STACK #189 Jul 2020

GAMING PREVIEWS

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GAMES OUT THIS MONTH JULY

PAPER MARIO: THE ORIGAMI KING

GENRE: ACTION RPG PLATFORM: SWITCH

RELEASE: 17/7/20 MULTIPLAYER: NO

Nintendo legend Mario is feeling a little flat, but that’s a good thing as it means it’s time for a new instalment in the long-running Paper Mario series. This sixth outing begins with an invite to an origami festival from Princess

Peach. However, when Mario and Luigi arrive, they realise that something’s not quite right, with Toad Town hardly its usual swinging self and – uh-oh – Princess Peach has been turned into origami! It’s the nefarious work of King Olly, ruler of the Origami Kingdom and general bad guy nuisance. He’s bound Peach’s castle in five giant, colourful streamers and intends to spirit it off as a part of his plot to re-fold the world. Ah, but he didn’t count on Mario coming to the rescue, did he? Join the world’s most loved tradie as he teams with King Olly’s sister Olivia – and even unlikely ally Bowser, whose troops have betrayed him – in order to bring down her bro through a series of turn-based ring battles, puzzles to be solved, and more. Packed with humour and wild moves, thrill as an incredible new Mario adventure… wait for it… unfolds!

Did you know? The first Paper Mario game released for the Nintendo 64 console back in 2000 (2001 outside of Japan), and its developers, RPG specialists Intelligent Systems, have been behind all six games in the series.

G: SURVIVAL HORROR P: SWITCH M: NO R: 10/7/20 Have you ever wanted to step into the shoes – and snappy metal suits – of Tony Stark? Now’s your chance! Sure, you may not get the fortune that would come with being the smart-talking Marvel mogul, but you also don’t get all the stress – you just get to fly around and do stuff like saving private jets from fiery crashes and foiling the plans of evildoers the world over! PS VR unit and Move controllers at the ready? OK, let’s rock! IRON MAN VR Get most of the thrills of Formula One racing from the comfort of your own couch with this year’s model of the official F1 2020 game. Split-screen multiplayer makes a welcome return, complete with assists for non-experts. A new mode allows players to create their very own F1 franchise – from driver to sponsor, engine to co-driver, yours becomes the eleventh competing F1 team. With all teams, drivers and circuits, this is an F1 fan must-have. F1 2020 The words “cult classic” are bandied about a lot, but Deadly Premonition , which players either adored or loathed, truly deserves the title. We’ll once again enter the world of FBI special agent Francis York Morgan, via flashback, as the open world survival horror nightmare of Le Carré continues years later in a new murder mystery. There’s no lack of intrigue, with the promise that this will serve both as a prequel and sequel to events from the original. DEADLY PREMONITION 2: A BLESSING IN DISGUISE Enter the Project Alicization arc of the magnificent virtual world anime adaptation of the Japanese light novel series Sword Art Online and encounter the mysteries and wonders of Underworld. As the series’ key protagonist Kirito, players will encounter a world of seamless battles that adhere to the established canon storyline, as well as encountering familiar faces friendly and otherwise, from Alice and Eugeo through to the Administrator. Adventure awaits! SWORD ART ONLINE: ALICIZATION G: SHOOTER P: PS VR M: NO R: 3/7/20 G: RACING P: PS4 | XBOX ONE M: YES R: 7/7/20

G: ACTION ADVENTURE P: PS4 M: YES R: 17/7/20 Sucker Punch wowed us with their Infamous series of PlayStation exclusives, and now they plan to deliver a knockout whomp with their latest epic. Set in the late 13th century, as samurai warrior Jin Sakai you resolve to do whatever it takes, at any cost, to protect your people from rampaging Mongolian hordes and reclaim your home. Expect open world action coupled with some of the most beautiful graphics to have ever graced the PS4. GHOST OF TSUSHIMA If you were a SEGA Mega Drive kid and a brawler fan then you likely clocked up many hours fighting in the original Streets of Rage and its sequels. It’s been a while between biffs, but a fourth iteration is here, and it goes beyond fan service to deliver an incredible, up-to-date play experience. The hand- drawn visuals return and the soundtrack still pumps, but the action’s been amped with 12 unique levels, new moves, plus classic and debutante fighters. STREETS OF RAGE 4 1950s alien invasion flicks are curiously timeless, and they provided meaty fodder for Destroy All Humans! on the PS2 and original Xbox. If you missed the open world blast then you also missed a bunch of laughs and wild gameplay, in what was essentially Mars Attacks! the game. Players take the role of evil alien Crypto-137, who’s out to decimate humanity and have a whole heap of fun while doing it, and now everything looks all HD and shinier than ever. Ack-ack-ack! DESTROY ALL HUMANS! It’s been yonks since we had a full-on skateboarding game to gleefully grind away at, but the team behind Skater XL plan to fix all that. Sure, you have the great, open world Californian locations and can even step into the kicks of several big-name pro skaters, but the key difference to other such games is the lack of pre-programmed tricks. Here it’s all up to you to wow with your own style, using left stick/left foot and right stick/right foot controls. SKATER XL G: ACTION ADVENTURE P: PS4 | XBOX ONE | PC M: NO R: 28/7/20 G: FIGHTING P: PS4 | SWITCH M: YES R: 24/7/20

G: ACTION RPG P: PS4 | XBOX ONE M: YES R: 10/7/20

G: SPORTS P: PS4 | XBOX ONE M: YES R: 28/7/20

14 JULY 2020

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