www.gamehubs.com
Journal
Jedis. Siths. Stormtroopers. It’s a new dawn for Star Wars.
PlayStation VR
what we discovered so far
Gravity Rush Remastered
Looks good on PS4
OVERWATCH BETA we tested blizzard’s upcoming shooter
FREE DISTRIBUTION
Issue 000 | December 2015
The Guild of
Gamehubs Journal We’re finally LIVE! Welcome To Gamehubs Journal.
CEO, Managing Editor Justin Chee justin@gamehubs.com
Hi, I am Justin and you have my utmost gratitude for picking up the prototype issue of Gamehubs Journal. If you’re reading this, you’re most likely a gamer, just like myself – which is why, I thank you ultimately for taking the time off your busy slaughter-fest in lieu of digesting our scribes and doodles.
Art Director Ryo ryo@gamehubs.com
Gamehubs is my latest initiative in both life and career, having forged out of my seven-year stint in media alloyed with a perpetual love for multiplatform gaming since 1994. And what you’re holding right now is just one fragment of the spectrum that this nascent start-up aspires to achieve. Our website (gamehubs.com) is the base of our content and you will do wonders by paying us a visit there. It is your very support that will help us solidify our visions into light. And while we aspire to become the region’s voice for video games, we’re now validating much of our experimentation in the gaming front, in order to bring you and your peers original content to better games together. Conversely, every feedback is worth a trillion in-game gold and I mean it. Your comments will become the beacon that navigates us into progressive improvements. Therefore, don’t hesitate to reach out to any of us (via email or social media) with what you have in mind. If time and space permits, we’ll be more than happy to discuss upon your suggestions or queries. Once again, welcome to Gamehubs Journal’s issue 000 where we celebrate our beginnings in tandem with the global Star Wars craze on silver screens and consoles. Similarly, we’ve been given access to Overwatch Beta thanks to Blizzard’s generosity and you can read up on our first hand experiences with the next-gen multi-player FPS. We hope you enjoy this issue and await our next cycle as we grow with your assistance. Special thanks to Rul, Mark, Ivan, Alvin, Tetradact, Sam, Eric and Ryo for bringing this project into being.
Designer Denny Gunawan denny@gamehubs.com Writers Rul MK, Mark Samuels, Ivan Cheong, Alvin NSH, Tetradact Marketing Manager Samuel Lee samuel@gamehubs.com Digital Marketing Manager Eric Lee eric@gamehubs.com Gamehubs Journal is published by Gamehubs Sdn Bhd (1053045-A) Web: gamehubs.com Email: enquiry@gamehubs.com Facebook: facebook.com/gamehubs Twitter: twitter.com/gamehubs Printed By BHS Book Printing Sdn Bhd Lot 17-22 & 17-23, Jalan Satu, Bersatu Industrial Park, Cheras Jaya, 43200 Cheras, Selangor. Gamehubs Journal cannot accept any responsibility for unsolicited contributions. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without permission. Articles in this issue translated or reproduced from Gamehubs Journal are copyrighted or licensed by Gamehubs Sdn Bhd. All rights reserved. [Gamehubs logo] is the trademark of Gamehubs Sdn Bhd. Gamehubs Journal Issue 000 is a special and limited edition prototype print. It is meant to be a one-off project and initiative by Gamehubs Sdn Bhd.
