway there. feature
050 hellblade What Ninja Theory did next – we get a behind-the-scenes look at the DmC developer’s new actioner at the very start of its creation. featurE
064 opm’s Christmas gaming gift guide What do you buy the gamer who has every game? Why, a scale model of Nathan Drake and a PaRappa The Rapper beanie, of course. review
078 Call of duty: Advanced warfare It’s got a double jump, but is it a giant leap forwards for the franchise? review
092 The evil within Survival horror maestro Shinji Mikami finally shows modern Resident Evil how it’s done. retrostation
106 dragon quest VIII Role-playing royalty from Level-5 graces our classic game slot this month. Doff that cap.
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s e c ti o n s a t a g l a n c e
the big 10
previews
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Latest info, screens and playtests All the hottest news
features
reviews
network
retro STATION
To-the-point, detailed analysis
In-depth verdicts on every big new game
Max out your PS4, online and off
Classics revisited
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THE Games index 100 alien: isolation 109 aliens: Colonial marines 098 assassin’s creed iV: Black flag 030 battlefield hardline 026 batman: Arkham origins 099 borderlands: The pre-sequel! 078 call of duty: advanced warfare 044 chivalry: medieval warfarE 085 deadfall adventures: heart of atlantis 105 destiny 012 the division 106 dragon quest VIII 098 DRIVECLUB 036 dying light 092 The Evil within 038 evolve 094 f1 2014 099 fifa 15 042 final fantasy Type-0 HD 044 flame over 087 freedom wars 114 half-life 2 050 hellblade 086 lords of the fallen 089 nba 2k15 088 nba live 15 016 olliolli2: welcome to olliwood 094 peggle 2 082 pes 2015 094 pix the cat 014 primal carnage: extinction 045 project cars 018 ride 034 rime 045 samurai gunn 088 shadow warrior 041 silence: The whispered world 2 095 singstar ultimate party 071 sportsfriends 045 starbound 085 styx: master of shadows 071 towerfall ascension 088 toybox turbos 040 the vanishing of ethan carter 085 vib-ribbon 091 wwe 2k15
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Happy birthday PS1. Your sexy ridged edges are as alluring now as they were in 1994. Mmm, ridges.
The Big10
Stories everyone’s talking about
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10 as above, so below
Dark new DLC coming to Destiny.
12 christmas chaos
Could The Division be an Xmas treat?
16 board to death
OlliOlli’s cinematic second coming.
TheBig10 Stories everyone’s talking about
Gaming’s most influential console turns twenty
Two decades after its successful launch in Japan, we reflect on PS1’s legacy Break out the Ridge Racer jelly mould and dust down your official Crash Bandicoot party hats, because this month sees Sony clock up one of its most dazzling milestones: PlayStation turns 20. The life-changing grey rectangle launched across Japan on 3 December 1994, alongside eight games that included Namco’s now-legendary speedster Ridge Racer, train sim AIV Evolution, and tile-fighter Mahjong Station Mazin. Sony’s first foray into gaming transformed a pastime which had been dominated by Sega and Nintendo – but what few realise is that PS1 was initially intended as a follow-up to the latter’s NES. Yes, PlayStation’s overlords once snuggled happily with Mario under a king-sized Yoshi duvet. In 1986, Nintendo bosses keen to produce a disc-based sequel to its 8-bit system began tapping into
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Sony’s expertise in the field, ultimately agreeing to collaborate after being impressed by a processor created by ‘Father Of PlayStation’ Ken Kutaragi. Five years later, however, Nintendo backed out of the deal and revealed plans to switch to Phillips-made hardware: a snub that cut Kutaragi and his bosses so deep they resolved to press on with the console alone. Three years on, PlayStation was born – and the jumping plumber’s loss was every gamer’s gain. Main ridge On reflection, and despite the presence of that Mahjong game, PS1’s day one line-up was anything but ‘mazin. Yet Ridge Racer provided a tantalising glimpse of what the console could do both cosmetically and AI-wise, immediately being tagged the most realistic driver ever. The inaugural E3 conference in June of 1995 couldn’t have come at a better time, as Sony promised a future of, “easy access and better technology,” would swiftly bring the curtain down on the 16-bit era.
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The Big10
Charted territory
As Japan awoke to its new #1 console, our entertainment charts looked a touch more sedate. In music, Baby D topped the singles countdown with Let Me Be Your Fantasy, while The Beautiful South headed up the album rankings.
