STACK #201 Jul 2021

GAMING REVIEWS

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RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART

ACTION ADVENTURE MULTIPLAYER

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In Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart , Insomniac have realised the dream of making movie quality animation seamlessly playable – and it’s all kinds of Pixar-level good. Following a short introduction to a mystery Lombax, our titular heroes are thrust into a massive parade, with confetti cannons, giant

character balloons and crowds galore. There’s so much going on that you suspect that the

EVERYBODY LOVES RAY TRACING! It’s the other big new thing with new-gen and, depending upon which graphics mode you choose, it’s on full display in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart . Just check out Clank – ooh, shiny! And there’s plenty more shininess throughout, too.

Can our heroes reunite and bring down Nefarious? Can they what! All the miracles of the new-gen that we were promised are utilised, starting with the expected such as varied controller rumbles, and dual-purpose triggers. What we weren’t prepared for was how good the PS5’s internal SSD drive can be… Massive worlds, all completely different and fully-stocked with lifeforms, whiz by seamlessly in seconds. It’s, to quote the bloke who plays John Wick, breathtaking. That’s not the end of the magic, though, for the transitions between cutscenes and gameplay are seamless. Right at the magnificently meta-oozing outset, questioning why they’re receiving that parade after so many years away, Ratchet quips, “What if everybody thinks we’re washed up? What if we ARE washed up?” They’re SO not, for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a triumph. AF

Insomniac people are showing off a bit – and we couldn’t be happier! As the story continues, we find out the identity of that mystery Lombax – she’s Rivet and she’s in another dimension. When interstellar irritant Doctor Nefarious nicks off with a “Dimensionator”, the world jumping commences. Each one has various classic R&C -styled challenges and puzzles, numerous enemies to dispense with and, naturally, loads of boxes to smash. When the device goes “KABLOOEY!” myriad rifts are unleashed, and the brains of the outfit, Clank, is propelled into the world of Rivet.

THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE: BLACKWOOD COLLECTION

MMORPG MULTIPLAYER

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The Elder Scrolls Online delivers its fifth expansion, Blackwood , with the usual story, style and surprises. With this fifth “Chapter”, ESO once again takes

players back to familiar places. That’s been a constant theme as the gargantuan world map of Tamriel slowly gets filled out with more locations and stories. Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric

Prince of Destruction, looms large (literally) over this story, and there’s fire and plenty of it throughout your adventure, which clocks in at around 15 hours. There are also plenty of side quests and, most notably, a new take on the “Dark Anchors” that were a staple of the original base game zones. New areas look terrific, with plenty of variety from rolling grasslands to swampy Argonian wetlands. But the highlight is the main city, Leyawiin, now rendered with exquisite detail and atmosphere. The two major changes to the actual gameplay for Blackwood are pretty huge.

THAT’S NOT MY NAME

The first is the total reworking of the Champion system. It’s designed to give the game a much longer and more engaging form of character progression. The biggest new feature, though, is the brilliant Companion system. There are two companion NPCs – Mirri and Bastian – who you can recruit through story quests in Blackwood. Once recruited you can have them by your side as an actual, useful AI-controlled party member, who can help you in combat while questing and exploring, and even in dungeons. The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood Collection contains the main game, the new Blackwood Chapter and all four previous Chapters ( Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr and Greymoor ), which were previously full-priced purchases. If you’ve never played the game before, you’re about to have enough Elder Scrolls goodness thrown at you to keep you adventuring for months. AH

ESO studio ZOS prefers The Elder Scrolls Online to be thought of as an “online RPG” rather than an MMO – and that makes sense given that this has always been one of the most solo-friendly and story-rich entries in the broad genre.

26 JULY 2021

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