Let’s play,
Justin Chee CEO, Managing Editor Now playing: Overwatch Closed Beta Twitter: Juztion Battle.net: Juztion#1795
Amélie Lacroix aka Widowmaker gamehubs.com
3
EVENTS
GAMESTART 2015 SEA’s very own Games Show Written by Mark Samuels • Pictures by Rul MK • Edited by Justin Chee
G
oing to a games convention is something of a dream to many gamers, but the cost of going to Tokyo Games Show or E3 is nothing to scoff at. So I think it was only natural for us to be excited about GameStart 2015. Held close to home at our neighbour’s (Singapore) Suntec City Convention Centre, we were not about to give the event a pass. Off we went, becoming part of a crowd of 17,000 visitors. GameStart 2015 featured a large showing from Sony PlayStation, Bandai Namco and Blizzard. In addition, the programmes on stage were for the most part successful in pulling in the attention of the convention goers. Major programmes included the Capcom Pro Tour Asia Qualifiers, Game On! Cosplay showcase, a special music performance by Gentle Love, and the presence of the PlayStation VR hands-on area. For us, the highlight of the event was getting to try out the PlayStation VR headset. It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that if you went home without trying it, then your GameStart experience would have been incomplete. Fortunately, we managed to get early in queue on Sunday and played the 4-player party game known as PlayRoom VR. It should be noted that the PSVR will require a PS Eye for calibration purposes, and its retail price has yet to be confirmed. On the main stage, the organisers arranged many interesting programmes for Saturday and Sunday, such as Rainbow Six Siege show matches. Day one highlights included the live demo on Gravity Rush Remastered by Sony Japan’s Keiichiro Toyama, as well as the StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void SEA finals, which saw Singapore’s very own Thomas ‘Blysk’ Kopankiewicz crowned champion. As for day two, the best programmes was the musical performance by Norihiko Hibino and AYAKI of Gentle Love, the producer session with Yoshinori Ono of Capcom who told us more about the upcoming Street Fighter V, and of course the Capcom Pro Tour Asia Grand finals for Street Fighter IV. Attractions off-stage were not any less interesting, as this year saw the inclusion of many indie games developers who were there to showcase their games, a retro corner where we got to dive into nostalgia with games from our youth, as well as a variety of
4
gamehubs.com
merchandise. There’s more, of course, but check out the rest of the highlights from our small gallery of pictures. GameStart 2015 built upon the success of last year and is certainly shaping up to be the premier gaming convention in SEA. While it is a shame that none of the reveals were new and that there was a conspicuous lack of a demo for Blizzard’s Overwatch, games developers seem to be giving our region a lot more attention. Let’s all hope that next year’s event becomes bigger yet, and maybe one day rival the likes of E3 and TGS.
EVENTS
Stage announcements firing off at GameStart 2015. 1] StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void SEA Finals taking place in GameStart 2015, an appropriate time and place. 2] The PlayStation VR on display. 3] Cosplayers as Tracer (left) and Symmetra (Right) adjacent to Blizzard Entertainment’s GameStart 2015 offerings.
1
2
4] Professional gamers on stage displaying their skills and reflexes on screen while showcasing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. 5] A performance cum gaming session on stage for the visitors of GameStart 2015.
4
3
5
gamehubs.com
5
C
an’t get enough of Gravity Rush? The acclaimed PlayStation Vita hit, is officially making its way to PS4 this month, December 2016. Developed by the brilliant team at Bluepoint Games, the remastered version will revisit Kat’s adventures through the city of Hekseville with her trusty sidekick Dusty. Taking advantage of the PS4 hardware, Gravity Rush now promises a smooth and vibrant experience with HD visuals. All three DLC packs released alongside Gravity Rush’s initial release: the Spy Pack, Maid Pack and Military Pack will all be included within the game. Whether you are brand new to the franchise, or want to relive the experience again, Gravity Rush Remastered is the perfect opportunity to experience the magical story of Kat as she seeks answers to her mysterious gravity-defying powers and a forgotten past, now in full HD 1080p glory alongside ample graphical and performance improvements.
PReview Manipulate gravity with the DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controller, using its built-in motion sensors to give you a new level of control.
Traverse through the city of Hekseville and experience the beautiful architecture now recreated in full HD. Join Kat in her adventures using her mysterious gifts to seek answers of her past. Enjoy Gravity Rush Remastered’s unique comic book art style with over 600 illustrations available to view in the new gallery mode. Enjoy extra missions, challenges and costumes with the Maid Pack, Spy Pack and Military Pack, all included in the game.