Stories everyone’s talking about
Successful launches on either side of the pond that September proved them right, as gamers jettisoned their Mega Drives and SNESes in droves. So long, 16-bit. When the proper games came, they weren’t merely good, but great. For the next two years, a stream of seminal titles saw rulebooks rewritten from scratch across every discipline – UK launch game WipEout, for instance, changed both the racing genre and gaming culture.
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Birthday Crash Less than 12 months later, the console got a mascot and groundbreaking platformer all in one via that mischievous Naughty Dog bandicoot. Die Hard Trilogy crammed three games onto one disc for the first time, while Resident Evil outdid all of the above, popularising a whole new sub-category of gaming all to itself: survival horror. Then there was Final Fantasy VII. Released in Japan on 31 January 1997, Square Enix’s colossal RPG saw 3D graphics and FMV utilised in the series for the first time, and blended a lovable cast with as epic a storyline as there’d ever been pressed onto a compact disc. A good 17 years on, thousands still trumpet it as the greatest videogame ever made; its 10 million copies sold underpinning that lofty claim. Indeed, its legacy only seems
to strengthen with each passing year, the adventure repeatedly topping polls for gamers’ mostwanted HD remake. From Tomb Raider to Uncharted via Metal Gear Solid, GTA and Gran Turismo, many other series would become synonymous with PlayStation over the ensuing two decades; but it wasn’t only the face of software that changed after Sony entered the fray. Two years following PS1’s debut, our means of controlling on-screen action also evolved thanks to the DualShock. Tekken one for the team Using vibration motors, we were finally able to feel what was happening on our TVs as well as see it. Who can forget the first time you got clobbered in Tekken 3 and sensed it through your fingertips? And who can forget Sony launching PS3 without a trembling pad? Thank the lord – aka Kaz Hirai – that problem was swiftly rectified. By the end of the ‘90s, PlayStation had become a pop culture phenomenon, making cameo
dev talk “On the whole, it’s been a tremendous challenge and experience to follow the project from the very early days of hushed tech specs and a shroud of secrecy to the mass market launch. I don’t think there will ever be another opportunity like this one, and I sometimes feel like I’ve got the front seat on the most amazing rollercoaster ride you can imagine.” Phil Harrison
Communications director, Sony (Speaking in 1995)
a good 17 years on, thousands still trumpet Final fantasy vii as the greatest game ever.
appearances across all entertainment forms – naturally, Sony’s console took pride of place in Joey and Chandler’s apartment in Friends. But the turn of the century ushered in an even greater period of success for Sony. PS1 sales topped out at an almost-unfathomable 102 million units, but PS2, released in March 2000, would go on to shift an even more brain-frazzling 155 million. It remains the biggest selling console in history, and games such as PES 2014 and Final Fantasy: Seekers Of Adoulin were still being released on it as recently as last year. While PS3 and PS4 (as yet) haven’t been able to match those staggering numbers, the PlayStation name remains as iconic as ever, and is well placed to endure for at least another 20 years. (Barring any unforeseen disasters, that is – what do you mean you made the birthday cake in the shape of a MiniDisc?) Hence our insistence that you raise your champagne flutes once more to mark two decades’ worth of unforgettable nights in with Double K’s metamorphic magic box. But save some champers: we’ll be serving up grander PS1 celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of its UK launch in September 2015. Plans for a very special UK anniversary issue are already in motion. Get excited.
You call that a knife? THIS is a knife… well, actually, it’s more a nine-foot long sword.
■ ‘Father of PlayStation’ Ken Kutaragi
would go on to rock fine Hawaiian shirts.
■ PS1 made its E3 debut in 1995.
Perspiring crowds were delighted.
Shadow Moses, the place to visit in ‘98 – if you’re into white balaclavas that is.
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■ I’d buy that for… uh, $99. PS1 was priced extremely competitively during the early ‘00s. Also, all hail gaming’s finest PlayStation dino tech demo.
Ridge Racer was a technical marvel at launch, bringing the arcade to your home.
Buy the Expansion Pass and you get both DLC packs for a touch more reasonable £34.99.
