OPC Magazine - Issue 07

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Magazine Understanding Creativity in its true sense page 1 June/July2011Issue01 opcmagazine THE OPC PRESENTS... REVIEW Outlast Don’t Starve: 20 tips for 20 days The Gallery - A pick of the community’s #PS4Share screenshots Game Reviews The 19th Hole EVOLVEA PREVIEW OF THE UPCOMING SHOOTER 4 THE PLAYERSMarch 2014 - Issue 07 FEATURES AND MUCH MORE! TOMB RAIDER 5 reasons to try the Definitive Edition

Magazine Understanding Creativity in its true sense page 2 June/July2011Issue01 CONTENTS Introduction Welcome along to issue 07 of the OPC Magazine. In this issue we have a preview of the upcoming shooter Evolve. Or if you’re struggling with Don’t Starve, there are 20 handy tips to help you survive 20 days! Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition has been released and we have 5 reasons why you have to get hold of the game. This issue also includes reviews of games such as Outlast, Resogun & Star Wars: Pinball to name a few. The PlayStation Forums offer a great place to discuss everything PlayStation, and it would be great to hear your feedback on the magazine too. There are a bunch of talented folk out there giving their time and effort to provide content for the magazine so if you like what you see, let them know and encourage them to keep providing it! If there’s something you see that you don’t agree with, on the other hand, why not start a debate? We hope you enjoy the magazine and thank you for reading. Tearaway...............................................................04 Review Call of Duty: Ghosts........................................06-07 Review Outlast....................................................................08-09 Review Star Wars: Pinball ..............................................10-11 Review Die!Die!Die!..........................................................12-13 Review Tomb Raider........................................................14 Five reasons to try the Definitive Edition Don’t Starve.........................................................16-18 20 tips for 20 days The Gallery ..........................................................20-24 A pick of the community’s #PS4Share screenshots EDITORS englishgolfer & QuietlyWrong DESIGN mattsimmo CONTRIBUTORS Beautifulsillo chrisboers englishgolfer hayzink mightyles MissSouthampton ProGamerX56 Syph33r Teef_on_duty WinnieP A big thank you to everyone who has contributed to this issue of the OPC Magazine. We couldn’t do it without you! FEEDBACK/WANT TO HELP? We’d love to hear what you’d like to see in the magazine and your general feedback, please let us know via the Magazine thread in the OPC forum. Keep an eye on the forum as we will be asking for volunteers in the near future to contribute to the next issue. Until the next time, happy gaming and we hope you enjoy reading the magazine. Magazine OPC

Magazine Understanding Creativity in its true sense page 3 June/July2011Issue01 EVOLVE Preview of the upcoming shooter26 OUTLAST Review08 TOMB RAIDER Five reasons to try the Definitive Edition14 DON’T STARVE 20 tips for 20 days16 THE GALLERY A pick of the community’s #PS4Share screenshots20 Evolve .....................................................................26-27 Preview Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag........................28-30 Review Resogun ................................................................32-33 Review Castlestorm .........................................................34-35 Review Castlevania - Mirror of Fate.........................36-37 Review Strider .....................................................................38 Review The 19th Hole.....................................................40-41 Q&A with two OPC forum members

opc magazine 4 the players page 4 PLATFORM: PS Vita; PUBLISHER: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe; DEVELOPER: Media Molecule; RELEASE DATE: 22 November 2013 If I had to use one word to describe Tearaway, it would be joy. This little Vita title developed by just a handful of the creative minds over at Media Molecule oozes charm and wonder. The game is designed to make you smile and it succeeds. From its papercraft aesthetic and whimsical narrative to the addictive music, this game is truly a must play on the PlayStation Vita. The only criticism one could surmise after a play-through is that you are left wanting even more. You guide a little envelope with a message for ‘You’. Yep that’s right, you. As in the person reading this right now. Tearaway is one of the few titles in existence that include the player as part of the narrative structure. The player is an integral part of the story no longer looking at the story from the outside in, instead from the inside looking out. You begin the game by first choosing a gender, resulting in either the main character of Iota (male) or Atoi (female). Then your own skin tone, which will become prevalent in one of the game’s many mechanics. They all involve you. You personally interact with this world: that may include touching things or tilting your Vita. Or you can even break through. Literally with your fingers using the rear touchpad. You also have the ability to create. Making any papercraft designs you like and sticking them onto your messenger as you see fit. It is not only open to the breadth of your imagination but very simple to do. Tearaway’s game mechanics are very rounded and they all work wonderfully. And they mount up, feeding you and then developing into a crescendo finale that will leave you with a papercraft grin plastered onto your face. But mechanics aren’t the only thing which set Tearaway apart from other game titles. An in-game camera allows you to not only witness this little papercraft world from a first person perspective, but capture its very essence. Along your adventure, when not taking Tearaway selfies you will encounter various inhabitants and objects with no colour. Snapping these oddities will unlock each one’s ‘Papercraft Plan’. With this unlocked, logging onto the Tearaway website allows you to then print out this object and build it yourself. Allowing you to bring parts of Tearaway into your own world. Tearaway really is a game which captures the heart of what makes Media Molecule unique. And with so much attention to detail it is hard to fathom how it was made by just a small team. From paper ripples to highly addictive music tracks that really ramp up as the game comes to a close. It really is hard to put your finger on an area this game is lacking. Tearaway is a truly unique title, completely purpose-built for the PlayStation Vita handheld. If you own one, it behoves you to buy and play this title. Or miss out on a special piece of gaming. Review: Tearaway Writer: Syph33r

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Call of Duty: Ghosts PS3 / PS4 Publisher: Activision Developer: Infinity Ward with Raven Software & Neversoft Release date: 6 November 2013 opc magazine 4 the players page 6 Writer: ProGamerX56 ProGamerX56 takes an in-depth look at the main four modes to the latest in the CoD franchise... Campaign When you begin the campaign you are thrown into a prologue, with minimal explanation, one minute you are running from a bombardment next minute you are in space, in the fight between the Ghosts and the Federation. Throughout, you are playing as Logan, helped by his brother Hesh and his father Elias. The Ghosts are attempting to capture the person responsible for the space project Odin. At least it’s not the same old Russian terrorists threatening to destroy all of humanity. The campaign is not the best, and although they hired experienced writers, you will rarely build relationships with characters, excepting one, Riley. The game introduces nothing new to the table and you will feel that things feel familiar. The mission, in which you fight through a flooded town, strongly resembles a mission in Treyarch’s Black Ops 2. I suppose it’s hard to make things feel different, but they could at least try to take risks. More of the same: if you liked the previous campaigns, you’ll enjoy this one; if you despised it, then you’ll still hate it. Bit like Marmite. Verdict: Fun, but clichéd. Extinction Neversoft’s substitute for Special Ops [I personally would have preferred that but oh well] is an alien mode. Although it does have a level-up system, you can unlock new weapons, classes and prestige. The first thing you’ll notice is classic Activision: only one map. It makes you feel you are playing a demo, without a doubt four more maps will be available for a cost. Extinction – Point of Contact The one map you do have is Point of Contact, labelled as Chapter 1. In this, you need to destroy hives, detonate a nuke, and run out. Somehow there is a lot to cover in this mode, despite its obvious blandness. At the beginning, you will be given a drill and when you place a drill you will be given a challenge. The challenges are optional, but they reward you with extra money, XP and a skill point. You can press Select to spend skill points upgrading your equipment. There are 3 locations: the starting area, the city, and the cabin. Each one is separated by boss hives which take ages to clear out, in which you face projectile-firing scorpions. You can activate traps and buy weapons from the floor. However, the game offers no tutorial, so you’ll be crawling around blindly trying to figure out what to do. The mode’s difficulty is sometimes too easy, sometimes relentlessly difficult. Especially when you are facing rhinos with a puny pistol, you know it’s the end. You can also search through garbage for weapons. Like you’ll conveniently find a working airstrike trigger in the garbage of a motel. Are they serious? Extinction – The Game Mechanics In your loadout menu, you can choose your team boosters, weapons, and

