STACK #184 Feb 2020

GAMING PREVIEWS

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GAMES OUT THIS MONTH FEBRUARY

ZOMBIE ARMY 4: DEAD WAR

GENRE: SHOOTER PLATFORM: PS4 | XBOX ONE

RELEASE: 4/2/20 MULTIPLAYER: YES

If you thought that banishing Hitler to Hell in previous Zombie Army games marked the end of his relentless army of Nazi zombies, then you couldn’t be more mistaken. A year on and they still roam Europe, and they’ve been busy evolving. They swarm in massive hordes unswervingly bent on human extinction, led by ‘Elites’ – huge boss types with weaponry such as flamethrowers, chainsaws and heavy machine guns. Eep! If that isn’t enough to make for a really bad day on the battlefield, war machines have also evolved – yes, seriously, we’re talking zombie tanks! But even they’re not potentially the greatest

threat, as we have two words for you: “zombie” and “sharks”. Yes! Luckily – either alone, or with up to three comrades in arms – players have plenty of weaponry at their disposal. Beyond the usual upgradable sniper rifle, shotty, machine gun and pistol, go the melee route, or employ environmental objects to eradicate foes. Alternatively, just blow the stuffing out of them with a grenade! Add a relentless horde mode and series staple X-ray kill cam and you have zombie exterminating nirvana.

Did you know? The Zombie Army games started their undead life as a DLC spin-off for the Sniper Elite series.

G: ACTION P: PS4 | XBOX ONE | SWITCH M: YES R: : 14/2/20 Like mud? Dig bikes? Have we got a game for you! The third iteration of the officially sanctioned Supercross game promises all manner of improvements over its predecessors. Join the official teams for the first time ever, racing alongside the real-life champions of the sport (well, their in-game avatars at least). Create your own tracks, hit them solo or in co-op and online or off, with new dedicated servers to improve the connected experience. MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS 3: THE OFFICIAL VIDEOGAME Since their debut on the PS2, SEGA’s Yakuza games have cemented a prime place in video game history. Packed with action, strategy, cool soap opera storytelling and all manner of bonkers diversions, this collection grabs the remastered takes on Yakuza 3 and Yakuza 4 (previously available as downloads), and adds the brand-new update of Yakuza 5 to the mix. Each game is an immersive, engaging, dramatic time-suck, and the value that this pack offers is undeniable. THE YAKUZA REMASTERED COLLECTION Prepare for a game of biblical proportions – literally, as it’s chock full of fire, brimstone, apocalyptic horsemen, angels, demons and stuff – as the latest Darksiders chapter touches down on consoles. This is actually a prequel to the popular series, wherein you take the reins alternately of gunslinging Horseman Strife and sword-wielding War in single player – or go co-op chaos with a cohort – to take out Hell’s master demons. DARKSIDERS GENESIS From British developers Media Molecule, who also gave us the fabby LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway , comes a creation that embraces the company’s “play, create, share” ethos – and ups it to 11. Players – or, perhaps more accurately, creators – can explore and conquer puzzle-filled imaginings concocted by others, or conjure their own wonder-triggering works of art. Any game that you make with this almost alarmingly powerful tool can be shared with others, too. DREAMS G: RACING P: PS4 | XBOX ONE | SWITCH M: YES R: 4/2/20 G: ACTION ADVENTURE P: PS4 M: NO R: 11/2/20

G: ACTION/ADVENTURE P: PS4 | XBOX ONE M: NO R: 18/2/20 Prepare to dance with beguiling shapeshifting witch Bayonetta again, as her first outing celebrates its tenth anniversary in style with a now-gen remaster spit and polish. She doesn’t come to us alone, either, as another PlatinumGames classic is also celebrating. Yes, Vanquish – the third-person cover-based shooter with a healthy injection of Japanese madness – has also been updated. If you missed either of these classics upon original release, now’s a great time to get caught up. BAYONETTA & VANQUISH 10 th ANNIVERSARY BUNDLE Take all the action of both the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series, bang them together, add some gods and what do you get? Full-on, hack and slash mayhem as you take on thousands of attackers! Choose your team of three fighters and do what you do best, in this updated take on the game that, just for starters, adds new characters (there are now some 177 to choose from), new modes, new storylines and a whole new true ending. WARRIORS OROCHI 4 ULTIMATE Ever wished to create and run your own hospital? You may find it a bit easier to pull off in a humour-tinged simulation than in actually-rather-serious real life, and this spiritual successor to the classic Theme Hospital is finally here on consoles to let you give it a stab. Beyond building your perfect place of healing, you must juggle patient satisfaction, staff training, finding cures for all sorts of bizarre illnesses, and a whole bunch more – and do it stat! TWO POINT HOSPITAL Japanese superhero One Punch Man bursts into the gaming space! The star of the show is Saitama, who can down absolutely any foe with just one punch. At this point you may be thinking that this would make the brawler somewhat without challenge, but you’d be wrong. To get around the titular hero’s potency, players can’t initially select him as their character. Instead, they must survive as lesser fighters until OPM eventually rocks up to do his solitary ‘WHOMP!’ finishing thing. ONE PUNCH MAN: A HERO NOBODY KNOWS G: SIMULATION P: PS4 | XBOX ONE | SWITCH M: YES R: 25/2/20 G: ACTION P: PS4 | XBOX ONE | SWITCH M: YES R: 20/2/20

G: GAME CREATOR P: PS4 M: YES R: 14/2/20

G: FIGHTING P: PS4 | XBOX ONE M: YES R: 28/2/20

74 FEBRUARY 2020

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