The Big10
Stories everyone’s talking about
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Striking back with new Destiny DLC Bungie’s first expansion pack brings new Strikes and a Raid Just when we thought we were out, they pull us back in. Not to go all Silvio from The Sopranos on you, but we’re not sure our Destiny obsession will ever relent. With the MMO shooter’s first expansion hitting 9 December, our Christmas is set to be more concerned with new Strikes than selection boxes. Priced at an eye-wateringly steep £19.99, The Dark Below DLC nevertheless represents a major update for a game that’s long-term future is dependent on new content drops. Two fresh Strikes (including the Mars-set Undying Mind, which is a timed exclusive on PlayStation until
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at least Autumn 2015); a new *gulp* Raid called Crota’s End; three new Crucible multiplayer arenas; a raising of the Light level cap to 32; plus three additional story missions – this is one of PS4’s most exhaustive expansion packs. It also looks to mark what could be a significant thematic change for the game’s much maligned narrative. “You’ll see a different approach to storytelling from us in The Dark Below,” Bungie president Harold Ryan reassures us. “It’ll be easier to consume and understand.” We don’t even have time to explain why we don’t have time to explain why this makes us so happy. Yes, Destiny’s script was rightly pilloried after launch, drawing ire for
the mmo’s first expansion pack arrives 9 december.
dev talk “A lot of critics who have been non-positive in their review ratings are still playing. I know from some of the discussions we’ve had with them, some of them are really conflicted about their own evaluations of the game. They can’t stop playing and they’re getting more value out of it than almost any other game.” Harold Ryan President, Bungie
its hamfisted plotting and phoned-in ‘direlogue’. Though the shooting may boast wonderful feedback and the quest to get a magic hat with slightly higher Light fuels the game’s feverishly moreish endgame, Ryan and his team are acutely aware of the criticism levelled at their new IP’s approach to storytelling. same old story “It’s a pretty common [piece of] feedback that people either don’t understand the story or it’s not accessible enough for them to get into the fiction deeply,” he says. “Telling a story in a game such as Destiny is a challenge. As a team, we were stuck coming from a very linear, cinematically driven story like we’d built in Halo. It was hard to decide how to push story at people.” Focused around Eris, an enigmatic new Vendor who shows up at the
icon vs icon
We’re also giving you power to decide who PlayStation’s greatest icon is. (Snake vs Drake!) Head over to poll.fm/50b65 and show your fave some love. Voting also closes on 26 November at 2pm.
The Big10 Stories everyone’s talking about
Can Ellie and Joel win your GOTY gong for a second year? It’s entirely up to you, readers.
OPM’s Game Of The Year is go Help us pick your fave PlayStation title of 2014 What a difference somewhere in the region of 350+ days make. It may have birthed more delays than a First Great Western timetable, but 2014 has been a busy year for PS4. The Last Of Us Remastered; Destiny; Metro Redux; Alien: Isolation; inFamous: Second Son; Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Ed; NBA 2K15 – and that’s not counting the glut of big hitters landing in shops this November including Dragon Age Inquisition, AC Unity, GTA V and Far Cry 4. Anyhoo, now we need our beautiful readers (that’s you) to pick OPM’s Game Of The Year. What we’re after is your top three games of 2014. These can be from any PlayStation platform (well, within reason – no PS2 voting, you wags), so don’t forget to give PS Vita (Velocity 2X!) and PS3 (Dark Souls II!) some nomination love.
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Tower, the plot presented in The Dark Below’s new missions will be more, “consumable.” While you’re chowing down on the new narrative, you’ll take on special quests to stop the Hive from summoning the god Crota, who apparently really wants to destroy Earth. Bummer. As for the tantalising (and terrifying) prospect of Crota’s End, Ryan promises the new Moon-based Raid will, “make a lot of people happy.” Couple this with two Strikes that boast, “more detail and polish,” and Destiny is ever-evolving into PS4’s must-have shooter, albeit at a higher price point than we’d like. With the House Of Wolves pack coming in early 2015, you’re in for quite the grindy workout. We’ll see you in-game, fellow Guardians. Search for Official PlayStation Mag on Bungie.net to check out our clan page.
To cast your votes, simply visit poll.fm/50b5r. The closing date to get your picks in is 26 November at 2pm, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time to get involved in the poll. After this, we’ll compile your nominations and whittle them down into one über list of the very best games of 2014, which we’ll print in a bumper GOTY feature in OPM #105, on sale 19 December. So, will your heroic Raiding escapades mean Destiny pips Joel an Ellie’s sprucedup apocalypse adventure? Or perhaps Isolation’s desperate dashes from gaming’s best-realised xeno will sway your GOTY voting? Whatever title proves to be your ultimate PlayStation game of 2014, it will follow in fine footsteps – previous winners include Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Dishonored. Happy voting!
We’re after your top three playstation games released THIS YEAR.
Visit poll.fm/50b5r by 26 November to cast your vote for Game Of The Year.
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Ubisoft’s mmo shooter could be the ultimate christmas game.