opc magazine 4 the players page 7 perks. Of the latter you can choose extra health, faster revives etc. Everything will become more powerful through upgrades. You can progress through levels, earning miniguns, grenade launchers and riot shields. When you reach Level 30 you can ‘prestige’ and earn relics. You can choose from a variety, all of which make you weaker, but give you more money and XP. Adds some spice into the game. I think I’ve talked enough about Extinction, so let’s move on. Squads – Introduction Infinity Ward’s new offering: you can begin by creating your own squad, with its own customisable clothing, aesthetics and weapons. Despite the pointlessness of such cosmetics, some gamers may get some enjoyment out of these aspects. The option to play as a girl exists presumably to cater to the girl gamers, being again cosmetic – just a reskinned soldier. Once you have readied your squad you can set your base map and mode. When someone’s game chooses your squad to randomly fight against, they will fight on that map, on that mode, with your squadmates. Don’t worry; you will never permanently lose a squadmate or your base. Let’s go through the modes shall we? Squads – Modes Let’s start with Squad Assault, you can team up with 5 friends [regardless of platform], against a randomly selected squad. You will play whatever mode and map the creator of the squad declared. Whoever wins gets an XP reward, whether it’s the AI squad, or the players. Now onto Squads versus Squads: you team up with your squad AI, which you have customised, and face another player and their squad head on. Frantic, but fun. Wargame: you can choose squadmates to play with and be pit against random AI in any gamemode and map. All of this is identical to core multiplayer and is actually repetitive. Safeguard This is part of the multiplayer aspect, but part of the squads aspect at the same time. It tries to replicate MW3’s renowned survival mode. At the start you have a loot round, in which you can gather perks and killstreaks. Weapons are randomly dropped when the bar in the corner is filled. You upgrade your weapons by killing, and picking up medallions from dead enemies. At any time you can call in a squadmate which acts like a regular player and can revive you and upgrade weapons in itself. It definitely offers more challenge than survival as enemies can run up to you and kill you with one knife, which is kind of overpowered. Multiplayer – Introduction Statistically, over 40% of players skip the campaign and go right onto this that is the reason I didn’t want my review to be focused on it. Multiplayer – Modes To be clear, do not expect a complete revamp of the multiplayer mode just because it’s next gen. You did not see it with COD 3 when PS3 came out and you do not see it now. Thankfully, the features to play offline with bots are still present and are now available in Search and Destroy. There are many more game modes at least. With some questions I asked in Issue 6’s article being answered. Firstly, I have come complete with a mode list and I will devote a whole section to it. Team Deathmatch: you know what this is, classic 6v6 (or 9v9 on PS4) battles. Heavy Duty: added in a shock recent patch, average modes with more health and more ammo, as useless as Arms Race in Black Ops 2. Free for All: 12 player, everyone-forthemselves battles! Blitz: a team is assigned a portal each; each team’s goal is to rush to the other spawn to earn points. Cranked: when you get a kill, you become cranked, and you have a 30 second timer to kill someone to keep the timer up. If you fail, you explode, simples. Domination: capture and hold control points A, B and C to earn points. Also available in Ground War. Grind: only available in private matches at time of press. A remix of Kill Confirmed: kill enemies to earn dog tags, return them to your spawn to earn points. Hunted: you start the game with a pistol, you have to fight over frequent supply drops which contain five weapons with one magazine. Hunted FFA: hunted with no teams Infected: you may recognise this from Modern Warfare 3: you start like a regular person; after a timer a single enemy is assigned to be infected. The infected only has a throwing knife, and a tactical insertion. Anyone who dies becomes infected. Kill Confirmed: kill enemies to get dog tags. Collect dog tags to earn points. Search and Destroy: destroy or protect objectives to earn points. No respawns. Search and Rescue: same as above, except you can respawn by collecting dog tags. And finally….CONCLUSION The game is more of the same; the Call of Duty franchise has peaked with the Modern Warfare series and is starting to lose some of its charm. You can easily get bored as it doesn’t offer much more than Black Ops 2 or Modern Warfare 3. Apart from that it’s a great game, but only recommended to fans of the series. 7/10

opc magazine 4 the players page 8 Review: Outlast Writer: mightyles PLATFORM: PS4; PUBLISHER: Red Barrels; DEVELOPER: Red Barrels; RELEASE DATE: 5 February 2014 In recent years the survival horror genre has taken a bit of a backseat to a more commercial action horror (see Resident Evil 6 and Dead Space 3). Now with the advent of the PS4, and the opening up of the PlayStation Store to independent developers, we’re starting to see a resurgence in more traditional horror games. The first high-profile horror game to be released on PlayStation 4 is Red Barrels Inc’s Outlast, a game that casts you as investigative reporter Miles Upshur. Miles has been sent an anonymous tip about immoral testing by a huge multinational corporation at Mount Massive Asylum, and decides to investigate. Armed with his trusty night-vision enabled camcorder, he decides to break in to the abandoned Asylum one dark and stormy night to get to the bottom of the mystery. As far as bad ideas go, this is probably one of the very worst things a person could possibly ever decide to do. Within the first 10 minutes of playing, one thing is clear: Outlast is absolutely terrifying and is definitely a game for adults only. The Asylum is the site of a number of brutal murders and bizarre experiments, which has resulted in the physically disfigured and violently unhinged patients wandering free from their cells. As an investigative journalist you are expected to record your findings. Should you point your camcorder at something particularly noteworthy Miles will make a note in his notepad, which provides some insight into his psyche as the game progresses. There’s an element of resource management as well, because the camcorder’s essential night vision mode drains battery power. Batteries can be found littered around the Asylum, Unlike many other horror games you are unable to fight enemies off; instead you need to avoid them by either running away or finding a good place to hide. Should the enemies (inevitably) find you they will chase you and the only thing you can do is run or face a gruesome death. A lot of the biggest scares in the game come from sudden loud moments, causing the player to jump out of their skin. Having said that, there’s a wonderfully tense atmosphere in the Asylum; for the most part there is no background music, which allows the rather brilliant sound design to stand out. When there is music it always contributes towards a feeling of utter dread and gets the pulse pounding. In a lot of ways Outlast is reminiscent of House of Horror Halloween attractions you get in the United States – where paid actors chase people around spooky houses pretending they’re crazed killers. It’s really unsettling, but the illusion can be undermined if you stop doing what it wants you to do and try to have a look around. In the vast majority of cases denizens of the asylum are harmless, no matter how much they rattle doors or whisper unpleasant things about you in the darkness.

opc magazine 4 the players page 9 As a game it is very linear, although there is scope to explore a little bit to recover documents and record observations in your note pad. Unfortunately most doors are locked and there’s rarely more than one direction that you can head in. Those that want a real challenge should consider trying one of the higher difficulty settings. The hardest difficulty, ‘Insanity’, tasks you with making it through the night with just one life, no saves and no more than two batteries for your camera at the same time. Despite these very minor issues, I’ve come away from Outlast feeling impressed. Very few games are able to elicit emotional responses from the player – recently TellTale’s The Walking Dead and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us have been able to create a palpable sense of despair – the feelings that Outlast is able to bring out of the player are terror, disgust and a genuine sense of unease. It’s not for the faint of heart by any means, but any mature gamer should do their very best to experience this game. Outlast is currently available as part of February’s PlayStation Plus Instant Games Collection on PS4. Once it leaves the Instant Games Collection (or if you are not a PS+ Subscriber) it’ll set you back £15.99. It is worth every penny.

