GHOST OF TSUSHIMA NEW DETAILS REVEALED 289ISSUE PLAYTEST SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS EXPLORED THE PS4’S NEXT INDIE CLASSIC MONSTER HUNTER WORLD CAN CAPCOM’S CULT HIT FINALLY CRACK THE WEST? ISSUE 289 PLUS spider-man • concrete genie • dreams WelcomePS4 PSVR PS3 VITA PSN A closer look at all of the best games on the horizon INTO THE WILDS DO YOU REMEMBER the moment that you fell in love with PlayStation? I remember mine. And, if you’re willing to indulge me for just a few seconds, I would love to share it with you. I probably wouldn’t be where I am today were it not for Final Fantasy VIII. Not because of the game’s world, the characters, or its story (as excellent as they may indeed be) but that damned cinematic intro. In just three minutes and 13 seconds it had cast its spell over me, and never once has it broken. This was 1999, and so you have to understand that VIII was, without question, the greatest-looking thing I had ever seen, that anybody had ever seen – it was a window to another world. The thunderous escalation of Liberi Fatali – a hauntingly beautiful Latin choral piece that plays behind Squall and Seifer’s epic sparring session – is burned into my very being. That it is able to so convincingly, so eloquently, capture a time and place so quickly still astounds me to this day. I remember resetting the PlayStation every time it finished; over and over I watched it, afraid to start the game properly in case the opportunity to watch it again disappeared forever. Eventually, the disk broke. I cried. Trust me on this, it was some pretty savage breaks. It would be months before I’d have the opportunity to play through it properly – and it was everything I had hoped it would be. In the years that followed I had always dreamed of a time where videogames would look, sound and play in a fashion that echoed that intro. And guess what, now I’m living it. We all are – it’s truly incredible how far this industry has come in such a short span of time. Final Fantasy VIII made me fall in love with PlayStation, and so many other series have only reinforced that. And, well, I have a feeling that the best is yet to come. Regardless of whether you’ve just picked up your first console and are looking to create your first PlayStation memory, or are a brand loyalist with your own to share, this is going INSIde MONSTeR to be one hell of a radical year for gaming. I can’t 04 huNTeR: WORLd wait to share and experience it with you. JOSH WEST DEPUTY EDITOR GeT IN WWW @Origamikid TOuch! PSN: Origamikid Facebook Twitter Play blog YouTube currently playing facebook.com/playMagazineuK @playMag_uK play-mag.co.uk youtube.com/playMaguK Night In The Woods 2 | [email protected] facebook.com/PlayMagazineUK youtube.com/PlayMagUK WWW www.play-mag.co.uk Contents @PlayMag_UK The future of PlayStation gaming looks something like this… twitch/PlayUK 28 34 52 04MONSTER HUNTER: KENTUCKY GAME OF THE OUT OF THE WORLD ROUTE ZERO YEAR 2017 SHADOWS The inside story on Join us as we look A decade on, we revisit We venture into the wilds with Capcom to get the best indie game back at the greatest the debut of Ubisoft’s an inside look at its ambitious action-RPG you've never played games of 2017 Assassin's Creed FEATURES PREVIEWS REVIEWS PLUS 4 Monster Hunter: World 14 Ghost Of Tsushima 40 Star Wars Battlefront II 56 Yosuke Matsuda Interview 26 Top Ten For 2018 16 The Last Of Us: Part II 42 Hidden Agenda 58 Extended Play 28 Kentucky Route Zero 18 Concrete Genie 44 Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 60 PS Plus Trophy Guide 34 2017’s Finest 20 Spider-Man 46 Need For Speed Payback 64 You Haven’t Played 52 Play Classics: 22 Erica 48 Hand Of Fate 2 66 Playlist Assassin's Creed 24 Shadow Of The Colossus 50 Sonic Forces | 3 4 | CAN THIS CULT SERIES FINALLY CRACK THE WEST? it’s A QUESTION THAT MANY HAVE ASKED OVER THE YEARS AND we’re TIRED OF HEARING IT. SO, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? WE TOOK IT DIRECTLY TO CAPCOM, TO THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR 2018’s FIRST MUST PLAY ACTION-RPG TO FIND OUT ONCE AND FOR ALL: IS THIS A MONSTER HUNTER FOR THE WORLD TO ENJOY? | 5 BETTER ON PRO If you’ve got yourself a fancy PlayStation 4 Pro you’ll find that Capcom will let you decide where that extra processing power is going to go. While we would recommend using it to stabilise the frame-rate, you can instead push it into graphical fidelity