STACK #239 September 2024

GAMING PREVIEWS

SEPTEMBER

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 6 Set in the early 1990s, this year’s model is set to involve us in a Gulf War era drama that blends fact and fiction. Campaign-wise, prepare for memories of previous Black Ops titles with both returning and new characters, and ’90s-themed weapons. Multiplayer will launch with 16 brand-new maps, while the fan favourite zombies makes a welcome return, complete with two shiny new maps. WHAT’S COMING IN OCTOBER?

MULTIPLAYER ASTRO BOT Since our first meeting in The Playroom , Astro has gone on to help us all get acquainted with our PlayStation 5 consoles. Now he’s back in a huge new space adventure infused with platforming fun, and all of the nods to new and old PS games and tech that we’ve come to expect. There are six galaxies to explore, featuring over 80 levels, with the aim of reuniting Astro’s scattered crew. NBA 2K25 This year’s model of 2K’s revered basketball sim experience brings more to the court than ever, with their ProPLAY tech really delivering the realism more than ever. Take the game on court in MyCAREER, MyTEAM, and The W, and get your general manager on in MyNBA. Check out the latest venues and sights in The City, and dive deep into the array of customisation options that are on offer. WARHAMMER 40,000: SPACE MARINE II Get ready to bring the hammer down in this latest Space Marine outing. Embody the superhuman skill and brutality of the greatest of the Emperor’s warriors as you hold at bay the horrors of the galaxy in epic battles on far-flung planets, using deadly abilities and devastating weaponry. Uncover dark secrets to drive back the everlasting night and prove your ultimate loyalty to humanity. MULTIPLAYER 6/9/24 6/9/24

MULTIPLAYER FUNKO FUSION Funko’s Pop! figures and the many worlds of NBCUniversal are set to collide in this wild upcoming action adventure. It’s an absolute culture clash as characters from the likes of Jurassic World , Jaws , Back to the Future , Shaun of the Dead , Masters of the Universe , Chucky , Battlestar Galactica , The Thing , and more all bang together for a Pop!tastic experience either solo or via online co-op. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: ECHOES OF WISDOM This latest Zelda outing takes the super cute, dumpy art style of the 2019 Link’s Awakening remake and puts it in a brand-new story, where Zelda is the heroine of the piece. The people of Hyrule are being stolen away by strange rifts, and Link is missing! So, Zelda teams up with mysterious fairy Tri, using the power of the Tri Rod to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. EA SPORTS FC 25 After successfully navigating the name change from FIFA with a raft of improvements to their famous football formula, EA Sports aren’t taking their eyes off the ball this year. The career mode has been overhauled, and FC IQ adds real-world tactics. More options for playing with friends include all new five-a-side modes that let you loose with up to three mates on a small-sided pitch. MULTIPLAYER 26/9/24 13/9/24

SHOOTER MULTIPLAYER?

25/10/24

SILENT HILL 2 The latest in the Silent Hill saga, this is an update of 2001’s epic Silent Hill 2 , which is widely regarded as the highlight of the series. A single player, third-person survival horror experience, protagonist James receives a letter from his deceased wife, and heads to where they shared many memories, hoping to see her one more time. Here he encounters a woman who is strangely similar to her...

PLATFORMER

ACTION ADVENTURE

SURVIVAL HORROR MULTIPLAYER?

8/10/24

SUPER MARIO PARTY JAMBOREE It’ll be time to party with the Mushroom Kingdom crew once again, in a gigantic new entry in the long-running board game-styled series that’s billed as the biggest Mario Party yet. We’ll explore five new game boards, while two from previous series outings will be

making a return, too. There’ll also be over 110 minigames, and up to 20 players will be able to go head-to-head in online play.

SPORTS

ACTION ADVENTURE

PARTY MULTIPLAYER?

17/10/24

SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS It’s a cavalcade of classic Sonic action, as 2011’s time travelling 2D and 3D outing Sonic Generations is brought bang up to date, upgraded visually and with a host of extra content. Chief amongst this is an entire new story

campaign to play as Shadow the Hedgehog, complete with hidden secrets, and special abilities for taking on Black Doom that only the Ultimate Life Form could possess!

PLATFORMER

25/10/24

MULTIPLAYER

MULTIPLAYER

ACTION ADVENTURE

SPORTS

9/9/24

27/9/24

MULTIPLAYER?

Are you up to answering all eight of this month’s game related posers? 1. What was the name of the official camera for the PlayStation 2?

Answers: 1. EyeToy 2. Barkley Shut Up and Jam! 3. HeroQuest 4. Starlink: Battle for Atlas 5. Gold 6. It had World Cup in its title 7. Sulley, Mr. Incredible 8. Yars’ Revenge

2. What was the name of the 1993 basketball game endorsed by Charles Barkley? 3. What was the first Games Workshop board game to get the video game treatment? 4. What was the name of Ubisoft’s short-lived space-based ”toys to life” game? 5. What special colour was the NES cartridge of The Legend of Zelda ? 6. How did FIFA 98 differ to all other FIFA series releases? 7. Which two Pixar characters were pack-in figurines in the first Disney Infinity ? 8. Yars Rising is out this month. Which title kicked off the franchise back in 1982?

GAME EXAM

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16 SEPTEMBER 2024

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