STACK #195 Jan 2021

GAMING FEATURE

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WHAT’S COMING IN FEBRUARY?

OUTRIDERS If your trigger finger is itching for a bout of sci-fi RPG shooting, then you’ll be hanging out for this one. A co-op experience from People Can Fly, whose pedigree includes work on Bulletstorm and Fortnite , as one of up to three players you embark upon a journey across a hostile planet, following a signal that you hope will help save mankind. Cooperation is the key, but then so is the intense gunplay and the increasingly weird, wild and wonderful weaponry.

SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD + BOWSER’S FURY All the classic Mario platformer action and multiplayer madness finally makes its way from the Wii U to Switch – wahoo! Whether you hook up online or locally, there’s plenty of action to be had as you’ll pounce and climb through dozens of colourful stages. Plus, Mario – and his friends – can use the brilliant ‘Super Bell’ power-up, which grants catlike abilities such as climbing and scratching. With the Bowser’s Fury DLC also included, there’s lots to do – let’s go!

MULTIPLAYER?

MULTIPLAYER?

SHOOTER

2/2/21

PLATFORMER

12/2/21

THE NIOH COLLECTION Two of the most celebrated – and challenging – games of the PS4 era are celebrating the franchise’s fourth anniversary with a trip onto new-gen. Revisit – or assail for the first time – both Nioh and Nioh 2 in stunning 4K, running at up to 120 frames per second (if you have a supporting screen). PS4 game saves will work if you never made it right through, and all DLC expansions will also feature – including the shiny new conclusion in The First Samurai .

RIDERS REPUBLIC The successor to extreme sports open-world game Steep is set to up the action ante via a massive multiplayer playground featuring activities such as biking, skiing, snowboarding, wingsuit and even rocket wingsuit. All of this action will take place in a mash-up of iconic American national parks, including Bryce Canyon, Yosemite Valley and Mammoth Mountain, with a focus on up to 50-player social competition – and extreme, wild fun!

MULTIPLAYER?

MULTIPLAYER?

ACTION RPG

5/2/21

SPORTS

25/2/21

1 What was the first game that you played? Frogger . A classic. I vividly remember going to the arcade and trying to beat the high scores. 2 What was the last game that you finished? The First Tree . It had great storytelling, and I finished it in a couple of hours. It stuck with me for a while. 3 What’s your favourite game of all time? The Witcher 3 and all its expansion packs. I consider it a masterpiece, as a gamer and as a game developer. I finished it on its hardest difficulty. It was a challenge, but well worth it. I fell in love with the world, the story, and its characters. 4 What do you think is the most underrated game of all time? Grow Home was a game that I had a lot of fun with. It had an interesting game mechanic where you control the growth of vines. I didn’t hear much buzz from people but it did get a sequel, so maybe it was a sleeper hit. 5 What’s the game that you most wish you’d worked on? Any of the Super Mario Galaxy games. I wish I had a glimpse into how they go about brainstorming and prototyping gameplay.

Lead designer on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 at Vicarious Visions LEO ZUNIGA

64 JANUARY 2021

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