or resolution. BRING YOUR BEST There are 14 weapon types in Monster Hunter: World. This is important to note as each effectively changes your play style and role in co-op sessions. It would be wise to spend some time with each to really figure out what your speciality is going to be 6 | MONSTROUS SCALE One of the coolest things about the Monster Hunter games is the scale of them. The size of the creatures is pretty amazing this time out, making for some truly spectacular battles. While Capcom is yet to reveal all of its monsters the one’s we have seen have been impressive. OR CAPCOM, THIS MIGHT Why do you think Monster Hunter is BE THE MOST IMPORTANT considered to be such a niche title in F MONSTER HUNTER RELEASE the West? EVER. While the series may have made Ryozo Tsujimoto: Japan is quite a its debut in 2004 – selling more than 40 densely populated island country, where million copies worldwide – there’s still this public transport usage is very common, perception that it can’t find success in the so it was the perfect environment for a West. Here it’s a title of niche interest, but in multiplayer portable game to take off Japan it’s a god-damned phenomenon. in popularity. There seem to have been Consistent critical acclaim has done little fewer opportunities like this in the West, to help Monster Hunter in this regard. Still, which is probably why we’ve often had a steep learning curve, obtuse mechanics requests from Western players to bring and systems, and glacial game pace are too Monster Hunter to home consoles! often cited by consumers as reason enough This has lined up perfectly with our to approach this cult hit with caution. concept for World, which is to use the latest Capcom is hoping to change that in just a technology to portray the world of Monster few short weeks. Hunter. We’ve essentially rebuilt the game With Monster Hunter: World launching from the ground up, so we were able to 26 January there’s a larger potential player work on the finest of details. We have base out there than ever before – it’s easy worked hard and utilised the know-how to forget, but there are over 70 million of we’ve built up over years of making this you PS4 owners out there – and Capcom series to ensure that, while we are making needs to get World right if it wants to impact a game that more players than ever before GET SOME FRIENDS Western markets. That all begins with a can enjoy, we don’t lose the essential core While Monster Hunter: World supports solo play it’s always perception shift; the studio is making a Monster Hunter DNA that makes the better to bring a friend. The game supports four-player number of integral changes for newcomers series what it is. co-op and it’s here where the game balance and array of to the series, whilst still trying to retain the For example, regarding controls, some weapons truly shines. Seriously, tell your friends to get heart that has made Monster Hunter so of the more unusual or unique controls involved with this one. beloved to veteran hunters. have perhaps been too difficult for new We’ve played enough of it over the players in the past, such as holding R1 to last few months to know that Capcom is run, while most action games these days certainly heading in the right direction. This use a stick click for this action. So we’ve sprawling new edition features gorgeous added that option to keep in line with open maps, seamless transitions between industry standards, but at the same time solo play and four-player co-op, refined we’ve kept the classic controls too so that controls, and more opportunities for veterans will feel comfortable as well. broader monster tracking experiences than ever before. But, and perhaps most Do you see this as something of a importantly, it’s just a whole lot of fun. fresh start for Monster Hunter? Capcom understands what it needs to do Tsujimoto: It’s certainly a very important and we are confident that World is going chapter in the ten-year-plus history of the to impress, it may even be the first Game series. We’ve built up a lot of knowledge Of The Year contender for 2018. But that in that time and are using it in conjunction doesn’t mean that it is perfect. with the latest console tech to make We still have a few lingering questions the unique monsters and ecosystems and concerns but, instead of whining about of Monster Hunter more detailed and them on Twitter, we decided to take the believable than ever.