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Batman: Arkham City E3 Hands-On Preview Disclaimer: The content featured throughout this magazine may contain links to our forum where there may be unsuitable- languagePage for children 4 or those of a sensitive nature. We highly suggest that you are at least of the age 13 to visit the forums or click the links within the magazine. ISSUE 27 After a few months break, GameOn’s free gaming magazine returns, bigger and better than ever. We’ve had a very busy 2011 so far with plenty Meet the Team of huge games to review, preview and discuss. Project Director This trend looks set to continue after the summer Steve Greenfield with a massive list of blockbusters waiting (Rasher) in the wings for a Christmas appearance. Chief Editor Steve Greenfield In this issue we bring you the highlights of our (Rasher) E3 coverage. The following previews are from Graphics games which impressed us, surprised us and even Simon Poulton-Bonds one or two that left us truly astounded. It was a (Si^) busy show with most of the major developers Writers presenting very strong selections of their top Chris Wakefield titles, so it was by no means an easy list to create. (evilgiraffeman) Pete O’Brien Whether it’s the scorching level of excitement (POBmaestro) surrounding Battlefield 3, the bleak post- Sarah Collings apocalyptic thrills of Metro: Last Light or (angelfromabove) the latest additions to FIFA 12, there should be a little something for everyone. Neil Hetherington (Wedgeh) We hope you enjoy the issue. The Editor CONTENTS PREVIEWS Batman: Arkham City .............................................................4 Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City ............................8 F1 2011.....................................................................................12 Battlefield 3.............................................................................14 FIFA 12 .....................................................................................18 Metro: Last Light ..................................................................22 Deus Ex: Human Revolution ............................................28 Bioshock Infinite .................................................................32 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ...............................................38 Hitman: Absolution ...........................................................44 ABOUT E3 Every June the gaming event of the year strikes as thousands of journalists from across the globe descend on the Los Angeles Convention Centre and E3 begins. It’s an insane few days of important announcements, hundreds of exciting games, scantily-clad booth babes and litres of geek sweat. This year was no different, with Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all competing with one another for the most exciting announcements. Microsoft unleashed news of Halo 4, Nintendo brought the Wii U and Sony showed off the features of the PSP Vita. It was a crazy week with constantly breaking news and plenty of surprises. Keeping up with the latest and greatest stories is no easy task and required a dedicated team of staff in the UK as well as those writers lucky enough to enjoy the sun, sand and aforementioned booth babes. Now that the dust has finally settled the GameOn team want to share their impressions of some of the hottest future releases and highlight our best titles from E3. Enjoy the latest, up-to-date previews of the hottest games including Batman: Arkham Asylum, Battlefield 3, Bioshock Infinite, FIFA 12, Metro: Last Light and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. PREVIEW BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY HANDS-ON PREVIEW AVAILABLE FOR: With Arkham Asylum, developer Rocksteady Our play-test began on the roof-tops of was successful in creating a neat formula Arkham City where Catwoman is being held of storytelling, third-person beat-em up by super villain Harvey Dent (Two-Face), who combat and action-adventure stealth. plans to execute the irresistible antihero to Batman: Arkham City is set about one recruit thugs to his cause. We used an audio year after Arkham Asylum and the plot decipher - one of Batman’s many gadgets - to development is crucial to the gameplay. listen in on the communications of the super After being seen to be the one who stopped villain’s thugs (after accidently tuning into Joker in Arkham Asylum, Quincy Sharp, the Arkham radio station), and discovered that former boss at the prison, has become the Catwoman is in a spot of bother inside an mayor of Gotham City and consequently old courthouse building. Here the player can buys a large chunk of the slums to set up a choose to either explore the surroundings in new super prison called “Arkham City”. This order to find side-missions or collectables, prison is overlooked by the aptly named or just deal directly with the main mission. psychiatrist Hugo Strange and prisoners This adds an open city element and the side- are free to roam so long as they do not missions are also promised to be appealing