Star Wars Pinball - Balance of the Force [DLC] PS3 / PS4 / Vita Publisher: Zen Studios Developer: Zen Studios Release date: 27 February 2013 (PS3, Vita), 18 December 2013 (PS4) opc magazine 4 the players page 10 Writer: chrisboers Introduction and Background Pinball tables have always had a magical attraction. As little boys and girls, we all jostled each other around those big boxes with bright flashing lights, barely being able to look over the edge, while one of the big boys would do his tricks on the table. Those big, heavy, metal balls that raged through the cabinet, flying over ramps and popping against bumpers brought us to ecstasy over and over again, with as highlights the fast-moving multiball and that big bang of an awarded free play, which was so loud that you could literally feel it. Sadly, those glory days of the physical pinball are now in the past, with big names like Gottlieb, Bally and Williams now no more than history. Fortunately, pinball machines nowadays have found a second life, in digital form, on our beloved PlayStation 3, 4 and Vita. There are two big names that have both chosen their own path to digitizing the look and feel of the physical predecessors: Pinball Arcade by FarSight Studios focuses on recreating historic pinball machines from the likes of Gottlieb, Williams, Bally and Stern Pinball, and trying to do it as realistically as possible. Zen Pinball by Zen Studios, on the other hand, opted to make all-new digital pinball tables, and thereby use all the opportunities that the medium offers, which are simply not possible in the physical cabinets. They offer a whole set of pinball tables concerning Marvel superheroes, various video games (Ninja Gaiden, Street Fighter and the amazing Plants vs. Zombies), and also original tables like V12 and Tesla. There are now more than twenty tables available. Recently, Zen Studios have shifted their focus to creating tables around the Star Wars franchise. The tables Balance of the Force is a DLC pack for Star Wars Pinball, and contains three tables: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Starfighter Assault and Darth Vader. Accessibility is a high priority for Zen Studios, so the tables are also available in Zen Pinball 2, which acts as a hub for every other Zen table previously created. Purchased once, all tables become available on Vita, PS3 and PS4. Freedom of play all around. The tables are crammed with images and sounds from the original Star Wars movies and there are several 3D models included that can actually move and speak. For example, in the Return of the Jedi table, you’ll see a hologram of the Death Star, a scout trooper on a speeder bike, Y-wings and more. In addition, you can launch special missions, sometimes even leaving the pinball table entirely, and play through a scene from the film such as in the speeder bike pursuit. Beneath all of this gadgetry and graphical awe, there is fortunately still a set of pinball tables, and those are actually very good. Bumpers, kickers, slingshots, spinners, ramps, skill shots, multiballs and jackpots. Everything is here, and everything feels solid. The ball seems to have real weight, never doing unexpected

opc magazine 4 the players page 11 things. If it hits a bumper, you can almost feel the kickback. A nice touch with the Balance of the Force tables is that you can choose which side you’re on. Do you support the Rebels or the Empire? Together with your friends who have chosen the same side, you fight against the ‘other side’. Your scores and those of your fellow combatants determine which side is winning in the everlasting struggle between good and evil. This choice is also reflected on the table itself, and heavily influences the way the table behaves. Also, during multiball sessions you can see this clash of forces: on the Darth Vader table the metal balls get a bright red or blue glow, depending on what goals you hit. In terms of gameplay, Zen Studios seems to have struck a solid balance between enjoyment and challenge . Where previously Plants vs. Zombies was sometimes too easy, these tables strike a much better balance. It is still very possible to enjoy the tables and easily build up a reasonable score, but if you want to take your play to a different level, and clear all the missions and challenges, you really need to step up your game. Sound and vision Zen Studios has built a reputation for quality, and that shines through on these tables. Everything is beautifully rendered and finished. The tables are well thought out, and look like real physical tables, except of course for the moving 3D models. The graphical style also fits well with how physical pinball machines used to look, which is a big plus for every pinball fan. Nevertheless, Zen regularly goes entirely off the chart, and changes the entire playing field into a huge firefight on top of the Death Star, or lets an Imperial battleship moor at the side of your table. The 3D models are beautiful, and hardly disturb the gameplay, though it is very tempting to just stop playing, and watch Luke and Darth Vader as they battle it out in their iconic lightsaber battle. The sound is equally impressive, with many sounds sourced from the original movies, but also with many newly recorded sounds. Conclusion Zen Studios has truly delivered a masterpiece with the three Balance of the Force tables. Each table plays differently and has its own peculiarities. The tables are beautifully created, and are crammed with fun things to do and to achieve. They are the absolute best in what is currently available on virtual pinball fun. One drawback though: Zen has pushed the boundaries of what’s possible so far that it is difficult, if not impossible to better these tables. These tables are close to perfection, and are therefore very highly recommended, not only to fans of the Star Wars movies, but for any pinball fan out there. The Star Wars: Balance to the Force DLC is a package of three tables, and can be found in the PSN Store.

opc magazine 4 the players page 12 Review: DIE!DIE!DIE! Writer: chrisboers PLATFORM: PS Vita; PUBLISHER: iFun4All; DEVELOPER: iFun4All; RELEASE DATE: 7 August 2013 Introduction Before you start reading this review of DIE!DIE!DIE!, please take a moment to watch the trailer of the game. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WuEVmoVQ0xI If this is your first encounter with the game, watching this trailer will probably leave you with the same reaction it gave me: “What on earth did I just watch?” One thing is clear: this trailer tickled my curiosity. If you don’t dare to try it out yourself, be patient as this review will tell you what to expect. Background DIE!DIE!DIE! is a game produced by ifun4all, a small publisher mainly focused on games with titles like Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder, Crap of Defense and Fish Tank. Don’t sound familiar? That’s hardly surprising, as they are all smaller, casual games created for Wii and iPhone. DIE!DIE!DIE! fits into that same category. iFun4All labels their game the ‘first medical defence game’, which may very well be. If only because no other ‘medical defence game springs to mind. The story Yes. Well. Story. Actually, there isn’t really much of a story, beyond the fact that your body is being attacked by all kinds of intruders, and it’s your job to destroy them all! The intruders consist of viruses, microbes, illnesses and the lot, and they attack all over your body. The doctor injects your body with a huge needle, and this needle is your line of defence. You, as the gamer, get to steer the injection needle, inject medicine, and thereby rid your body of all intruders. The game The intruders come in different shapes and sizes. Each type has its own characteristics. There are microbes which are hard to kill, while others attack en masse, moving very quickly, or multiply when you try to exterminate them. The attackers move from the right part of the screen and try to reach the left side. They move through your veins, bowels, or nervous system. It’s your job to make sure they don’t reach the left side of the screen. Stopping the attackers can be done using that giant needle, which you can rotate from left to right, and which can shoot portions of medicine. You can launch the medicine by touching the screen of your Vita, and the longer you hold it before releasing, the bigger the portion becomes, and therefore the more enemies you can destroy at once. Of course it takes some aiming, as it takes the medicine some time to get to their assigned spot, but the enemies keep moving in the meantime. The mechanics somewhat resemble the coin-op game Missile Command (anyone who still remembers that one??), but sideways. Of course there are different strategies possible. Do you simply shoot many smaller portions of medicine, or do you aim for fewer, bigger portions?

opc magazine 4 the players page 13 The injection needle isn’t the only weapon at your disposal. The patient himself regularly swallows different types of medicine, which show up on your screen in the form of power-ups. Activating these will often kill nearby enemies, but can also have other side-effects. There are antibiotics, stop-blockers that slow your attackers, shockers that shake the entire screen, including everyone on it, and many others. Be careful though. If you don’t activate the power ups, but instead shoot them with your needle, your own medicine becomes inactive for a few seconds! This can be devastating to your strategy, as the invaders keep marching on. One problem with the game is your finger is constantly on or above the screen, you don’t always see whether you’re safe to fire. The game is far from short. You’ll be travelling your entire body three times, through your veins, your digestive system and your nervous system. Each set consists of some 25 levels, each taking roughly one to two minutes to complete. If you want to 100% the game, you’ll replay quite a few of these levels, as you get a bronze, silver or gold award for them, and only a (near) perfect run is enough for gold. Each level comes with its own challenge, which may be different attackers, a timeattack, a limited medicine supply, or the task to attack only a specific type of enemy. Each level can be played at three difficulty levels. After playing through all three sets, you’ll unlock an ‘endless mode’, which of course will slowly increase in difficulty. All things considered, there is more than enough to keep you occupied, if you haven’t quit the game by then. Which is a genuine concern, as the levels aren’t really that much different and can be repetitive to the extreme. Visuals and sound As you can see in the screenshots, the graphics aren’t exactly next-gen. Things could have benefitted from a bit more polish, and a bit more refinement. It does the job, but no more than that. Especially in the more busy levels, it’s easy to miss a power-up between all the attackers. That, and your own finger, which is constantly in the way of seeing what is going on the screen, isn’t exactly helping. The audio is on par with the visuals: sufficient, but barely. All in all, this game is a true casual game that serves as a great snack: good for those lost moments, but never enough to really satisfy. Trophies Yes, this game contains trophies. However, you might be playing the game for hours and hours, and never hearing the oh-so-popular ‘Ding’ sound. The game sports eleven trophies, but they all require endurance to actually achieve, and are therefore only for those die-hards that will keep on playing. Every level has three difficulties, and you need to complete all levels in one of the three sets on the highest difficulty for a trophy. Or, you’ve got to destroy 500 power-ups. Or perform 5000 kills in endless mode on the highest difficulty. So keep in mind that this may very well be one of those games that remains at 0% trophies gained, unless you’re a real fighter. Summary DIE!DIE!DIE! is not one for the big prizes. It’s a nice game to pick up and play a couple of levels when waiting for the bus or train to arrive. Don’t expect this to be an evening-filler, as it will bore you long before then as there is just too little variation in the levels. Fortunately, the game has recently been reduced in price, which now makes it attainable at the price of a snack. Total completion-time is around six or seven hours, which is quite long considering its price. DIE!DIE!DIE! is currently available in the PSN Store.

