24 minute read
PS4’S SecreT gameS
PS4’S gameS
From intergalactic space operas to treasurehunting system sellers, how will PlayStation’s best-loved franchises evolve on PS4? Our series experts go undercover to find out
Ps4’s secret games mass effect 4
Writer: Phil Iwaniuk
the most assured certainty about Mass Effect 4 is that it won’t be called that. Resorting to nonsensical subtitles such as ‘Awakening’, ‘Origins’ or ‘We’ve Straight Up Lost Interest’ is mandatory behaviour after hitting number three in a videogame series. Bioware’s showing no signs of the latter, but nevertheless it doesn’t want the next ME game referred to as a straight sequel because that implies another Commander Shepard title. Not only is Shepard absent in the next instalment, but he doesn’t even exist in its universe. Never did, never will. The same goes for almost everything you know about the Mass Effect saga: “It’s going to be a totally new thing,” exec producer Casey Hudson announced at PAX East last year. “Something fresh; a new way for you to explore the whole universe.”
If you’re thinking MMO, don’t bet on it – Star Wars: TOR dev Bioware’s Austin studio is advertising for new talent to work on, “several unannounced projects,” and while the next Mass Effect hasn’t taken to the E3 show floor yet, people know it’s a thing thanks to numerous tweets from Bioware staffers. More likely it’s a solo adventure in the Star Wars: KOTOR and ME 1-3 mould, this time with all-new characters and setting (it must be nice for the writers not to have to worry about series canon and angry forumites anymore).
The one element that’ll bind the new project to the Shepard trilogy is the eponymous mass effect relay system, which allows ultra-quick travel between galaxies. Despite the scope associated with such a setting, it’s already in a playable state, so expect it on PS4 this year. Hopefully Bioware doesn’t listen to the fans too much: stung by ME3’s ending backlash, it’s been asking for a lot of feedback on where to go next, but a space-hopping RPG designed by the loudest voices on the internet sounds as much fun as a new shooter starring Cthulhu, bacon and kittens.
writer bio
games editor Phil iwaniuk reviewed mass effect 3 and can recite nearly every choice and consequence. bad break-ups with Diana allers and Jack left him gutted.
borderlands 3
Writer: Matthew Pellett
gearbox president Randy Pitchford has insisted its production hasn’t started, but is already teasing another soonto-be-announced Borderlands project and confirmed number three is wanted, but that the team, “don’t know what it is yet.”
2K Games wants it as well: Borderlands 2 is now the highest-selling game in 2K Games’ history. When it does arrive, expect it to be: “massive – bigger and better than Borderlands 2,” in Pitchford’s own words. Massive how? Multi-world massive. When we interviewed Gearbox’s Steve Gibson about Borderlands 2 in 2012, he revealed the team considered a multi-planet setting before realising, “we need to get people feeling like they’d explored one planet before they start bouncing around to other places.” Borderlands 2 achieved that, no?
The SHIFT system will be expanded (“obviously you know we’re thinking about that stuff with our future games,” says studio co-founder Brian Martel), but the biggest clues to Borderlands 3’s content may lie in Borderlands 2’s DLC. Ever notice how General Knoxx’s rants during BL1’s expansion were the templates for Handsome Jack’s communications in the sequel? Gearbox used the original’s DLC to test ideas it had for BL2. Indeed, lead writer Anthony Burch, “would love to,” make a full game using Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep’s unpredictable storytelling template.
Before then, Borderlands 2 is heading to PS Vita this May, just one month after Borderlands 2’s final slice of DLC – Sir Hammerlock Vs The Son Of Crawmerax – hits the PS3 version. Telltale Games is also working on Tales From The Borderlands. And the other, unnumbered Borderlands project? Keep your ears open for an ECHO recorder containing more news soon.
writer bio
claptrap apologist matt has completed almost every bl quest and expansion. he also found a framed feature of his in gearbox’s pinball hall. gta V on Ps4 feels like a dead cert. the question is, what form will it take?