Dive into a world of beautifully enhanced graphics to explore the unique 3D world, stunningly revamped from the awardwinning PS Vita original.
gamehubs.com
7
PREVIEW
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment ETA: 21 June 2016 Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
8
gamehubs.com
PREVIEW
BLIZZARD RELOADED BLIZZARD STEPS INTO AN UNFAMILIAR REALM, TACKLES SQUAD-BASED SHOOTER GENRE Written by Ivan Cheong, Justin Chee Edited by Justin Chee
F
rom the creators of the highly successful World of Warcraft, Starcraft and the Diablo series, Blizzard’s further diversifying their repertoire of video game genres with Overwatch, an upcoming multiplayer first person shooter revealed back in November 7th 2014 in BlizzCon. Recently, we’ve been honoured with the access of Overwatch’s closed beta and survived the pulse rifle bullets and katana slashes to tell the tale of how promising this new franchise can be. With its current line up of 21 heroes at the point of writing this, Overwatch is presenting a vibrantly designed FPS where each and every hero are bestowed with unique roles, skillset and characteristics, from a time-jumping mercenary, to an armoured rocket-hammer-wielding warrior - in which their own quips are all harnessed to create refreshing twist of role playing in a teambased FPS like never before.
PLAY YOUR ROLE There are four team roles in Overwatch which are: Offence, Defence, Tank and Support. Offence heroes are your typical glass cannons made to take down the enemy team with speed and power. Defence characters suit a more patient
player, staying back and guarding choke points from the opponents. Supports are often seen at the rear providing friendly buffs to your team or nasty debuffs to enemies. And finally the Tanks, characters with large amounts of health and armour designed to withstand significant abuse before going down.
NOT QUITE AN MMO, NOT QUITE A SHOOTER EITHER The basic foundation of the game closely relates to many arena-based first person shooters such as Quake, Unreal Tournament and Team Fortress 2. Overwatch features squad-based combat mechanics with two teams of six players each going head to head with one another. Players are able to choose one from a list of heroes, each with their own specialty within a team’s composition. But what makes it stand out from the other games is how distinct and unique each character feels. The different abilities of each hero allow players to formulate new strategies and find out what abilities synergise with the team. Besides that, players are able to switch between characters in-game following deaths while the number of the same character present on the battlefield are
not limited to just one. That means you can have two or an entire team of the same character in play at the same time.
OPULENT STAGES - ATTACK OR DEFEND Overwatch’s is made even more immersive and vibrant with its beautiful line up of stages that the two opposing teams would be randomly transported into before each play. Both teams would either be playing as attackers or defenders and depending on the alignment, would spawn at two opposite ends of the stage. This makes every commencing battle from both the attacking party or defending party in requirement of some strategising beforehand. At the same time, players would never grow bored of the multitude of attacking or defending strategies they can cook alongside the diverse range of heroes you can choose to duke it out in the beautifully crafted stages.
THE GAME MODES Currently, only 2 game modes are available which are Payload and Point Capture. Similar to the Team Fortress 2’s Payload mode, the attackers
gamehubs.com
9
PREVIEW Vibrant stages, an easy learning curve and many heroes makes Overwatch a really addictive FPS venture by Blizzard.
If you like these games, you’ll probably will like Overwatch. Team Fortress 2
must escort the payload to the delivery point while the defenders would have to stall the progress until time runs out. Point Capture will put the teams to battle over control of the map. The attacker’s goal is capture as many key locations while the defenders must stop them until the timer ends. The Overwatch closed beta started on October 27th 2015 for North America and European servers with Asian servers invites coming slightly later. Blizzard has also announced that the beta will open for all players with the engagement of server stress testing in near future. Fast-paced, memorable characters and extremely fun, Overwatch looks like another runaway success from Blizzard Entertainment. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for this on release, expect a full review until then.
10
gamehubs.com
Shares the most similarities to Overwatch in terms of squad-based mechanics and game modes. Characters are also fun and memorable.