opc magazine 4 the players page 14 Five Reasons to Try Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition has BLOWN my mind. OK, so that’s an overreaction, but the graphics are so crisp that, at some points, I felt like I was actually in a cut-scene. I keep casting my mind back to the original Tomb Raider on the PS1, with its square pixelated character models and environments, and cannot believe how far Lara has come. Point One: A Redesigned Lara Croft Speaking of Lara, I am totally feeling her new look. As a woman I feel as if I can actually relate to that type of body – a normal looking person without preposterously huge breasts and unrealistic figure. I also love the new enhancements they have done with the definitive edition. I MEAN LOOK AT THAT HAIR! At some points in the game it actually looks like real hair, with each individual strand reacting to the elements. Point Two: Redefined Gameplay Having been a Tomb Raider fan since the original was released in the mid 90’s, I really like how they have refined the gameplay. One criticism I had of the classic Tomb Raider games was that they all looked and played almost exactly the same as the previous entry in the series with only minor changes. It’s not like that with Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. This game is the Tomb Raider we’ve always wanted. Point Three: Mr Croft? It’s clear that the developers took more than a little inspiration from a certain Mr Drake’s adventures, but all in all I think that’s perfectly fair, seeing as some have called him the male Lara Croft. While it isn’t exactly the same as the Uncharted games, this could easily tide over ravenous Uncharted fans until Uncharted 4 is released. Point Four: Bonus content! The Definitive Edition comes with all of the PS3 version’s downloadable content on the disc – this includes several multiplayer maps, weapons and characters, as well as extra costumes for Lara and a brand new tomb to explore for the single player. This is a good £20 of extra content! Point Five: DualShocking New Features! Arguably my favourite new feature in Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is the way the developers have utilised the DualShock 4. As well as having tighter controls thanks to the brand new analogue sticks, the team have really thought hard about how to use some of the more subtle features of the controller. Putting out a torch is as easy as swiping down on the touch pad (and did I mention that the light bar on the DualShock rapidly flickers between red, orange and white, mimicking a real flame, whenever you have a torch lit?). The game also features some smart use of the in-built speakers (causing gunshots and footsteps to echo through the controller) and a load of voice commands using the PlayStation Camera, making for a truly different experience. Writer: Beautifulsillo; Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition; PLATFORM: PS4; PUBLISHER: Square Enix; DEVELOPER: Crystal Dynamics; RELEASE DATE: 31 January 2014

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opc magazine 4 the players page 16 20 Tips for 20 days - how to survive Don’t Starve Don’t Starve is a title that’s all about finding the best way to survive. Being alone in a warped wilderness filled with monsters and all manner of strange creatures - some friends, some foes - isn’t easy. Below are 20 tips to help you survive, all taken from the survival thread on the PlayStation forum. 1. Don’t be afraid to die. You will die in this game; in fact you will die often but don’t let that put you off because every death in this game is a learning experience that will aid you in your next play through and help you survive longer. 2. Grass and twigs are a must. In the beginning pick all the grass and twigs that you can as they’re the most valuable resource in the game. 3. Keep lifting that flint. Flint is your go-to material for crafting both tools and weapons so if you see it grab it. 4. Got wood? By now you should be able to craft an axe so get chopping because when night falls you’re going to want to make a fire if you want to survive. 5. There’s food just lying around. You will come across seeds, carrots and berries early on so grab them when you see them as they will keep you going. 6. Make traps. Small traps will catch rabbits and frogs amongst other things and will be your main method of getting meat early on. You can bait the traps with food or you can simply chase the animal into the trap - the choice is yours. Writer: hayzink; PLATFORM: PS4; PUBLISHER: Klei Entertainment; DEVELOPER: Klei Entertainment; RELEASE DATE: 7 January 2014

opc magazine 4 the players page 17 7. Watch your sanity. Being alone and killing those innocent little rabbits will have an effect on your sanity. Picking flowers will raise it by five points at a time and when you have twelve you can make a nice, little flower hat that will continue to raise your sanity whilst wearing it. 8. Wormholes won’t kill you. But they will affect your sanity. Use them to get around faster but combine wormhole travel with tip 7 to manage sanity levels. 9. Mine rocks and look for gold. You want rocks so you can build a fire pit as a reusable fire source that requires less fuel. Rocks are needed for building your base and at the same time you will hopefully find gold. 10. Build a science machine. See that gold? It’s needed for a science machine that will let you move onto the next crafting tier which is needed to survive winter (we will get to that). 11. Make a backpack. By now your inventory will be getting pretty full but the science machine allows you to craft a backpack providing you more room to carry things. 12. Make a weapon and go hunting. You need to hunt for various materials, some come from animals others come from monsters such as spiders. Each animal or monster has a set attack pattern so take time to learn what they are and how best to dodge them before counterattacking. When they die they will drop items for you to use or eat. Monster meat needs to be cooked in a crock pot to avoid sickness and insanity. 13. Build a base. By now you should have materials to start making items that the science machine has unlocked. You should think about making a crock pot and farms around your base along with a chest that will allow you to hold more items. It is also a good idea to make a drying rack to make jerky. If you made a shovel, dig up berry bushes and grass tufts etc and plant them by your base so you don’t have to search everywhere for them when you need them. 14. Pigmen can be friends. If you see the pig men don’t attack them as they’re friendly. If you go hunting feed them something good and they will follow and help you (also by feeding them you can use their excrement afterwards) 15. Winter is coming. You will want to start thinking about winter as being unprepared will lead to death. Look at the clothes tab and craft stuff you will need to keep warm. You can also make a heatstone that will help you stay warm, especially combined with your Wilson’s beard which will help insulate you.

opc magazine 4 the players page 18 16. Resurrection. Death is not the end if you find the resurrection stone. Another way of cheating death is by making a meat effigy and a resurrection amulet. A good tip is to place a chest next to the stone and effigy and put winter clothes and supplies in there because if you die during winter you will respawn with nothing and you will most likely die before you can make it to the spot where you died. 17. Watch out for the hounds. At a certain point every season your character will hear a strange noise which signals that the hounds are on the way. If it’s night time have a torch on standby in case you have to flee into the night. If there are pigs nearby, you can run to them and they will do the fighting for you. 18. Winter is harsh. Hoard as much as you can for winter as your farms become pretty useless and foods harder to find. If you managed to accumulate lots of meat in summer your best bet is to dry it out as it lasts longer and also gives you a sanity boost. Another tip is you can store live rabbits as they won’t spoil so if you want to you can have a few chests full of live rabbits. 19. The eye bone. If you see the eye bone, pick it up and wait for a living chest to come bounding towards you. Don’t attack it as some people have done because this is Chester and he is your friend. Use that furry little monster as a walking backpack. 20. Don’t hang around the swamp. The swamp is really dangerous and extremely easy to die in due to tentacles from some hidden creature. If you need to go through the swamp try using any available path. Hopefully some of these tips will help you survive the first portion of the game but you’re constantly going to find new things that you might get stuck at or figure out how to deal with. Either way share them on the Don’t Starve survival thread on the forum. http://community.eu.playstation.com/t5/PS4-Games/ Don-t-Starve-survivors-thread/td-p/20563001

