STACK #207 Jan 2022

FEATURE GAMING

WHAT’S COMING IN FEBRUARY?

DYING LIGHT 2: STAY HUMAN A much-awaited sequel to 2015’s tale of zombie apocalypse, in the game’s world we’ve moved on 20 years, and things aren’t much better. Life is bleak in one of the last human settlements, The City, and it’s up to you to make friends and break enemies, aiming to bring a form of peace to the ailing metropolis. But you have demons of your own to contend with, too... Promising a world over four times larger than that of the original game, there’s even two to four player co-op.

THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV It’s been a while since the last entry of SNK’s prolific series of biffo games that kicked off back in 1994, but series fans – and fighting aficionados in general – are in for a treat with this climax to the KoF saga, which promises to “transcend everything”! With 13 teams of 39 playable fighters, this entry sees the return of the parry system, under the guise of ‘Shatter Strike”. With several local and online gameplay modes, and a 300-plus song list, this is looking to be fan service at its finest.

MULTIPLAYER?

MULTIPLAYER?

ACTION RPG

4/2/22

FIGHTING

17/2/22

HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST The sequel to PS4 smash Horizon Zero Dawn sees the return of machine hunter Aloy, in a tale that’s set six months after the ground- breaking action adventure. Our intrepid tracker travels west to investigate a mysterious and deadly blight. Navigating uncharted lands, she’ll not only meet strange new tribes, but will also encounter deadlier machines than ever. With help from both old friends and new companions, Aloy seeks the answers she needs to save life on Earth.

ELDEN RING A truly inspired collaboration, Elden Ring will send us on a journey through the Lands Between, a new fantasy world concocted by Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin, the best- selling author of fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire – which, of course, became TV’s Game of Thrones . The fantasy action RPG aims to deliver expansive landscapes and complex dungeons to explore, with a vast selection of weapons, magical abilities and skills to be unearthed.

MULTIPLAYER?

MULTIPLAYER?

ACTION RPG

18/2/22

ACTION RPG

25/2/22

1 What’s the first game that you remember playing? The Way of the Exploding Fist on the ZX spectrum – with keyboard controls – you needed all fingers and one thumb to control the game. 2 What was the last game that you finished? Astro’s Playroom on PS5 – the first game I played when I got the PS5. Had to complete it! 3 What’s your favourite video game/series of all time? My favourite game is Goldeneye , which was on the N64 and was amazing for its time. 4 What do you think is the most underrated game of all time? Maybe not underrated, but the developer deserved better, Okami . It’s a beautiful adventure game that won awards, but didn’t save the developer that was unfortunately closed down shortly after the release. 5 What’s the game that you most wish you’d worked on? Any of the AFL games after AFL Live that Big Ant worked on!

Development director on Cricket 22 at Big Ant Studios. MICHAEL MERREN

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