gta V
Writer: Dan Dawkins
expect an enhanced version of GTA V on PS4 with new single-player DLC and an improved version of GTA Online, within three to six months. Why? 1) Money – Sony’s 5.3m PS4 user base is too lucrative to ignore, and Take-Two’s shareholders will demand it. 2) A PC version is a near-certainty (Red Dead’s the only recent Rockstar game not to appear on PC), and PS4’s re-jigged PC architecture allows an easy port. 3) GTA Online – As gamers migrate from PS3 to PS4, Rockstar’s online service – and its mooted microtransactions – will transition with the audience. Rockstar would never confirm a PS4 version until they’d maximised PS3 sales over the holiday period, but expect an announcement soon. A GTA V ‘ultimate edition’ at 1080p in 60fps, optimised for the DualShock 4 with new missions, would be too good to resist.
GTA IV arrived on PC nine months after the console versions, with a new Video Editor mode. In August 2012, I asked Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies if they were planning a GTA V editor: “A dream of ours is that when you finish the game, you press a button and it’s made a film of your game.” Sounds complex? “No, it’s all doable,” Benzies replied. I don’t expect this wizardry for PS4, but 32-player GTA Online might be realistic. Your PS3 progress should carry to PS4, since Rockstar stores data in the Social Club cloud.
I’d expect the PS4 version to come with eight to ten hours of new single-player content (like GTA IV’s The Ballad Of Gay Tony), but I’m unsure whether it’ll be a prequel or a quasi-sequel. It sounds far fetched, but GTA V contains enough hints about an alien invasion… and Red Dead’s zombie DLC sets a bizarre precedent.
writer bio
Former PSm3 editor Dan Dawkins is the host of cvg’s gta v o’clock show and is one of the few journalists to ever visit rockstar north.
red Dead 3
Writer: Dave Meikleham
as Mr Marston duly proved back in 2010, ‘West is best’ when it comes to conjuring a captivating open-world. More than any other sandbox that doesn’t involve the grand thievery of automobiles, the tale of a conflicted rancher trying to redeem himself during the dying throes of the outlaw captured the imagination like never before. After raking in obscene amounts of cash and critical acclaim, Take-Two will be begging Rockstar to revisit its cash cow(boy) on PS4.
Back in 2012, the carbonite cool studio listed Red Dead as one of its “permanent” franchises. Around the same time it also posted a message during a Q&A stating: “We love Red Dead, too. We don’t always rush to make sequels, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t get to them eventually. Stay tuned for further announcements about the future of the Red Dead series.” Clearly, cowboys are still very much in the developer’s thoughts.
However, there is one potential stumbling Stetson: where does the series have left to go? Red Dead Redemption was such an exhaustive collection of Western tropes and iconography, it’s hard to know where Rockstar can go next. Its San Diego wing comprehensively ticked off duelling pistols at dawn, stagecoach robberies in Monument Valley and strangely therapeutic cattle wrangling. Unlike GTA, Red Dead isn’t formless. Its central appeal is tied to a very distinct era and specific place. Seeing as Rockstar often loves to expand and innovate – note GTA V’s character-swapping – I wouldn’t be surprised if a major thematic shake-up wasn’t on the cards for a PS4 sequel. How about a darkly post-modern take on the Western, a la No Country For Old Men? Just imagine Rockstar crafting a Dust Bowl-esque expanse, similar to Blaine County, and filling it with morally dubious lawman and ranchers in “we cOulD See a a modern setting. Setting Red Dead 3 in present day Darker weStern, would allow it to bring that beloved radio satire with a nO cOuntry into the mix, with station after station of the sort of FOr OlD men vibe.” country tunes served up by GTA V’s Rebel Radio. From Wild West to Willie Nelson; it’d be a hell of an evolution. Regardless of whether you’ll be dealing with 1914 or 2014, you should expect another openworld masterpiece. When it comes to sandbox gaming, Rockstar has somewhat of a lock on 10/10 experiences. And let’s be honest, if you’re gagging for a belting PS4 Western, it’s unlikely to come from any other source.
writer bio
having completed red Dead redemption three times, John marston is now Dave’s favourite games character. Dave’s also obsessed with Sergio leone.
