STACK #189 Jul 2020

GAMING REVIEWS

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THE LAST OF US PART II

GENRE: ACTION ADVENTURE

PLATFORM: PS4

MULTIPLAYER: NO

Six years in the making, The Last of Us Part II , the long-awaited sequel to Naughty Dog’s dystopian classic, makes no safe decisions, and is all the better for it. We won’t spoil what happens next for those

of you who still haven’t played the first game. In development literally since the previous game released, this can be

played as a stand-alone story, but it shouldn’t be. Within a few short hours the game becomes a tale of revenge, violence, and what pursuing it with a passion can do to somebody who’s already seen the best and worst of people. The storytelling is first-rate, even more so than the initial outing. Ashley Johnson is back as Ellie, giving a phenomenal performance alongside a stellar voice cast that includes the return of Troy Baker as Joel. The voice acting is matched by outstanding character animation. The game world is rendered with exquisite detail, drawing on every ounce

IT’S A LOT LIKE LIFE Naughty Dog went to extreme lengths to motion-capture and render as many different character movements as possible, so that characters would have a pool of movements to draw on, giving them an uncannily believable presence in the game.

of the PS4’s power to render almost photorealistic environments. Blades of grass blow in the wind, horses leave hoof tracks in the snow, light glows warmly from windows… it’s an immersive experience that outdoes Red Dead Redemption 2 in the visual stakes. The player is gently guided through the story by environmental prompts, hints from characters and, if you get truly stuck, Naughty Dog’s classic hint system kicks in. As usual, collectibles abound, and searching every location thoroughly rewards. If you’re up for an adventure that’s viscerally exciting, deeply emotional and decidedly not “safe”, grab this masterful work of mature storytelling – which also happens to be the same sort of technical mic-drop that the first game was at the end of the PS3 era. It’s a dark masterpiece. AH

51 WORLDWIDE GAMES

GENRE: FAMILY

PLATFORM: SWITCH

MULTIPLAYER: YES

Say goodbye to dragging out those old board games only to discover there’s a missing piece, as Nintendo have crammed a bumper assortment of 51 non-licensed games into one release. As well as board games, 51 Worldwide Games also crams in card games, tabletop games and a few other pursuits that you

couldn’t really play in the back of the car. Well, maybe Bart Simpson types may have flung a few darts out the car window, but we’ll give the benefit of the doubt. The complete set of games,

FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY! One of the best features of 51 Worldwide Games is the abundance of multiplayer options in many of the inclusions, from sharing one Switch to hooking up to four together locally – either as a quartet of individual screens, or in a cool ‘Mosaic’ mode, where they make up one big screen.

Pig’s Tail, President, Renegade, Riichi Mahjong, Sevens, Shogi, Shooting Gallery, Sliding Puzzle, Slot Cars, Speed, Spider Solitaire, Takoyaki, Team Tanks, Texas Hold’em, Toy Baseball, Toy Boxing, Toy Curling, Toy Football, Toy Tennis, War and Yacht Dice. Phew! Part of the beauty of this collection is the variety. While you can get down to old favourites like Chess or Chinese Checkers, or even flop through a few hands of Klondike Solitaire, you can also discover new and often really cool games. All games come with tips and tutorials to help you get to grips, no matter how confusing they may initially seem. While many might suspect an ethos of quantity over quality here, it really isn’t the case. All 51 games are eminently playable and are slickly presented. Of course, as is the way with such things, everybody will have their favourites. AF

alphabetically, comprises: 6-Ball Puzzle, Air Hockey, Backgammon, Battle Tanks, Billiards, Blackjack, Bowling, Carrom, Chess, Chinese Checkers, Darts, Dominoes, Dots and Boxes, Draughts, Fishing, Four-in-a-Row, Golf, Gomoku, Hanafuda, Hare and Hounds, Hex, Hit and Blow, Klondike Solitaire, Last Card, Ludo, Mahjong Solitaire, Mancala, Matching, Mini Shogi, Nine Men’s Morris,

16 JULY 2020

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