STACK #185 Mar 2020

GAMING REVIEWS

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DREAMS

GENRE: GAME CREATOR

PLATFORM: PS4

MULTIPLAYER: NO

Media Molecule's mission statement for their LittleBigPlane t was "Play, create, share". Now, with the long-gestating Dreams , they've turned that credo up to 11. Maybe even 12. So, what is Dreams ? At its simplest it's

both a creativity tool and a play tool – with a lot of sharing thrown in... Hmm, considering the opening paragraph, that wasn’t very helpful, was it?

It is very much what Dreams is though, it’s just the degree to which it actually is what it is that makes this something rather unique and special. Dreams offers two distinct halves, headed ‘Dream Surfing’ and ‘Dream Scaping’. The former allows users to check out creations from other ‘Dreamers’ around the planet, while the latter is for those who want to get their creative juices all over everything. Looking at Dreams as a creation tool, what you can concoct borders on the mindboggling. Narrated video tutorials

ART FOR ART’S SAKE A great way to ease into witnessing the power of Dreams is by playing through the included movie-length marvel that is Art’s Dream . This tale of a jazzman sends us through several styles of gameplay, while also demonstrating all the other abilities – visuals, sound, etc – that Dreams is capable of. And yes, it was all built in-engine.

guide the newcomer in any creative direction that they wish to travel – from making art, animation, sound and music, through to gamifying your art if you wish. If you wish? Yes, for just because you can make games with Dreams , it doesn’t mean that you have to. As a music tool it cuts most of the need for technical knowledge, and the same goes for creating simple – or quite complex – art, characters and animations. But what if you’re not the creative type? No matter, for ‘Dream Surfing’ could theoretically keep you busy until the end of your time. For the price of just one game you get access to literally thousands, with new ones dropping almost every minute. No matter which way you look at it, Dreams truly is an impressive package. AF

ZOMBIE ARMY 4: DEAD WAR

GENRE: SHOOTER

PLATFORM: PS4, XBOX ONE

MULTIPLAYER: YES

Although it may be the fourth entry in the series, Zombie Army 4: DeadWar is a perfect place to start.When booting up for the first time, we’re given everything that we need to know. In 1945, Hitler, on the backfoot, raises the dead and takes over Europe. In the last instalment, the evil dictator was

defeated and banished to hell. Now, Europe remains under the control of a zombie horde – but it’s time to take it back! You’ll move through Europe, which is broken up into nine action- packed levels, and work through Venice, a trainyard, and even a zombie zoo. You’ll be sniping zombies through their eyeballs and seeing everything in x-ray vision. It’s safe to say that there’s a reason this one’s rated R18+. Players choose one of four characters, each with their own strength and weakness. Then comes the loadout. Rifles are the main weapon, allowing

large amounts of damage to be dealt in order to enable that gruesome x-ray kill cam. A secondary weapon will either be an SMG or a shotgun, while you also have a pistol sidearm, which can do a surprisingly decent amount of damage. Combat is exactly like you’d imagine – loud, graphic and addictive. Zombies come in various shapes and sizes – rampaging running zombies, armoured zombies, fat zombies, skinny zombies, zombies that climb on rocks… Plus, special boss types pop up, such as zombie lieutenants and flamethrower zombies. If you’re looking for a new PvE game to get into with friends, Zombie Army 4: Dead War needs to be on your radar. AD

ZOMBODY TO LOVE! Zombie Army 4: Dead War developers Rebellion have really gone out of their way to not only deliver a zombie army, but a zombie for everything. While out and about demolishing their peers, we even found two zombies on a date in Venice!

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MARCH 2020

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