Whether it’s akavir or beyond, the setting of tes VI will be key to your journey.
the elder Scrolls Vi
Writer: Matthew Sakuraoka-Gilman
Forget the rumours: Bethesda Game Studios is working on PS4. Sony’s console is mentioned by name in multiple job postings for the developer. With the recent announcement of Skyrim’s 20 million lifetime sales, Todd Howard and co would have to be tweaking on moon sugar to not bring a new single-player Elder Scrolls to hungry fans. By the time TES VI arrives we’ll already have spent a sizeable portion of our time exploring post-apocalypse Boston, if myriad Fallout 4 gossipings are to be believed. History dictates that the Elder Scrolls team (a separate entity to The Elder Scroll Online’s crew) alternates between Tamriel and the Wasteland. For its first outing on next-gen, it’s Fallout’s turn to bat.
As for where TES VI will be set, we’ve yet to visit Blackmarsh, Valenwood, Elsweyr or the Summerset Isles in Tamriel, but personally I think it’s about time we were whisked off to Akavir, far to the east. With The Elder Scrolls Online covering many of these previously unvisited Tamriel continents, what better time to introduce a whole new continent? Akavir would also offer up new races previously touched upon in lore, such as the ape-like Tang Mo and the Ka Po’ Tun, thought to be distantly related to the Khajiit.
PS4’s technical oomph could enable destructible environments, while post-Skyrim DLC elements such as home-building should be available from day one. We’re unlikely to see any form of co-op multiplayer, however. “What we continue to come back to is: one, that it’s not necessary because clearly we’ve done okay without it,” explained Bethesda VP Pete Hines in a recent interview. “And two: is it adding anything that’s missing [from] the experience we’re trying to create?”
writer bio
Survivor of a 24-hour Skyrim marathon, matt has clocked up so much time in tamriel he refers to himself in third-person, khajiit style.
PeS 2015
Writer: Dan Dawkins
Back in January, the @officialPES account tweeted that you, “can expect to see PES 2015 on your PS4,” but wouldn’t confirm Xbox One or Wii U versions. “We don’t really have any information about it at the moment, but we’ll keep you informed.”
Strategically, a PS4 exclusive has merit. PES is comfortably outsold by FIFA on PS3 (20:1 in some territories), but the gap is larger on Xbox. Sony could offset Konami’s losses for skipping the potentially less significant Xbox One (with cash up-front and an advertising commitment or a pack-in bundle) with benefits for both parties. Konami gets to focus development on one platform and receive preferential promotion on the ‘winning’ console. Sony scores a nice exclusive for Japan, South America and Southern Europe, where PES outsells or keenly competes with FIFA.
Either way, PES 2015 is critical for Konami’s maligned franchise. FIFA 14 is impressive but grounded in current generation realities. PES has the potential to make a seismic leap like FIFA did from PS2 to PS3. I visited Konami’s PES team in Jan 2012 to learn its vision for FoxEngine on PS3 and beyond. PES 2014 boasted improved visuals, but it’s clear the team weren’t able to implement its more radical gameplay ideas at the time.
On PS4, expect astonishing FoxEngine kit textures, lighting and shading. Unique Player ID animations and behaviour will be applied to hundreds of players, not 50 like on PS3. PES 2015 is co-developed by the new PES London Studio, handling localisation issues (no more Japlish) and new game modes (likely a FUT rival, or something in the social/mobile space). Don’t expect a licensing breakthrough, but a sublimely animated, deep simulation, with a European TV-style presentation and some surprising game modes.
writer bio
Once known for week-long post-deadline PeS binges, Dan travelled to Japan last year to see konami’s vision for the series’ future.
While the ending of Uncharted 4 isn’t likely to be as hard-hitting as tLOU’s finale, Drake’s next adventure will still need to pack a significant emotional punch.