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opc magazine 4 the players page 20 @BLACKTHT - Outlast ‘There’s obviously no one home, I’m leaving :)’ 01 @curtis_mufc - Call of Duty Ghosts ‘So this is how dogs use ladders…’ 02

opc magazine 4 the players page 21 @LJMacPherson - Killzone Shadow Fall ‘This is my wall...’ 03 @EllundelPSN - Don’t Starve ‘Not bad for day 30! Just took down 4 hounds!’ 04

opc magazine 4 the players page 22 @mareinthetype - Tomb Raider ‘I feel sorry for the virtual fella.’ 05 @lordross - FIFA 14 ‘Yay we won :D’ 06

opc magazine 4 the players page 23 @Serum_lake - Injustice: Gods Among Us ‘Has there ever been a greater super move than this?’ 07 @yaster - Need for Speed Rivals ‘This decision suits me as a moderator guy’ 08

opc magazine 4 the players page 24 @DNAtlantic - Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag ‘Double rainbow!’ 09

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opc magazine 4 the players page 26 Writer: mightyles PLATFORM: PS4; PUBLISHER: 2K Games; DEVELOPER: Turtle Rock Studios; ETA: Q3, 2014 I recently had the chance to attend a public demonstration of 2K Games’ upcoming shooter Evolve. Unlike many of the other popular shooters out there, such as Battlefield and Call of Duty, Evolve takes an interesting spin on competitive multiplayer. The game is made by Turtle Rock, the folks behind Left 4 Dead, which was a gloriously thrilling and creative cooperative shooter that has sadly never been released on the PlayStation platform. The basic premise consists of two factions fighting for supremacy on a recently-discovered frontier planet. One faction is made up of four humans, each with their own special skills, who have come to colonise the planet, while the other faction features a single player controlling a gigantic Godzilla-like monster. Each human class has a specific role – Assault, Trapper, Support and Medic – and if one team mate doesn’t do their specific job things will quickly fall apart. The Assault class provides the pure firepower while the Trapper can help locate the monster and slow it down with his harpoon gun and gigantic energy dome shield. Meanwhile the Medic heals players and is armed with a sniper rifle that can expose a weak spot on the monster. Finally the Support character can provide a shield for one team mate and call in airstrikes, dealing tremendous damage. When all four teammates work together they can make mincemeat out of the monster – a typical confrontation saw the Trapper encasing all five players (humans and monster) inside the energy dome, while the Assault and Support characters focused on pulverising the monster and the Medic kept topping up each player’s health. At the start of the round the Monster is given a short amount of time to hide and prepare himself for battle. The monster has the added advantage of being controlled in the third person perspective, giving him a greater field of vision. When playing as the monster it is initially quite weak, and so the aim is to avoid the humans and consume smaller animals to fill up an evolution meter. The monster can evolve two times per match, and with each evolution it increases size and strength and gains an additional ability, such as breathing fire or being able to hurl gigantic boulders. In their final form the monsters are colossal powerhouses that can easily destroy lesser human teams. The trick with evolving is that it takes time and will leave you exposed, so you’ll need to find somewhere safe while you evolve. Once the monster is fully evolved his objective becomes to eradicate any sign of humanity in the area. In the level we played he was tasked with destroying a nearby power station and killing a group of human survivors that had spawned in the area. The mission ends when either the human players defeat the monster, or the monster vanquishes the humans. At the same time, human players that work well together and effectively use their characters’ abilities gain

opc magazine 4 the players page 27 experience points. Each ability can level up several times, offering vastly improved skills over time. The world is filled with all sorts of exotic life of varying sizes. This can act as both food for the monster and obstacles for the humans. A particularly neat feature that I liked was that players could get a rough idea of where the monster was by examining the environment – the Trapper can see the physical tracks left by the monster, while other players can see the damage his large frame had caused to the plants. In each level there is one large enemy, known as a Tyrant, inhabiting a certain area. These Tyrants can attack both the human player and the monster, so must be approached with caution. In one situation, when pursuing the monster, we were led to a lake that was inhabited by a gigantic crocodile Tyrant that decimated our team while the monster just stood by and watched. While only one monster was playable during the demo, we were assured that there would be several to choose from, each with their own abilities. Likewise, each human class will have multiple characters to choose from, each with their own specialities. Evolve currently has a vague release date of Autumn 2014 and from what I’ve seen it has quickly become one of my most hotly anticipated PS4 titles.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag PS3 / PS4 Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft (Ubisoft Montreal) Release Date: 22 November 2013 (PS3: 29 Oct 2013) opc magazine 4 the players page 28 Writer: WinnieP Assassin’s Creed is back again and this time it’s piratey! All filler and no Templar killer..? From multiple ancestral assassin generations to next generation, how does the Assassin’s Creed franchise cope with its leap of faith onto PS4? Behind the flag In Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag we skip back only a couple of generations from the socially awkward and sometimes dull character of AC3’s Connor, and instead see the world through the eyes of the greater and more vibrant personality of his grandfather Edward Kenway. Kenway’s story begins as a young man living the life of the high seas, until a chance encounter. Not only is there the usual mix of assassin & Templar society, we now get to share a rum-soaked story or two with associates such as the great pirate himself, Blackbeard. Back to the present As most of you will know Assassin’s Creed has never been about a singular story based in historical lands of wonder, but is held together via a helix-entwined modern day setting too. This modern day element has always been the stem-cell of the series and a huge draw for me, so how this story was going to continue was always a hook shaped question mark firmly hung over AC4. Well I’m not going to give anything away, but I will say fans of the Assassin’s Creed ‘bigger picture’ shouldn’t be disappointed! Gameplay Unjacked from the early 1700’s If you are prepared to go looking for it and through a series of mini arcade puzzles, you can unlock swaths of information to sift through regarding the AC universe: past, present and maybe even a glimpse into the future of where the series might be heading. Setting sail for a pirate’s life When Ubisoft first announced Black Flag, and how a pirate’s life meant that the naval combat from AC3 was obviously going to feature in a big way for AC4, the happiness and excitement that other gamers seemed to have were not among the emotions that I shared. I’ve never been able to put my finger on why I disliked the side missions of bobbing around as Captain Connor. Did they fit in with the setting of the American Revolution? Well yes, without a history lesson, battles were won and lost at sea, as much as they were across the American frontier and in the newly budding cities. Were they clunky and hard to control? Well no, not really. Maybe because most of the time it felt like ‘just that’, a ‘side mission’..? How wrong was I… From the moment of taking full control of my vessel in AC4, all my previous naval hang-ups were thrown out to sea. I think I spent more time swashbuckling, wishing I had a parrot on my shoulder, than I did playing at parkour on dry land. Rather than building a pretty village or town for your friends to help you make money, you’ll be seeing the Jackdaw (Kenway’s Ship) as your main investment.

opc magazine 4 the players page 29 Boarding the Jackdaw isn’t just a novel way of getting from one destination to another. As Captain Kenway you won’t be worrying about unlocking viewpoints for fast travel, you’ll be very happy to free-roam the rolling waves of the huge Caribbean map, with lots to do in between too. Turning your hand to naval combat you’ll be taking on various boats with differing size, difficulty, style of combat, and booty for you to claim as your own – which you’ll use for upgrading your various artillery and keeping your easily controllable vessel afloat. Soon you’ll be forgetting all about the story, happily taking on a fleet just for the fun of it. Bit of fishing..? Out at sea you can partake in a spot of shark fishing or the unwelcome-tosome whaling. I wasn’t really looking forward to this new gameplay myself, but in all honesty, it’s not that bad. Harvesting these catches (and hunting animals on land) will net you upgrades for Kenway’s inventory, so in theory you only have to take part in these for a very limited amount of mission objectives. Maybe a bit of diving instead..? The diving bell adds (literally!) another dimension to the open waters. Using this you’ll be able to explore certain underwater areas. These are not so much comparable to but more of a ‘doff of the assassin’s hood’ to the puzzle platforming sections of other AC games past. Under the ocean’s surface, Kenway’s diving skills feel a little clunky at first, but with practice you’ll be racing past jellyfish stings and exploring cave systems in no time. Once you’ve finished mucking about on the water. There are plenty of islands and coastline environments for you to explore. From tiny secluded party islands, to the larger settlements and cities, with a bit of jungle to traverse and hunt in along the way. It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were climbing static buildings, and trees were just an obstacle in the way. This changed when trees became part of your playground in AC3 and AC Liberation. But compared to Connor, Kenway is like a pirate-squirrel among the trees, fluidly navigating from branch to branch and climbing among ship riggings. I may have fallen from crow’s-nest height a few times but that says more about my lack of expertise or poor old slow hands than any gameplay issues. Notable collectables The chase-me collectables make a return, but instead of those pesky Almanac Pages that floated away from you in AC3, this time you’ll be chasing down floating music sheets for your crew to learn. These are then added to your Shanty Playlist, for you to choose what your fellow seamen sing, keeping your sanity at sea. I rather enjoy this type of collectable and feel it adds value to the usual static ‘collect-me read-me’ format. And yes, there are pirate treasure maps to unravel and go looking for ‘where X marks the spot’ as well. Multiplayer Love or hate it for its tactical differences and change of pace from other common online experiences, the often wrongly-accused ‘tag on’ AC Multiplayer is back. Wolfpack Discovery Among some other tweaks here and there, Wolfpack Discovery has been added. It acts more as a lengthy tutorial into the art of AC Multiplayer but it also has a story-centric detail attached. This is something I hope devs take a look at building on for future AC MP. With the right bunch of players Wolfpack (original) served its purpose as a co-op mode for AC; Discovery now adds a slight story. So progression from that means hopefully we might be treated to a fuller Assassins Creed story-driven coop experience, without ever having to affect the original single player? Game Lab Even if you were an AC MP fan, you might have been getting a little bored of the ‘follow, hide, smoke-bomb, panic’ dynamic. Game Lab sees that you’ll never have to return to that if you don’t wish to. Someone else’s ‘lab design’ of Artifact Assault (capture the flag) with extra time added to hinder your collection, plus only the use of poison & darts, is just one of the set boundary modes I’ve enjoyed recently, let alone all the other user-generated modes out there or even better your own created lab mode. Oh, and the ‘Ground finish’ button has being changed, hoo-arr! No more killing of innocent civilian passers by, when all you wanted to do was give a fallen foe’s face a nudge with your boot.

