STACK #194 Dec 2020

GAMING REVIEWS

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ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA

GENRE: PLATFORMER

PLATFORM: SWITCH

MULTIPLAYER: NO

Welcome to the world of the Viking, where death in combat is the highest achievement, drinking mead until dawn is a social norm, and England is yours to raid and control.

In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla you’ll live out your most epic Norse fantasies without the imminent danger of losing your head to an errant (or targeted) axe, or having to deal with the ever-present stench of unwashed Viking.

MEAD FOR SPEED! There are many ways to pass time in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla . You can challenge your brewer to drinking competitions, throw dice in a friendly game of Orlog , or take part in flyting duels, which are basically Viking rap battles.

As with any Assassin’s Creed game, Valhalla has an excellent story which runs through fantasy, mythology and real-world events. It’s engrossing and detailed in equal measure, and you really feel like you’re getting a front row seat to ancient times. You play as Eivor the Wolf-Kissed, which is the single most badass way of describing someone who survived a wolf attack that left them with lifelong scars. Once again you play as a male or female character, or let the game switch between both as the story allows. Combat is ferocious and really suits the

Viking style. Some of the slow-motion assassinations and finishing moves are spectacular – but definitely not for the faint of heart! Valhalla lets you make some real choices about weaponry; axes and shields, giant broadswords, long-handled axes, the spiked flail or pikes – all manner of deadly options are available. Each weapon set presents different attack and defensive options, which are both challenging and rewarding. RPG elements run deep. Between an expansive skill tree, character buffs for performing activities, character customisation options and weapon selection, there are many ways to embrace your true Vikingness. In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla , less Assassin and more Viking is ALWAYS the answer to any question. It’s a total Viking experience that’s easily the best version of the series yet. DN

DIRT 5

GENRE: RACING

PLATFORM: PS5, XBOX SERIES X|S/ONE, PS4

MULTIPLAYER: YES

The straight DIRT series has been skidding more and more towards arcade-styled play in every iteration, and that trend continues in DIRT 5 . The first thing that strikes is the game’s look. Candy colours from the menus even extend to

in-game, giving an ever so slight cartoony look to proceedings. We’re not talking Wacky Races , more hyperreal. It works. Difficulty-wise, DIRT 5 is wonderfully non-partisan. Got a functional left thumb and

DIRT : THE NEXT GENERATION Hop into DIRT 5 on PlayStation 5 or Xbox

literally – is the weather in-game, which borders on bonkers. You can have a bright, sunny day and a bone dry track, then all heavenly hell could hit, with torrential rain pelting at the windscreen, wipers struggling and the track turning to mud in seconds. Mode-wise, up to four player local split-screen shines, and online options abound. Solo players should dig the career mode, which takes a branching map and introduces players to the different challenges at hand. If some 70 or so routes through ten locales aren’t enough, jump into ‘Playgrounds’ and build bespoke tracks, from simple dragstrips to insanely compact affairs with turns tighter than SpongeBob’s boss, Mr. Krabs. Happy? Upload it, and let others enjoy… or curse your name – BWAHAHA! AF

two pointer fingers? Then feel in control as you maraud with the difficulty at “Very Easy” and all assists set to stun. Dial them back though, or opt for “Very Hard”, and the need for serious skill kicks in. Car games are made or broken by their car handling physics, and DIRT 5 handles like a dream. Everything just works, and feels as natural as driving can feel when clutching a plastic game controller rather than a leather-clad chunk of MOMO. One thing that really strikes – sometimes

Series X and prepare for faster loading, improved graphics and even smooth 120FPS if your TV/ monitor supports it. The PS5 version also features incredible feedback from the DualSense’s rumble and adaptive triggers.

92 DECEMBER 2020

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