Uncharted 4
Writer: Dave Meikleham
all the graphics. That’s what everyone is expecting, right? I think it’s safe to assume Nate’s next-gen outing will be easy on the irises. After all, Naughty Dog is not only a supreme spinner introspective baton and run all the way to the finish line – probably in a flood of tears while nursing a bottle of Scotch. While Drake’s first PS4 adventure is unlikely to be as morally stark and biting as ND’s apocalyptic journey, it’s clear telling a joke-heavy of digital yarns, but is also the most technically plot centred around an archaeological MacGuffin gifted group currently working on PlayStation. won’t match the breakthroughs in storytelling Though the next Uncharted already has an achieved in TLOU. So expect a challenging narrative alluring teaser trailer confirming its existence, the that poses far more uncomfortable questions. real question is just how Previous entries’ technical far the masterful Santa Monica-based developer “naughty DOg will excellence have been firmly rooted in lavishing a can push PS4. Squeeze a level OF tremendous amount of care on environments unified by Guerrilla has already set a lofty entry point with viSual quality that a single element. Uncharted 3 took PS3 to new heights the sumptuously sturdy Killzone: Shadow Fall – will Set it aPart.” with its glorious depiction of dancing fire and look at all that glistening unabating, harsh desert, glass and those vibrantly bleached cherry orchids on while Among Thieves crystallised its Vekta and tell me you can ever go back to 720p. Yet incredible presentation in amazingly now the onus is on Sony’s premiere team to craft an purdy snow effects. With South experience that wouldn’t look out of place running African coastal headlands like The on a high-end PC. Cape Of Good Hope spotted in
Naughty Dog has already eked wryly funny, the trailer, I’d bet Naughty Dog continually warm roles out of Nolan North and is about to take on the oceanic company, but now it’s time to marry that celebrated depths with serious gusto. performance capture with more lasting emotion. Regardless of the destination, That hissing narrator from the trailer is likely to be you’re dealing with a near assured Nate’s nemesis and his scornful tone suggests this masterpiece. Naughty Dog will Uncharted is going to be a considerably darker affair squeeze a level of visual quality out than the reasonably breezy Drake’s Deception. “I lost of PS4 that will set its title apart 15 years. Buried alive. Erased. You left me rotting from anything else on the system, in that hellhole and never looked back.” Expect the while also adding masterful pacing, a treasure hunter to evolve past his Saturday matinee, Hollywood-beating script and peerless Indy-inspired roots and transform into an altogether set-piece spectacle. Forget the name or more conflicted character. number that eventually gets tagged onto
In the wake of The Last Of Us, it’s clear the studio this Uncharted. All you need to is yearning to tell more serious stories. I fully expect know is you’re looking at the the fourth Uncharted to pick up that more mature, definition of a killer app.
writer bio
Dave meikleham has bagged platinum trophies in all three PS3 uncharted games, and is already talking about booking a full month off work when 4 arrives.
Ps4’s secret games the Last of Us 2
Writer: Dave Houghton
Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic beauty initially seems to deliver a very final end to a very complete story. But really, it does the opposite. While Joel’s actions during that ending put a full-stop on the end of his and Ellie’s journey, they cement a definite long-term status quo for TLOU’s universe, blowing open limitless story and gameplay possibilities elsewhere in that world. To a studio so narratively-led as ND, that has to be a deliciously tempting proposition.
In fact, it definitely is. Consider the single-player DLC, Left Behind. It’s distinctly different to the original game, focusing on exploration, evasion, and hitherto unexplored elements of survivor politics during Ellie’s pre-Joel existence. Creative director Neil Druckman has said that developing any follow-up would be a case of asking, “Can we tell people a story that’s really worth telling, and that’s not repeating itself?” It strikes me that ND is already answering that question with a resounding, “Yes”.
Additionally, the seven-month gap between TLOU’s release and the arrival of Left Behind strikes me as suspicious in this era of day-one DLC and swift additions to big hits. It could be coincidental, but I find it highly intriguing that a significant narrative addition to TLOU’s fiction is landing just as the PS4 picks up steam. Re-establishing, in fact
expanding, a last-gen universe just as next-gen fever kicks off feels a lot like firing up a flare to ensure that no-one forgets the fungus zombies amid the growing frenzy for Uncharted 4. We know Naughty Dog is discussing ideas. Druckman admitted in early February to brainstorming sequels and new IP, following comments in a Reddit AMA that, “no direction has been set yet for the next game.” Something big is going on. It has to be. Following two generations as a resolute ‘one game at a time’ studio, ND “releaSing new Dlc has expanded to the point that tandem development JuSt aS next-gen of TLOU and Uncharted 3 looked effortless. With Fever kickS OFF iS no PS Vita plans and only Uncharted 4 confirmed, very telling OF nD. ” that’s a lot of staff needing a big PS4 project.
