STACK #192 Oct 2020

GAMING PREVIEWS

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GAMES OUT THIS MONTH OCTOBER

WATCH DOGS: LEGION

GENRE: ACTION ADVENTURE PLATFORM: PS4 | XBOX ONE

RELEASE: 29/10/20 MULTIPLAYER: YES

With a story that’s not a million miles removed from what we might see in the headlines, London has fallen to corruption, and it’s all being blamed on underground resistance group Dedsec. You just happen to be one of them, so it’s in your best interest to

bring down all manner of shady types who’ve brought the proud city of London to its knees. Those familiar with the first two Watch Dogs games will recognise the cool Grand Theft Auto meets TV’s Mr. Robot vibe, however the gameplay ante has been upped big time. While once you could check out the vital statistics of anybody you happened to come across, now you can recruit them as Dedsec operatives. If they’re in the game, then they’re game for recruitment. You might enlist anybody from a street fighter to a felon, or a getaway driver to a barrister (possibly handy for helping out those other three). Add your special way with all the latest tech and a bit of biffo and you’ll be handing London back to the people in no time, right?

Did you know? Being set in London, you’ll be spotting all manner of landmarks, from Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and the Tower Bridge to Piccadilly Circus, the London Eye and market Mecca Camden Town.

G: RACING P: PS4 | XBOX ONE M: YES R: 8/10/20 When it comes to gaming marsupials, Crash Bandicoot is king and, after a successful return to karting glory, he’s finally gotten around to undertaking a wholly new adventure. The evil Neo Cortex and N. Tropy are up to their old shenanigans again, but this time they’re thinking bigger and the entire multiverse is under threat. Can Crash and Coco, armed with a bunch of new tricks, reunite the four Quantum Masks and save all our sorry ar… erm, behinds? You betcha! CRASH BANDICOOT 4: IT’S ABOUT TIME If, like many, your favourite bits of the Star Wars saga are always the starfighter battles, then get ready for a treat. Imagine the classic ‘90s X-Wing and TIE Fighter games with modern graphics and console oomph behind them, for that’s what we get in this first-person blast where you pilot your own starfighters – and from both the New Republic and Imperial fleets, too! Mod your ship, take on various solo and group missions, and even go virtual reality with PlayStation VR! STAR WARS: SQUADRONS It’s time once again to play out all of your motorcycle racing fantasies with the latest and greatest two-wheeled racer – and without all of that potential crashing and getting badly hurt stuff. Ride 4 aims to offer the ultimate competitive experience, featuring 176 officially licensed bikes, 30 challenging tracks from around the world and a whole new level of dynamic weather realism, as well as a single player career – including new endurance races – and multiplayer options. RIDE 4 It’s that time of the year that has all gamer fans of the round ball game getting excited, and this year’s FIFA aims to make it worth the hype. Net a bunch of new features, including improvements to speed, realism and showiness in gameplay plus an expanded career mode, while Volta and Ultimate Team modes are also set to bring more than ever to the table. With over 17,000 players and 700+ teams alongside more than 90 stadiums and 30+ leagues, there’s a whole lot of the world game. FIFA 21 G: PLATFORMER P: PS4 | XBOX ONE M: YES R: 2/10/20 G: SPACE COMBAT P: PS4 | XBOX ONE M: YES R: 2/10/20

G: BRAWLER P: PS4 | SWITCH M: YES R: 16/10/20 Longing to rekindle your youth by way of classic arcade-styled beat ’em up action, but want something new added to the mix? Get set to monkey about! A tribute to those old-school days, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin casts the player as Chinese fisherman – and martial arts boss – Wei Cheng, who sets off on a classic revenge mission after a pirate raid on his village sees friends and family alike slaughtered. With three fight styles, unlockable perks and local co-op, it’s time to get hardcore! 9 MONKEYS OF SHAOLIN Ever fancied yourself as a bit of a trivia guru? Here’s your chance to prove it, and win a virtual million bucks for your efforts! This official version of the popular TV game show brings all the tension to your game console, with over 3,000 themed questions covering geography, science, history, the arts and entertainment. Add to the experience all the official sights and sounds and you get everything from the Millionaire experience – well, except for a virtual Eddie McGuire. WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? When you think of real-time strategy games, thoughts don’t normally turn to cute little characters that make all but the most hardened of players go, “Aww!” Ah, but such is the way with Pikmin , another slice of genius from the mind of Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. This update of the ace Wii U title adds a wealth of co-op options, new missions and all the DLC from the original, along with settings to ease those new to the game into the wonderful world of critter-based puzzle solving. PIKMIN 3 DELUXE Following the eerie Man of Medan , the Dark Pictures Anthology series continues its reign of interactive horror on land rather than at sea. Take one abandoned town – the ominously named Little Hope – then insert four college students and their professor, add fog and nightmarish apparitions and you’ve a recipe for adventure that you’ll really want to escape from alive! If you need your hand held, there’s an online shared story mode, or five-player couch co-op. THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: LITTLE HOPE G: STRATEGY P: SWITCH M: YES R: 30/10/20 G: QUIZ P: PS4 | XBOX ONE | SWITCH M: YES R: 29/10/20

G: SPORT P: PS4 | XBOX ONE | SWITCH M: YES R: 9/10/20

G: ADVENTURE P: PS4 | XBOX ONE M: YES R: 30/10/20

18 OCTOBER 2020

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