opc magazine 4 the players page 30 Walking the plank with Ubisoft and their yearly AC instalments All the above makes for a good game, but sadly this this AC title was released with some major flaws on PS4. As I write in early February there are parts of this game I was unable to play & review, due to frustrating bugs locking me and many others players out from what seems like huge portions of the game. Kenway’s Fleet mode (which sounds similar to either Aveline’s Fleet from AC: Liberation) is inaccessible, which also sadly means no real reason to use the great PS4 second screen feature or AC4 companion app via Vita or smartphone. That’s not all of it either. By being unable to connect to Uplay due to a 100% Uplay server lock out means there are: no rare white whales to discover swimming the ocean, no community chest to be found and no community stats and challenges to take part in. Now I don’t know how vital these pieces are bar that they unlock a trophy or two, but I sure feel left out in the cold not being able to take part or complete these portions of the game. This isn’t the first time Ubisoft has developed half of an Assassin’s Creed game either. AC3 was a buggy animus nightmare too, with portions of the game unplayable due to missing map icons (later patched), segments of the game being completely inaccessible due to having too many people on your friends list (never patched) not to mention all the other bad bugs & glitches that let it down. Sadly AC4 just mirrors that same half-broken, ‘out the door before it’s finished’ format. A lot has been said about Ubi turning this great franchise into a yearly release. While watching the credits roll on the AC stories, I’ve never felt I had just experienced a watered down adventure. I loved the Ezio trilogy that kicked off the yearly cycle for the franchise But with the last two technical failures Ubi’s served up, even if AC4 sees a patch to address some of these issues*, I along with a lot of other core AC fans are very frustrated at the moment. Even in this gaming time of retrofixes. Let’s hope with their newfound regard for delaying a release, they have already learnt from their mistakes and this was just an old Ubitrend that hasn’t continued in to the full-on PS4 generation. * NB Since writing this article Ubisoft has released a sizeable patch for Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, which appears to address a considerable amount of issues that some users were experiencing. Down to the skull and crossbones of it all If you’re new to the franchise and want a sandbox adventure for your PS4, then now is a great opportunity to swing aboard story-wise, without feeling like you’ve missed the boat. If it’s just a PS4 pirates’ life you arrr after me hearties, then this could easily be enjoyed as a standalone game for you to spend your time and pieces of eight on. AC fan from sequences gone by..? If you’ve missed some AC games along the way this will feel as refreshing as an ocean spray. Already played it on the PS3 and want an upgrade..? If you’re still into the multiplayer side of things, and have some spare PSN credit kicking around, then yeah why not? If you’re expecting to drop anchor on the PS4 edition for a graphical leap, then I’m still waiting for at least all the cut-scenes to look something close to ‘that’ Blackbeard Trailer. Maybe we might see something close when all those full PS4 Ubi games start to sail in. But beware: a pirate, Templar or Abstergo employee won’t be the only nasty you may encounter.

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opc magazine 4 the players page 32 Review: Resogun Writer: Teef_on_duty PLATFORM: PS4; PUBLISHER: Sony; DEVELOPER: Housemarque; RELEASE DATE: 29 November 2013 Resogun is a fast paced, dual stick, side scrolling shoot ‘em up which will leave you amazed. It boasts everything that a gamer would want: visuals, sounds, mayhem and a little bit of frustration. There are five different levels which all are cylindrical loops and although each level may look the same it dishes out different challenges. Each level includes a unique final boss. Upon reaching the boss you will notice that the cylinder is raised in order to fit the boss in. Resogun is the type of game that is easy to pick up but hard to master. The controls are straightforward - left dual stick to move around and right dual stick to shoot, therefore anyone can pick up the DS4 and give it a try. The controls are responsive and if you are quick, you will be able to dodge enemy fire and manoeuvre around the boss. You will start off with the choice of three different ships: Nemesis, Ferox and Phobos. All three come with different attributes - agility, boost and overdrive. Nemesis is a ship which will help you manoeuvre through enemies by boosting, it also charges up the boost quicker than the other ships. Nemesis also equips target lock on missiles which will assist you in pushing the enemy back. Ferox is the most balanced ship out of the three, easy to use and probably the best ship to start off with if you are just getting use to the game. Phobos is a ship which is slow to manoeuvre but packs a punch with the overdrive. The game is all about saving the humans. In order to release a human from its cube you must kill the aliens called keepers. These will be the enemies that will glow green, though be warned though some keepers need to be killed in sequence. Failing to do so will result in two harrowing words, “HUMAN LOST”. In another twist, you are required keep your multiplier up in order to release a human. Having a low multiplier score will once again result in those two words “HUMAN LOST”. It can get very emotional when you hear this. You will know which human will be released as it will glow blue around the human’s cube; once the keepers have been killed, a green light will travel to the humans cube for the human to be released. Each time you have transported the human to the floating escape pod you will be given a reward such as an extra bomb, extra life, points or shield. The shield will only be activated for a certain amount of time, and if you are hit whilst using the shield you will lose the shield automatically. You can choose how you want to play Resogun: once a human is released you can pick the human up straight away and transport the human to the pod, or you can have humans running around and leave them till the end. If you leave the humans till the end it can cause problems, as ships will try to abduct the humans, causing a lot of mayhem.

opc magazine 4 the players page 33 Throughout the game you will hear the DS4’s speaker getting involved, letting you know what’s going on by stating, “KEEPERS DETECTED”, “HUMAN IN DANGER”, and “HUMAN LOST”. This excited me, hearing my control pad telling me what’s going was a new experience. For me this game packs some punches, your weapon upgrades, boosting through enemies, using your overdrive to eliminate enemies that surround you, throwing humans, and last but not least using the bomb which wipes out all of the enemies that are on the screen. You can also play this game in co-op, and by doing so you and a friend can help each other to unlock trophies. This helps you put together a battle plan and who’s going to cover what area. Overall the sound, the visuals, the gameplay are excellent, it will have you pinned down to your chair, until you realise that tomorrow will be another day. It is also very dark horse, and once you know how to play the game you won’t stop until you reach that Platinum Trophy. Housemarque, take a bow.