writer bio
game-narrative obsessive Dave reviewed the last Of us for OPm sister-site gamesradar, and reckons tlOu is the absolute pinnacle of triple-a PS3 gaming. Ubisoft has to work hard to live up to the freedom of acIV’s naval heaven.
assassin’s Creed V
Writer: Louise Blain
the Assassin’s Creed V rumour mill has already churned out a source stating that Ubi isn’t just releasing one AC game this year, but two – one for PS4 and one for PS3. Edward’s rum-swigging adventure was beautiful on next-gen but it still a last-gen game at heart. (With added particle effects and oh-so-pretty waves.) Ubi has never been afraid to take on a new dev challenge and by this November – a sure-fire release window – the next-gen numbers will warrant an exclusive title with a new assassin. But we all know it’s not a matter of when, but where.
Where in history will Ubi plug its Animus into next? Tantalisingly, Black Flag was packed with a huge array of potential red herrings hidden away in the PCs of your fellow Abstergo colleagues. A conversation between employees batted around Desmond’s lineage, listing the American Midwest (cowboys!), Feudal Japan (samurais!), and the French Revolution (um, cake?) all as potential settings for its new videogame. Yet there’s no restrictions now as the Abstergo collection of blood means assassins from any age are ripe for the picking.
Victorian London was mentioned and has always been a fan favourite with appearances on multiple Ubi surveys over the years (think of the next-gen fog!), but a big trope such as pirates or cowboys will ensure success on a PS4-only title. Wherever it’s set, expect Creed to be bigger than ever when it comes to PS4 this year.
writer bio
Since collecting every feather in acii, louise blain has built up a terrifyingly large amount of knowledge regarding the brotherhood.
could the irradiated future of Fallout 4 be heading to Boston? If it does, it’ll have to work hard to match tLOU’s tragic and beautiful version.
Fallout 4
Writer: Matthew Elliott
think of Fallout and you imagine endless wastelands, the parched remnants of humanity and a frothing cocktail of despair and hope. But the truth is that whatever entry you played on PS3, it will feel like a child’s irradiated sandbox compared with Bethesda’s plans for next-gen.
The additional pizzazz offered by PS4 will benefit the likes of Fallout 4 in a most dramatic way: at the very least you can expect deeper quests and an update to those shuffling NPCs. Whereas before you were forced to fill in some narrative gaps yourself, Fallout 4 could easily become the definitive post-apocalyptic RPG – especially if Bethesda is informed by the technical mistakes made in Skyrim.
There’s also the promise of a new setting. Bethesda has reportedly been scoping out locations in Boston, and already has strong ties to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – almost certainly the mysterious ‘Institute’ mentioned in Fallout 3’s Replicated Man quest. Here you can expect to see more of the Commonwealth – a “war-ravaged quagmire of violence and despair” – which is also the home of Railroad, a faction running in direct opposition to the Institute by liberating sentient androids. If true, there’s already vast potential for a humane story that taps into compelling sci-fi themes. Better yet, that Massachusetts setting opens up all sorts of Lovecraftian possibilities. We’re not expecting mighty Cthulhu himself to flap up, but Bethesda has never been afraid to expand the Fallout mythology beyond the original, retro-futuristic boundaries. Combine all these factors and you have the promise of a technically adept Fallout in a compelling and varied location.
writer bio
matt was the only choice to review Fallout: new vegas for us: growing up in the east midlands wasteland gave him first-hand post-apocalyptic experience.
Writer: Ben Wilson
Death, taxes, Miley Cyrus trying to de-skin down to her skeleton in a pop video – some eventualities in this life simply can’t be avoided. But unlike the above, this year’s mega-money football offering from Team EA should deliver all manner of joy when it’s released in September. (Other than when a major console launches, the game always comes out in September.)
