STACK #244 February 2025

GAMING FEATURE

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NEW GAMES HEADING OUR WAY! continued

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Samus Aran is finally back, in a new adventure that’s certain to get our puzzling – and, of course, shooting - juices flowing. Long in development, this one’s set to play out in a first person perspective within a Galactic Federation research facility, as Samus runs, guns, scans, rolls, explores, and more, leaving a trail of wasted Space Pirates – led by notorious bounty hunter Sylux - in her wake.

Mafia: The Old Country This fourth main entry in 2K’s Mafia saga is set to take the prequel route, whooshing us back to 1900s Sicily, and the fictional town of San Celeste. Continuing the series’ third-person outlook, this action-adventure will have us exploring the origins of the Mafia. We’ll step into the shoes of young Enzo Favara, as he finds his way into organised crime life, specifically that of the Torrisi family.

Gears of War: E-Day Have you ever wondered where it all began for Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago versus the Locust Horde? Well, we’ll be wondering no more as we head back in time to the events of Emergence Day, 14 years before the original Gears of War kicked off. We’re promised all the bug blasting action that we love, built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5 for unprecedented gooey graphical goodness.

Marvel’s Wolverine We’ll be getting plenty of Logan time in this action adventure from Insomniac, who’ve given us the brilliant Marvel’s Spider-Man series of games. Facts are currently thin on the ground, although an initial teaser – and its pedigree - have been enough to have this high up on our must-have lists. Will it be set in the same universe as the Spidey games? Stay tuned, folks, this one’s going to be hot!

Pokémon Legends: Z-A We’re off to Paris! Well, Lumiose City, which is based on the French capital, in the newest Pokémon adventure – the second in the Legends series. While story information is thin on the ground as we write, we know that it’s set within an urban redevelopment project in the grand city for both people and Pokémon, and exciting news is that we’ll be seeing the return of the Mega Evolution mechanic.

Ghost of Y ō tei Ghost of Tsushima remains one of our favourite games of recent years, and we’re not alone in being super-keen for this standalone sequel. Set some 300 years after events of the first game, in Edo period Hokkaido, our Ghost for this outing is female warrior Atsu, who is hellbent on exacting revenge. She’ll be wielding new weaponry, in a whole new area of Japan centred around Mount Y ō tei.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater The leader of the gang when it comes to going stealthy, the classic series returns in this remake of 2004’s prequel Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater . Set in the Cold War era of 1964, the story of Naked Snake unravels as he sets out to save a Russian rocket scientist and sabotage a Soviet nuclear superweapon. Expect a faithful recreation, but with modern sensibilities and top-notch graphics.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Grand Theft Auto VI With GTA V still a top-seller 12 years after first hitting, this follow-up will likely be the biggest game release of all time. We’re off to the state of Leonida – loosely based on Florida – which includes our old series haunt, Vice City. We’ll be following a male/female criminal duo in what Rockstar are billing as “the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.” Strap yourselves in!

In an ocean of competitors to Mario Kart , not surprisingly the moustachioed tradie’s biggest rival off track has also proven to be his greatest racing game adversary. Yes, Sonic the Hedgehog’s kart racers have been superb, and that tradition is surely set to continue when we get to hit the track in CrossWorlds . SEGA have declared that their elite racing game team is on it, so we’re excited!

16 FEBRUARY 2025

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