opc magazine 4 the players page 34 Review: CastleStorm Writer: chrisboers PLATFORM: PS3/Vita; PUBLISHER: Zen Studios; DEVELOPER: Zen Studios; RELEASE DATE: 6 November 2013 Introduction and Background There are basically two kinds of tower defence games on the market today. There are games that have you defending a single location (a nest, castle or any other vulnerable target), with hordes of enemies on the field preparing to assault your safe location. You defend your location by building towers along a path on the field. As the game progresses, the enemies grow stronger, bigger and more numerous, and it’s up to you to build more towers, or upgrade them to make them more powerful. It’s a classic race of power between the endless streams of enemies and your defence. This type of game is usually played from a top down view. A great example of this type of game is PixelJunk Monsters. The second kind of tower defence game features two opposing towers facing each other, and you fight each other with troops, missiles and the like. This type of game often lets you play it side-on. Rock of Ages is a good example of this type of tower defence genre, but Angry Birds also fits this description, as do Mushroom Wars and Eufloria. CastleStorm is a typical example of the latter genre. CastleStorm tells the story of a raging battle between Vikings and Knights after a long time of peace. This peace was enforced by the Goddess of Peace, who provided each faction with a crystal that not only gave eternal life, but also guarded both castles against external attacks. At the start of the game, peace is brutally broken when the Vikings decide to go to war. It’s up to you, the King’s Hero, to stop this attack. Of course it’s not as simple as that - the attack by the Vikings is no more than a distraction, with the real goal to steal the crystal. From that moment on, it’s a race against time to pursue the Vikings, and make sure they don’t reach their homeland with the stolen crystal. The game The single player campaign covers a large number of skirmishes between the Knights and Vikings where you, as the King’s Hero, have several options available to repel attackers, and to attack the enemy’s castle yourself. Your main weapon is your Ballista, which is located on top of your castle. The Ballista allows you to shoot all kinds of projectiles towards oncoming troops, or attempt to damage the other castle Angry Birds style. You start with only a basic harpoon, but quickly expand your arsenal with cannonballs, triple arrows, scrap, and other serious and less serious (sheep!) projectiles. Next to your Ballista, you can also send your own troops. Knights on foot or on horseback, wolves, and even dragons are at your disposal. As a third option, you can project yourself onto the battlefield (yes, really), and single-handedly go whack attackers. Each option is upgradeable to do more damage, reload quicker, or have a wider target area on impact. As you can see, there are plenty of choices, but as these options are gradually introduced during the campaign, you never have to feel overwhelmed. In the end, the party that can crush the other’s castle first, wins the round.

opc magazine 4 the players page 35 The basic castle-to-castle skirmishes are interspersed with side missions. You get to practise sword fighting, go turkey or wolf hunting, or can shoot game from the air. The missions are quite varied, even when considering the basic castle-to-castle battles, and continue to fascinate by continuously offering more and more extensive options to play with. The single player story mode is quite long, and if you think you’ve reached the end, Zen Studios has a decent dessert for you to keep you busy. Between missions you will be treated to fun cut-scenes, which clearly show that the game is not taking itself too seriously. Humour and fun is an important part of the game, but fortunately it doesn’t get in the way of actual gameplay. Besides the extensive story mode, CastleStorm also features a multiplayer option, but I have not tried it myself. I can therefore not comment on that. Sound and vision As we have come to expect from Zen Studios, CastleStorm is graphically sound. On both Playstation 3 and Vita everything looks nicely polished. Also, when you zoom in, you see a lot of added details, which you can’t make out in the original overview. The cut-scenes are short cartoons, which fit nicely with the atmosphere of the game. Trophies CastleStorm has fourteen trophies, twelve bronze, two silvers and one gold. Most trophies will be gained with little effort during your standard playthrough of the single player campaign. The fourteenth, however, will probably give you a lot of headaches. Let me explain. Each mission has a difficulty. Finishing the mission provides 1, 2 or 3 stars depending on the difficulty level. In addition, you can perform special bonus tasks while playing, AND you can get extra star if you kill enough enemies. To get five stars for a mission, you’ll have to finish the level on the highest difficulty, while performing the extra tasks, AND kill enough enemies. Let’s say you have your work cut out for you… Conclusion Zen Studios is known for their high-quality digital pinball tables. With CastleStorm, they demonstrate that they know how to diversify to other genres, but keep their high level of quality. CastleStorm is one of the better tower defence games on the console market. The story is not exactly earth-shattering, but it has a nice thread through the many missions, and adds a healthy dose of humour. Thankfully, the game doesn’t take itself too seriously (who builds a castle within range of another castle?) and keeps things nice and airy. Anyone who wants an entertaining game on Vita or Playstation 3, that doesn’t require too much thinking, will find CastleStorm to be an excellent choice.

opc magazine 4 the players page 36 Review: Castlevania Mirror of Fate Writer: Syph33r PLATFORM: PS3; PUBLISHER: Konami; DEVELOPER: MercurySteam; RELEASE DATE: 30 October 2013 The candle lights flickered across the walls as sweat dripped down my brow. I grew anxious as to what foul beast might await me beyond. The year was 1993 and the game was Super Castlevania IV: to this day, still my favourite game in the 2D Castlevania franchise. Fast forward 20 years. We now have a new iteration. A new take, if you will. Headed by Spanish developers MercurySteam, known for rebooting the Castlevania name in partnership with Konami, that game is Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow. A new take on the roots. A modern take, in all its 3D hack ‘n’ slash glory. And thus fans are now awaiting its upcoming sequel with bated breath. But unbeknownst to many, MercurySteam released a game title in the same vein as the originals. The game was Castlevania: Mirror Of Fate. Originally relegated only to the Nintendo 3DS, that title has now been reworked and re-released on the PlayStation 3. Enter Castlevania: Mirror Of Fate HD. A game that bridges the story gap between Lords Of Shadow and the coming sequel, and attempts to recapture that classic Castlevania atmosphere. The game is separated by 3 distinct chapters, each intertwining with and filling in the gaps of the other. In each chapter you play a different character, with their own set of abilities. Just like the original classic Castlevanias you will be equipped with a primary weapon and acquire secondary weapons along the way with which to dispatch the Castle’s various vicious creatures. MercurySteam have managed to merge the modern Castlevania aesthetic with the classic, branching stairways and all, with its gameplay action all taking place on a 2D plane. There are distinctive enemy types for each chapter, and bosses that may seem powerful at first but become a cinch after you’ve memorised their patterns. Combat brings a nice mesh of the original with the new. Counter-attacks are now available with a well-timed block, and new combos can be unlocked and chained together. Each character brings their own set of unique abilities, some a lot more beneficial than others, and learning how to best use those abilities will greatly ease your experience with the game. The game’s origin on a handheld is noticeable, with cutscenes playing out as simple animations, but the port is largely successful in its transition. The camera has been tweaked to accommodate a bigger screen, character models have been refined and textures have seen significant improvement. Also gone are the QTEs which littered the original version’s gameplay. But it is not without its faults. The checkpoint system can still be inconsistent, a throwback from its ‘on the go’ roots of a handheld game.

opc magazine 4 the players page 37 Robert Carlyle makes his triumphant return as the voice of the Prince Of Darkness himself. And there is the debut of Richard Madden (Game Of Thrones) playing a character of whom I’m sure we will be seeing a lot more, in the future of the series. If you are looking for that classic Castlevania feel on a modern console you will find it here, with even a boss rush mode for the hardcore, allowing you to test your mettle against all the games bosses in succession, with a single life. There is no Platinum Trophy, but for those that do unlock everything the game has to offer a special cutscene is viewable. There are collectables and upgrades to be found scattered throughout, so replay value is apparent. If you are a fan of MercurySteam’s modern Castlevania revival, you will not want to miss out. Significant details which will affect the sequel are contained within. You can currently buy Mirror Of Fate HD on PSN for £9.99. Alternatively a physical special edition of the original Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow game is now available in stores, which contains all DLC and Mirror Of Fate HD. If you (currently at time of writing) pre-order Castlevania Lords Of Shadow 2 you get Mirror Of Fate HD for free.

