STACK #208 Feb 2022

GAMING FEATURE

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WHAT’S COMING IN MARCH?

GRAN TURISMO 7 It’s been 25 years since Gran Turismo hit the original PlayStation, and it’s gone on to become legendary. This continues with Gran Turismo 7 , brining all the venerable series’ best natively to PS5 for the first time. Racers, collectors, tuners, designers and photographers will all be at home, with modes ranging from arcade to full-on sim, with the return of the GT Simulation Mode. Over 420 cars are available day one, along with over 90 track routes - including some true classics from GT history.

TINY TINA’S WONDERLANDS She’s the little NPC who could, as much-loved Borderlands explosives ace Tiny Tina gets her own epic adventure, which promises “whimsy, wonder, and high-powered weaponry!” TT acts as game mistress, rule maker, world changer and even a guide for players on their fantastical journey. Pick a class and create your very own hero to loot, shoot, slash and cast through a world laden with wild monsters and treasure-bulging dungeons. Why? To stop the tyrannical Dragon Lord and, duh, loot!

MULTIPLAYER?

MULTIPLAYER?

RACING

4/3/22

SHOOTER

25/3/22

STRANGER OF PARADISE: FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN Take the originator of the Final Fantasy universe then give it a dark spin and you’ll find yourself a Stranger of Paradis e… A co-development between Square Enix and the legends behind the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series, Team Ninja, prepare for a whole lot of hardcore action as you jump into the boots of Jack Garland, who – with a little help from his friends – is determined to bring the light of the crystals back to the kingdom, and banish the malevolent big-bad, Chaos.

ELEX II It’s sequel time for post-apocalyptic open-world sci-fi experience ELEX , taking us back to the planet Magalan, where as protagonist Jax you’ll explore huge environments pretty much any way that you want with the aid of your trusty jetpack. Years have elapsed since Jax defeated the Hybrid, but a new threat has arrived and unleashed the dangerous powers of dark Elex, subsequently endangering all life on the planet. To save it – and his fam - Jax must bring unity to Magalan’s many factions.

MULTIPLAYER?

MULTIPLAYER?

ACTION RPG

18/3/22

ACTION RPG

1/3/22

1 What was the first game that you played? The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past . I fell in love with it and with gaming from the first moment I woke up in a rainy Hyrule. That feeling is something I’ve been driven to give to players ever since I started working in games development. 2 What was the last game that you finished? I had a busy 2021, but I managed to squeeze in finishing Outriders when that came out. I found it really compelling to challenge myself against the world tier for each level with my character through the narrative campaign and endgame. 3 What’s your favourite video game/series of all time? I have a huge love for the Legend of Zelda series and it’s been with me since I was kid, but for me it has to be the Championship/Football Manager series from Sports Interactive. I’ve sunk so many hours into badly running football clubs for two decades and, as always, I reckon this year is the year I’ll finally get Sheffield Wednesday the trophy glory they deserve but, ultimately, know that it’ll end up with me getting the sack after failing to keep them away from relegation again. 4 What do you think is the most underrated game of all time? A game for me that I think was underrated was the first few years of Star Wars Galaxies . I had so much fun with friends taking up professions or sub-professions and essentially having jobs in a game, all hoping that our next mastered profession role was enough to get us on the path to becoming a Jedi. It was set up to really reward you putting in the hours and getting players to experience different professions to earn something incredible. 5 What’s the game that you most wish you’d worked on? The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for me. Taking the series in such a bold direction narratively by making it all flooded, but also the art direction at the same time. Such an incredible risk, but it works incredibly well and I’d have loved to have been a part of that team and the game.

Game director on J urassic World Evolution 2 at Frontier Developments. RICH NEWBOLD

FEBRUARY 2022

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