Pre-Order Details Pre-orders are available now for PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4 on the official Overwatch website. Pre-ordering the game will earn you a Noire Widowmaker skin at launch. There will be two other version of the game that you can pre-purchase; the Origins Edition and the Collector’s Edition. The Origins Edition will include 21 playable heroes, bonus hero skins and more digital goodies across all Blizzard games while the Collector’s Edition will have all the contents of Origins Edition with the addition of a visual soundtrack, soundtrack and a Soldier: 76 statue. Standard game is priced at USD40 and Origins Edition at USD60. Collector’s Edition price has not been determined yet. Overwatch will release on June 21st, 2016.
Unreal Tournament / Quake Franchise
These two franchises are the pioneers of arena based shooters. Extremely fast paced, a plethora of unique weapons, and welldesigned maps all play a part in the success of these games.
Counter-Strike Franchise
By far the most popular mod to be born from the Half Life engine. Counter Strike remains very popular and is the go to first person shooter for e-sports thanks to its high skill cap, realism and heavy squad tactics.
PREVIEW
“Fast-paced, memorable characters and extremely fun, Overwatch looks like another runaway success”
Win A Street Fighter SD Diorama Featuring ‘T.N.C. 02 KEN’ by Big Boys Toys! Love Street Fighter? Here’s your chance to grab one exclusive unit of Ken Masters SD Diorama by Big Boys Toys. All you need to do is give us your suggestions on how we can improve our next issue of Gamehubs Journal. It’s that simple! To enter the giveaway: 1. Visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/gamehubs and find the ‘Contest’ tab on the page. 2. Click on the tab and give Gamehubs a ‘Like’. 3. Hit ‘Enter’, register your details and write to us your suggestions on improving Gamehubs Journal. 4. Submit your entry and help us share this contest to your friends! 5. You’ll be in the running of winning one unit of ‘T.N.C. 02 KEN’ Street Fighter SD Diorama by Big Boys Toys*. Giveaway Valid Until: 31 January 2016 Terms and conditions apply. *This giveaway comprises of two different prizes sponsored by Big Boys Toys and Parrot. The winner may win either one of the two prizes featured only. Refer to page 15.
Available at Gamers Hideout, 1 Utama Shopping Centre and Mid Valley Megamall.
REVIEW
Written by Tetradact Edited by Justin Chee
Developer: EA Dice Publisher: Electronic Arts ETA: 17 November 2015 Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
For The Empire! STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT UNPACKED
EA
’s take on Star Wars Battlefront has been marred with doubts ever since it was announced two years ago in E3. This doubt was further exacerbated as more details about Battlefront was revealed over time, with many lamenting that the Battlefront series would no longer be as good as the other two Battlefront games that were handled by Pandemic way back then. Now that the game is finally out, EA’s attempt at Battlefront needs to prove that it isn’t a quick cash in. It needs to prove that it isn’t a poor imitation of the original games and is worthy to be called a successor to the Pandemic titles. To that end, EA’s Battlefront, has succeeded and failed in various aspects. Let’s start with the positives first though. In terms of immersion, I dare say that Battlefront 2015 is a spectacular masterpiece. The folks over at DICE has managed to successfully recreate the feel of Star Wars battle. I’ve always known that the Frostbite 3 engine was a thing to behold, but Battlefront manages to look incredibly pretty. For PC gamers such as myself, the game itself runs extremely well. Even on low settings, the graphics on this game are astounding. From the way the laser trails illuminate its surrounding, to the way a Thermal Imploder detonates, collapses in on itself, and then explodes violently again, this game is a visual treat to behold. Sound direction is a department that DICE has always been a master of and Battlefront benefits greatly from