attempt to escape, with a group of private and compliment the main game, not just add a armed mercenaries called “Tyger” manning shallow extra depth. the perimeter. This obviously sounds like a worrying mix and Batman is inescapably going to have to be involved once again. PREVIEW BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY CRYSISHANDS-ON 2 E3 PREVIEW The true shadowy Batman areas are littered with detail while bright windows and neon lights break up the run-down city and dark night sky. The prospect of exploring is an exciting one but unfortunately after admiring the ambience we had to press on with the main objective. The gameplay will be instantly familiar to Arkham Asylum players but new to Arkham City is the ability to glide continuously using Batman’s cape to nose-dive in order to build speed and upwards momentum. We used this, along with Batman’s grappling hook, to glide down the streets and onto a balcony on the Courthouse. The detective mode from Arkham Asylum returns and provides a means for analysing a scene for extra information on the area and enemies. Unfortunately there was no secret way in here so we had to drop down and start battling the thugs outside the main door. PREVIEW BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY HANDS-ON PREVIEW PREVIEW BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY CRYSISHANDS-ON 2 E3 PREVIEW Please note that the latter part of this paragraph At its heart Batman: Arkham City looks and contains minor spoilers from early in the game. feels similar to Arkham Asylum. Whereas some developers feel the need to add a wealth of new Combat remains a familiar affair of punching features to spice up their sequel, at the end of the and kicking enemies with great flair and combo day (or night, as is usually the case with Batman) variations. This violence remains rapid but is now if it ‘isn’t broken then don’t fix it’. Arkham City has smoother than before and is thoroughly satisfying more freedom but the stealth remains classic and pleasurable. We knocked-out all the hoodlums Batman, the combat is lively and quite literally and moved inside. A cut-scene followed where punchy while the story promises to be compelling Catwoman was her characteristic cheeky self, and involving. Expect to see Batman: Arkham City but more henchmen had to be dealt with before hit shelves worldwide during the week of October we could save our feline friend. With Two-Face 18th 2011 on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. dispatched and Catwoman saved the next super villain, The Joker, attempted to snipe the duo from afar. Sadly this is where our demo ended and we were left we a desire to play more. Written by Pete O’Brien RESIDENT EVIL: OPERATION RACCOONPREVIEW CITY OPERATION RACCOON CITY HANDS-ON PREVIEW AVAILABLE FOR: Reinventing Resident Evil as a co-operative concepts but radically different executions. shooter for 4 players from the developers Therefore, Operation Raccoon City acts as a behind SOCOM: Confrontation was an distinct off-shoot from the series and should unexpected decision. It was also one which not be compared to the survival horror roots of raised a lot of questions and no small the franchise. degree of scepticism from long-term fans of the series. So, after spending some The game sees you take the role of one of a hands-on time with Resident Evil: Operation team of Umbrella forces sent to “clean-up” the Raccoon City can it dispel fans’ doubts? outbreak of various undead creatures milling around the streets of Raccoon City. There are Perhaps the most important thing to accept a choice of 6 different playable characters about Operation Raccoon City is that it sits on offer, each with their own distinct powers separately from the main series, both in terms and abilities. The team consists of Four-Eyes, of gameplay and plot. While it is set during Beltway, Spectre, Vector, Bertha and their the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: leader Lupo. Their unique skills are diverse Nemesis it is more of an alternate timeline. ranging from an ability to cloak temporarily This “reinterpretation” of the outbreak brings to being able to drop mines to lay traps for to mind the themes of Resident Evil: Outbreak your infected enemies. During the short time and its sequel. These two largely forgotten that we had with the title we weren’t able to releases, at least in Europe, had broadly similar see how effective all of these were. However PREVIEW OPERATION RACCOON CITY CRYSISHANDS-ON 2 E3 PREVIEW the potential for each member of a co-operative wreckage of Raccoon City which instantly brought game picking a team member to create the best to mind the opening, early Resident Evil sequels. combination does seem appealing. Burning cars, rubble everywhere and, of course, swarms of the staggering undead. The third- We experimented with the single player portion person action does not feel like Resident Evil 4 of the title to gauge how enjoyable this would be or its successor, as the ability to move and shoot without friends. One of our biggest concerns was gives you far more freedom.