opc magazine 4 the players page 38 Review: Strider Writer: mightyles PLATFORM: PS3, PS4; PUBLISHER: Capcom; DEVELOPER: Double Helix Games, Capcom Osaka Studio; RELEASE DATE: 19 February 2014 Many gamers out there are likely only aware of Capcom’s Strider Hiryu thanks to his inclusion in the roster of the Marvel vs Capcom series, but the fact is that he is a star in his own right. It has been almost 15 years since the last Strider game was released on the PS1, but now Capcom have brought him out of retirement in this stylish side-scrolling action game. Strider is a loose reimagining of the original arcade game of the same name, released way back in 1989, and features the titular ninja on a mission to assassinate a tyrannical dictator. Armed with his trusty blades and a progressively expanding arsenal of gadgets, Strider will face off against a legion of enemies including armed soldiers, armoured mechs and hired assassins who protect the target. The game is pretty light on story, but what it lacks in that department it more than makes up for with its gameplay. Strider is a love-letter to a bygone era, with 2.5D graphics (3D character models running along a twodimensional plane) and bold and bright visuals. Like classic Castlevania games, as you progress through the story your character unlocks new weapons and abilities, which allow him to gain access to new areas and discover upgrades. These abilities include being able to summon a flaming eagle and an electric panther – both of which can be used as a means of transportation. Does it really get any better than riding a gigantic flaming eagle? One of the best things about this game is that there’s a real sense of progression and empowerment from learning new abilities and collecting upgrades. Enemies that you found challenging early on, such as the hulking armoured mechs, become little more than gnats by the time you’ve collected a bunch of the upgrades. However, that doesn’t mean that the game is easy. The real challenge can be found in facing the bosses. The boss characters are universally challenging and are capable of doing some serious damage if you’re not careful. Usually death is the result of making a mistake as opposed to the developers implementing cheap tactics. Another aspect that stands out is the way that the map, which consists of about 10 different expansive zones, contains so many hidden secrets. Often you’ll find yourself coming across a doorway that can only be accessed with a specific upgrade – this means that you’ll have to come back at some point in the future to claim the treasures hidden behind the door. As well as offering a single player mode, dozens of unlockables and bonus costumes, there is also a challenge mode that consists of beacon races and increasingly difficult survival based maps. Each challenge has its own individual leaderboard, so you can compare your performance with friends and strangers quickly and easily. Strider is available now on PS3 and PS4 for £11.99, although there’s no Cross Buy or Cross Save functionality, which is a little disappointing. The PS3 version runs at 30 frames per second, which is perfectly functional and doesn’t distract from gameplay at all, while the PS4 version runs at 60 frames per second, resulting in a beautifully smooth gameplay experience. If you’ve ever found yourself longing for a more straightforward time, before online passes, DLC and obnoxious multiplayer modes, then Strider may be the game for you.

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opc magazine 4 the players page 40 Even if the weather outside isn’t the best to play a round of golf, there’s always time for a stop at the 19th hole for a chat with other forum members. In this issue we hop over to the Emerald Isle and interview stme before returning back to the UK for a little one-on-one with rancidpunk. Enjoy! First up stme. stme 1. Where does your username come from? It’s pretty boring really as it’s just my initials. A few people have tried to guess my names before. The best anyone has done is three out of four. 2. What was your first post on these forums (if you can remember!) and how did you find this forum? My brother introduced me to the forum. I joined December 2005 and I think my first post was on St Patrick’s Day 2006 just wishing everyone a happy Paddy’s Day. 3. Briefly describe your gaming history. In chronological order: Pong game that connected to the telly Amstrad 464 Plus Sega Mega Drive PlayStation PlayStation 2 Gamecube Xbox PlayStation 3 Wii Xbox360 (my brother’s so I only played it a bit) PlayStation 4 Also I love Sims games on the PC. Back in the day we only had money for one computer so usually we borrowed a different one or went around to my cousins’ who had every console under the sun :) 4. What is your favourite game and why? My favourite game ever is Final Fantasy 8. Purely because it was the first Final Fantasy game I ever completed (good memories and a great sense of achievement on that one). 5. What game has you hooked at the moment, and why? Nothing really at the moment purely because I haven’t had the time but I do love Resogun, which has kept me pretty busy before Christmas, and now I keep trying to get past 10 days on Don’t Starve. 6. If you were in charge and could change the forum, what would you do? That’s a hard one because it’s a family forum. The mods have managed most times to keep control (I raise my hat to them – they do a really good job) and we’ve pretty great MVP’s too. I’d probably just ask people what they’d like to see on the forums and try to implement what I can because the people here are the life-blood of PlayStation. 7. Picture this: You, Envisager and LordRoss have been transported to another dimension where you are all successful chicken matadors. The upcoming “Chicken festival” is about to take place where only one can be crowned “Chicken Matador, 2014”. How would you take out the competition to win without competing? Winning isn’t everything but if I’d give them cake with enough sleeping tablets in to knock them out till the end of the competition... and then celebrate with them later. 8. Finally, I invite you to play a round of golf with me. Which real-life person and gaming character would you invite to join us and why? Probably invite my brother (ANTOE2) as that would be amusing. He’s always in the kitchen in his boxers dancing with these puppy eyes – just imagine what he would be like playing golf! Not sure how you’d cope. For gaming

opc magazine 4 the players page 41 character, I’d ask Trevor from GTA 5. I’d say he’s pretty good at golf. Two absolute lunatics playing golf should be very funny. Thanks stme! I think that would be a hilarious round of golf! Next up, rancidpunk. rancidpunk 1. Where does your username come from? I’m a big fan of punk rock, and Rancid are probably my all-time favourite band. I thought the two sounded good enough together as my e-name. 2. What was your first post on these forums (if you can remember!) and how did you find this forum? I found it from reading the PS2 OPSM. There was a section called ‘forum frolix’ where a couple of OPSM guys used to visit the old PS2 boards on a Wednesday for a forum Q&A. Best (and worst) posts made it into the mag. As for first post? My forum age is fast catching up with my real age. Not only does the forum not go back that far, neither does my memory. I’d hazard a guess it was a foray into the Killzone forums where I quickly learned the term ‘n00b’ and avoided that section soon after. 3. Briefly describe your gaming history. Probably shorter than most, despite starting with the good old Speccy (It all started with a friend’s Atari 2600, but never owned anything myself until the 48k Speccy). Even then though, it was pretty much just something to do when I couldn’t go outside. I missed the Atari ST/Amiga days, the N64 and Megadrive etc, and didn’t really get back into gaming until the days of the original PlayStation. Wine, women and song pretty much took up my late teens to mid twenties, as I’d more often be drunk at a gig than anywhere else! The PS3 was my first launch console, and I guess it was the online gaming that finally made me a confessed gamer, rather than looking at it as just something to do. It helps that my missus enjoys gaming, and persuaded me to go for the PS4 at launch too. 4. What is your favourite game and why? Hmmm, that is always the hardest gaming-related question for me. It would be almost as difficult to choose as what is my favourite song. For sheer fun, and reliving the bygone days where I’d want to be Indiana Jones, I’d have to say the Uncharted series (yeah, a little cheat with more than one game). Took cinematic storytelling to great heights throughout the series, a perfect blend of gaming and film (another love of mine). 5. What game has you hooked at the moment, and why? From a number-of-hours-played side, it’s got to be Battlefield 4. Despite its issues, it’s the game that keeps me coming back time and again. Air, vehicular, sea and infantry fighting makes for a huge choice in how to play the game. 6. If you were in charge and could change the forum, what would you do? I’d be awful, I’ll admit it. I’d end up banning people for being too serious about things. I’m not sure a forum overlord who only wants to read the funny bits would be a good way of going about things. 7. Picture this: You, Envisager and LordRoss have been transported to another dimension where you are all successful chicken matadors. The upcoming “Chicken festival” is about to take place where only one can be crowned “Chicken Matador, 2014”. How would you take out the competition to win without competing? I’d swap their chickens for emus. 8. Finally, I invite you to play a round of golf with me. Which real-life person and gaming character would you invite to join us and why? Real life person would be Tim Armstrong from Rancid. Not into the celebrity idols but, having met him, I know what a thoroughly decent bloke he is to share a drink with at the 19th hole. Gaming character wise, it’d be Dr. Sarah Bellum from Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters. If only to tell her she was probably the first intellectual joke that I got! As usual, it’s been an eye-opener getting to know the members of the forum. Thanks for taking the time stme and rancidpunk for answering! Till next time – swing easy! - englishgolfer

Magazine Understanding Creativity in its true sense page 42 June/July2011Issue01 opcmagazine THANKYOU FOR READING, WE HOPEYOU HAVE ENJOYEDTHE LATESTISSUE OFTHE... WE LOOK FORWARDTO SEEINGYOU FORTHE NEXTISSUE.