that. Battlefront manages to retain all of the iconic sounds that are associated with the Star Wars franchise. Be it the shrieking sounds of a TIE Fighter, the metal clanging from an AT-ST, or the deep, guttural blast from a Turbolaser, all of them are easily identifiable from the constant chaos of a Star Wars warefare. I can safely say that the only part that isn’t quite up to snuff when it comes to sound is the voices of the Hero characters. Some of the heroes’ voices are passable while some are just awful. Other than that though, everything else is an A++ in my book. The cherry on top of the presentation sundae is in the minor details. The battle that rages above your head while you’re on the surface fighting is affected by your team’s performance. Perform well in battle as the Empire, and the battle in the skies reflect that by having a Mon Calamari cruiser crashing down towards the surface; perform badly, and a Star Destroyer blows up. This detailing, plus many others, all just heightens the sense of immersion for Battlefront. Moving onto the gameplay of Battlefront 2015. The game comes with a total of 9 multiplayer modes and 3 single player/co-op modes. The 9 multiplayer modes in this game are mostly fairly standard multiplayer shooter offerings. Blast is Team Deathmatch, Drop Pod is King Of The Hill, Droid Run is Domination and etc. A couple of modes were also brought back from the previous Battlefronts such as Hero vs Villains whereby the heroes and villains of Star Wars duke it
out on the field. Modes new to Battlefront are Walker Assault, a mode where the objective is to defend or destroy the AT-ATs depending on your faction, Hero Hunt, where 5 regular troops attempt to bring down a lone hero unit, and Fighter Squadron, a deathmatch played out in Starfighters. Single player is made up of missions, which function as tutorials to the multiplayer components and co-op mode allows you and a friend to take on waves of Empire troops that escalate in difficulty the longer you guys progress through the waves. Simply put, the meat of the game is in the multiplayer, whereas the single player is just a jump off point. As you play the game, you’ll gradually rank up and earn credits. Ranking up gains you access to new blasters, Star Cards and appearance modifications, all of which must be purchased via credits. Star Cards are Battlefront’s version of loadouts where you select two cards that are cooldown-based and one that is chargebased. This mechanic replaces the class system found in previous Battlefront games, giving you the ability to tailor your soldier depending on the situation. Want a dedicated vehicle buster? Load up on Ion-based weaponry. Want to be a long range specialist? Bring a Pulse Rifle or Cycler Rifle to the fight. All of the Star Cards can be further upgraded via credits to reduce cooldown time or increase the amount of charges you can hold at any one time. When compared with other shooters, Battlefront is gamehubs.com
13
REVIEW “perfect for the casual gamer who wants to pick up a controller and have fun”
The new Battlfront is seriously pretty.
very simplistic. That isn’t exactly a bad thing if you’re the kind of person who wants to have some fun for a few hours. Indeed, apart from Walker Assault, a Battlefront match don’t tend to last longer than 10 minutes. This game is perfect for the casual gamer who wants to pick up a controller and have fun, but don’t want to navigate the initial learning curve to do so. In that sense, Battlefront is the perfect game for them. For those who are looking for something more than a basic arcade shooter though, the game may fall short. Firstly, all 9 modes found on Battlefront currently rotate around 4 planets, 5 if you pre-ordered it. While the first few hours or so is fun, it becomes a problem if you’ve played it for an extended period of time. You’ll eventually reach a point where you realise that there isn’t really all that much variety in the game. Balancing is another factor of the game that feels off. The obvious issues with balance rears its ugly head on Endor as the Rebels camouflaged outfits allow them to run circles around the Stormtroopers who are dressed in white. Another issue worthy of note is the ridiculous survivability of both the Slave 1 and the Millennium Falcon in Fighter Squadron. Both ships are extreme laser
14
gamehubs.com
sponges that can deal significant damage, allowing whoever that pilots it to be able to dominate the game so long as they don’t crash towards the ground. In my opinion, Battlefront is a game that is fun. Unfortunately, the amount of content in the game is quite shallow once you’ve spent a week with it. While EA has promised that there will be more content coming out for Battlefront via DLC, I have to wonder if those content will be worth the asking price, and if there will be any players left playing the game when it comes out. As it stands, Battlefront is a game that is full of style, but is lacking in substance. Whatever the case, Battlefront has laid the foundation for DICE to make future Battlefront games, and it’ll be interesting to see the next instalment in the franchise. If you’re looking for a quick Star Wars fix, Battlefront would satisfy that itch; just don’t expect it to tide your wait for Episode VIII to arrive in the theaters.
