STACK #122 Dec 2015

GAMES

ED’S DESK

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Editor’s Letter

GTA V PS4

W hy is it that people deem it imperative that they meet up before Christmas? “We must have a drink before Christmas.” “It would be great to catch up before Christmas.” “I haven’t seen you all year – let’s fit in a get together before Christmas.” “Do you want to come around for some FIFA before Christmas?” Why? What’s going to happen after Christmas that I don’t know about? And quite frankly, with so many new games currently doing the circuit, who can possibly find the time to ‘catch up’ before Christmas – unless the food and drink is free! On said Christmas subject, are you struggling to find something to buy the gamer in your household? Well, along with the accessories specialists at JB Hi-Fi, STACK has selected a handful of goodies that any discerning gamer would gnaw your arm off for. If you thought the flurry of games that hit JB in October and November had come to an end, think again. Wring the early summer sweat out of December and you’ll be left with a handful of quality titles to add to the pile of must-play games. Ubisoft dips its toe into the racing circuit with the ambitious online-only The Crew , available in-store now. Super Smash Bros. has made its way to the Wii U, and Kingdom Hearts aficionados will be enjoying the chance to play Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX ahead of the release of Kingdom Hearts III next year. The Company of Heroes 2 single-player expansion Ardennes Assault is waging war in Belgium as we speak – we chat with game director Quinn Duffy. Anyway, if we don’t catch up before Christmas, have a fabulous holiday. See you next year.

With every intention just to sit down, play through the opening levels, drop a few cheats and observe how the game plays in first-person, I allocated a single evening’s play to GTA V on PS4. I didn’t expect to get entirely hooked again and play through the entire game from start to finish, and that’s exactly what happened. While visually the game is a marvel to behold and a huge improvement over the PS3 and 360 versions,

it’s the first-person mode that wins all the points in this remaster, accessed with a simple click of the track pad. The carnage inflicted during shootouts is delivered with a whole new intensity – and indeed ferocity – when you’re staring directly down the iron sight of an assault rifle. Rampages and heists take on a completely different perspective played in the first-person mode, too, and even flying a plane presents a significant challenge. The inspired use of the speaker in the PS4 controller should also be noted. To accompany the red and blue flashing lights when players are being chased by the cops, communication between the police radios can be heard. It’s a nice touch, and a PS4 feature sadly overlooked by many developers. While there was always a desire to discover how the game would look on the new consoles, the addition of the first-person mode has elevated GTA V on PS4 and Xbone from an intriguing proposition to an essential buy for the new-gen library. And we haven’t even spoken about GTA Online...

DID YOU KNOW?

In Kingdom Hearts , Disney Castle was originally meant to be playable. Bond’s watch in Goldeneye 007 actually keeps time, even if you pause the game. L.A. Noire was the first video game to be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.

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wii u super smash bros. (wiiu) POKEMON OMEGA RUBY/ ALPHA SAPPHIRE (3ds) LEGO BATMAN 3 BEYOND GOTHAM (multi for)

far cry 4 (Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PC) FIFA 15 (Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PV)

COD: GHOSTS (Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PC) LITTLE BIG PLANET 3 (ps4/pS3) assassin’s creed unity (ps4/pS3/pc) GTA V (PS4/Xo) NBA 2K15 (Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PC)

Super Smash Bros. Wii U

QUOTE THIS

Halo:The Master Chief Collection Frustrating at times, absorbing for the rest. PES 2015 It’s back with a vengeance! WHAT WE’RE PLAYING

STACK’s MOST WANTED

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TheWitcher 3:Wild Hunt StarWars: Battlefront Just Cause 3

“You seek answers. I can give you purpose.”

Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts II.

DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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