While there’s zero doubt it’s in development, series boss David Rutter has been uncharacteristically tightlipped on this year’s game. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, with the series’ PS4 debut already placing it in PlayStation’s ‘sporting greats’ pantheon alongside MLB: The Show and NBA 2K. Even so, fans were critical of the decision to remove player-created tournaments for nextgen, and this is one area you can be sure the development team is revisiting. There’s also scope for improvement in Career mode – while mostly excellent, there are some minor annoyances. For instance, if you’re locked in talks with a player during the final hour of transfer deadline day, the game simply annuls the deal – rather than giving you the opportunity to rush it through, Harry Redknapp style. Expect that to be fixed. New trophy-winning celebrations are also essential: I’ve won the League Cup, FA Cup and Euro League during three seasons as Everton boss and the cutscenes following each victory are identical. Much of FIFA 14’s greatness was down to attention to detail. Now EA needs to polish it all up to ensure another big title win.
writer bio
ex-editor ben is an office FiFa champion and has guided his beloved crystal Palace to more wins than tony Pulis could ever dream of. If codies focus on a purely next-gen racer, the new grid could be mind-blowing.
grid 3
Writer: Phil Iwaniuk
codemasters advanced its beloved racing genre tremendously with the PS3’s first wave of Grid and Dirt games, which at the time of their release were box fresh. Forget flashbacks, team management and livery design – simply mapping accelerate and brake to i and p was a revelatory design choice that capitalised on the greater travel on the new DualShock 3’s shoulder buttons.
I’m dragging you down memory lane here to illustrate the fundamental differences between the PS3 debutants from Codies and their sequels – which didn’t quite flog a dead horse, but certainly left it a little sore. It’s a pattern we saw across many genres and dev studios – the first game of the gen takes risks to establish a successful formula that can be iterated on for the rest of the console cycle.
If that sounds gloomy, remember we’re at the exciting, inventive point in the cycle of PS4 right now. Grid’s just too established a franchise for Codies to jettison, and when the threequel does arrive – probably in late May to early June this year, judging by previous release dates for the series – it’ll be crammed with fresh ideas. I don’t want to second guess a design team with a thousandfold more imagination than this humble word-lackey, but I will say this: the existing complex AI behaviours, detailed damage model and trackside detail should have their ceilings raised massively by PS4’s capabilities.
More excitingly still, if it does land this summer it’s unlikely to straddle both PS3 and PS4. Both original Grid and Dirt games were PS3 thoroughbreds, so I hope Grid 3 will follow the established pattern and arrive only on PS4 to avoid becoming hamstrung by the crossgenerational development compromises that have held back some of the launch titles.
writer bio
grid 2 and Dirt Showdown reviewer Phil has destroyed multiple steering wheels while testing racing games to the extreme.
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OPM scOres
Gold award
gOld award
awarded to a game that’s brilliantly executed on every level, combining significant innovation, near-flawless gameplay, great graphics and lasting appeal.
editor’s award
84 castleVania: lOs 2
is this new blood to the series better than the immortal original, without kojima on board? Don’t count on it.
editOr’s award
not at the very highest echelon, but this is a game that deserves recognition and special praise based on its ambition, innovation or other notable achievement.
10 incredible
the kind of phenomenal experience rarely seen in a console generation.
9Outstanding
unreservedly brilliant – this should be in every collection.
8Very gOOd
a truly excellent game, marred by just a few minor issues.
7gOOd
a great concept unfulfilled or the familiar done well, but still well worth playing.
6decent
fun in parts, flawed in others, but more right than wrong.
5aVerage
what you expect and little more, this is for devotees only.
4belOw aVerage
any bright ideas are drowning in a sea of bugs or mediocrity.
3POOr
a seriously flawed game with little merit on any level.
2awful
Disgraceful: the disc would be more beneficial as a coaster.
1HOrrific
own this and you’ll be swiftly, justifiably, exiled from society.
contents
Dark souls ii 76 | thief 80 | outlast 82 | striDer 83 | castlevania: los 2 84 the wolf among us e2 86 | rayman legenDs 87 | lightning returns: ff Xiii 88 master reboot 90 | tXk 92 | earth Defense force 2025 92 | Dustforce 93