REVIEW
Win A Parrot Jumping Minidrone!
We’re all gamers but sometimes we need to take gaming out to the real world. Here’s your chance to enhance your gaming reflexes by playing with an exclusive unit of Jumping Minidrone by Parrot. To win, all you need to do is give us your suggestions on how we can improve our next issue of Gamehubs Journal. It’s that simple! To enter the giveaway: 1. Visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/gamehubs and find the ‘Contest’ tab on the page. 2. Click on the tab and give Gamehubs a ‘Like’. 3. Hit ‘Enter’, register your details and write to us your suggestions on improving Gamehubs Journal. 4. Submit your entry and help us share this contest to your friends! 5. You’ll be in the running of winning one unit of Jumping Minidrone by Parrot*. Giveaway Valid Until: 31 January 2016
Available at Gamers Hideout, 1 Utama Shopping Centre and Mid Valley Megamall. Terms and conditions apply. *This giveaway comprises of two different prizes sponsored by Big Boys Toys and Parrot. The winner may win either one of the two prizes featured only. Refer to page 11.
gamehubs.com
15
TECHNOLOGY
5 Things We Know About The PlayStation VR So Far Written by Tetradact • Edited by Justin Chee
Formerly known as Project Morpheus, the PlayStation VR is Sony’s own take of the virtual reality headset. While details surrounding the price and release date of the PSVR is still scant, that doesn’t mean that the device itself is completely shrouded in mystery. Here are 5 things that we known about Sony’s own upcoming VR headset.
16
1. The Hardware
2. The Controls
3. The Games
4. The Other Stuff
5. Release Date and Pricing
As expected from a device called the PlayStation VR, the headset will be connected to the PlayStation 4 console whereby the console will process the game and streams it to the device. The PlayStation VR itself will utilise a Full HD 1080p OLED display, with the screen for each side of the eye having a resolution of 960 x 1080. Position and movement tracking on the PlayStation VR will be handled by the accelerometers and the LED side-lights which work in tandem with a PlayStation Camera. Sony claims that the camera can track the headset up to 1,000 times per second.
For gaming, the PlayStation VR will be controlled primarily via the DualShock 4 controller. An alternative to the DualShock 4 would be the mostly forgotten PlayStation Move batons. Early reports from some gaming websites have said that the Move works well with the headset, so this may be the breath of life the PlayStation Move needs.
The games are going to be the main reason why people would purchase the PlayStation VR in the first place. In that regard, Sony has announced some titles throughout the year. Coming from both in-house studios and third-party studios, some of the games that are expected to be out for the PSVR include The London Heist: The Getaway, E.V.E. Valkyrie, Battlezone, and many more. Besides new games, other titles that are already out will receive PSVR support, with one of them being Project CARS.
While the PlayStation VR is designed to be gamingfocused, that doesn’t mean that Sony is making the device just for gaming. With the announcement that Sony is planning to integrate their Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services under the “PlayStation Vue” branding, many expect the company to offer users films and music videos in a similar way to the Samsung Gear VR’s Oculus Cinema app.
Currently, there is no official release date or pricing for the PlayStation VR. What we do know is that the headset will launch sometime in 2016 and “will be priced as a new gaming platform”. Judging from the following quote, we speculate that the PSVR will have a price point that is almost identical to a full-fledged console.
gamehubs.com
TECHNOLOGY
And The PSVR Games We Look Forward To!
Quite recently, Sony has announced that over 50 games are scheduled to appear on the PlayStation Vita. Among those 50 titles, here are the few that we believe contain the most promise.
Summer Lesson What we’ve listed so far are games of a rather intense nature, so let’s go with one that is a bit more… uh…soothing. Summer Lesson is a game developed by Bandai Namco which puts you in charge of teaching girls Japanese through the universal language of head gestures. Nod or shake your head when the girls get their Japanese right or wrong, all while slowly taking in the fact that you might be attracted to virtual girls instead of real ones. At least virtual girls have minimal upkeep!
Robinson : The Journey Created by Crytek, Robinson : The Journey looks to be a survival-exploration game set on an alien planet. Even if the game doesn’t pan out well, it would still be a great tech demo for the PSVR.
EVE : Valkyrie Created by CCP Games, EVE : Valkyrie looks to be a space dogfighting sim set in the universe of the MMO juggernaut known as EVE Online. CCP Games has stated that whatever happens in EVE :Valkyrie will affect the EVE Online universe as well, so it has potential to be one of the more interesting games coming out for the PSVR.
Gran Turismo Sport Sony’s premier driving sim meets virtual reality. Couple that with a steering wheel controller and you’ll have the safest way of experiencing the Nurburgring without having to pay for air tickets. RIGS: Mechanized Combat League Does robot combat sound like your cup of tea? That is the basis of RIGS: Mechanized Combat League. The game is a first person arena shooter where you run around an arena destroying all your enemies while piloting a robot. Thanks to the PSVR, the action would either make your heart beat faster, or cause you to vomit from motion sickness.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes Have you ever saw a movie scene where one person is trying to defuse a bomb while another person walks him through the process via a phone call? That is the basic premise of Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. One person is strapped to the PSVR and is staring directly at the bomb while the other person is responsible for telling him how to defuse said bomb. Success depends on the pair’s ability to communicate efficiently. gamehubs.com
17
Upcoming
Here’s our pick of 2016’s upcoming hits!
Lego Marvel’s Avengers ETA: January 26, 2016
Like Lego games and/or the Avengers? This game which features the plots of both Avengers movies and several solo outings - might be for you. Available: PC, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 ETA: February 9, 2016
The Ultimate Ninja Storm series’ debut on next-gen consoles, Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 will cover the last few arcs of the Naruto saga. Available: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Far Cry Primal ETA: February 23/March for PC, 2016
Ubisoft takes the Far Cry series to the distant past where mammoths and saber-toothed cats still roam the land. Players will use traditional weaponry like spears and bows. Available: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Tom Clancy’s The Division ETA: March 8, 2016
Enter a city ravaged by a pandemic as a member of the Strategic Homeland Division to prevent the fall of society. As a lone wolf or squad member, you’ll battle AI enemies and, perhaps, other players. Available: PS4, Xbox One, PC
18
gamehubs.com
XCOM 2 ETA: February 5, 2016
The turn-based strategy sequel turns the titular organization into a resistance force battling against the ADVENT administration in an alien-ruled Earth. Available: PC
Mighty No. 9 ETA: February 12, 2016
Keiji Inafune and a team of veteran Mega Man developers come together to bring us this 2D actionplatformer. Available: PC, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst ETA: May 24, 2016
Catalyst tells the story of Faith’s origins, and takes the parkour of the first game and puts it in a slick and gorgeous open world of rooftops and skyscrapers. Available: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Hitman ETA: March 11, 2016
Say goodbye to linear levels, and instead welcome sandbox levels bigger and more elaborate than Blood Money’s. Coupled with other tweaks and additions, this could be the ultimate assassination sim. Available: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Battleborn ETA: May 3, 2016
The Borderlands developers return with a MOBA-FPS hybrid, featuring a multitude of playable sci-fi and fantasy characters in PvP and co-op modes. Available: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Street Fighter V ETA: February 16, 2016
The next instalment of Street Fighter is all set to take fighting games to a new generation on the PS4 and PC. Featuring 16 characters at launch with four of whom are new to the franchise. Available: PC, PS4
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 ETA: February 25, 2016
Expect more fun beach activities and lovely fan service from this third installment of the Dead or Alive Xtreme spin-off series. Available: PS4, PS Vita
Uncharted 4 ETA: March 18, 2016
Join Drake on his final adventure as he joins his longlost brother, Sam, on a journey around the globe in pursuit of a historical conspiracy behind the fabled pirate treasure of a lost pirate colony. Available: PS4