STACK #123 Jan 2015

GAMES

ED’S DESK

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Editor’s Letter

“It’s hot, isn’t it.” I heard that phrase four times on public transport this morning while I made my way across town to the office. If I hear it one more time today, I’m going to hit the person – with a fridge. Of course it’s hot, it’s Australia. And it’s January. It doesn’t get any hotter. On the account that it is hot and most of you are probably on holiday right now, we are running a reduced section this month that can a) be read in the air conditioned comfort of a train or hotel room, or b) used as a fan because it’s so hot outside. If, like us, you’re stuck at home for the month and holidays is a word that everyone else seems to be using at the moment, there’s still a few bumper games coming out in January to keep you company while the rest of Australia sips pina coladas by the hotel pool. If your Wii U has survived the bashing it likely received from Super Smash Bros. last month, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is the next destination for your Wii U gaming. Saints Row IV: Re-elected brings a remastered Saints Row IV to the new-generation of consoles, while Saints Row: Gat out of Hell is a standalone expansion for IV . And right towards the end of the month, Techland’s zombie-themed Dying Light will be ambling into JB Hi-Fi. We also take a look at the best Wii U titles that landed last year and gaze into the future with our “Coming in 2015” feature that highlights some of the exciting titles heading our way this year. Anyway, what’s that I can hear? Yep, the whir of air- conditioning. Enjoy your holidays, and do stay out of the sun. Apparently, it’s hot outside.

It should be deemed unfair that Smash has made it to Game of the Month twice in one year - but the Wii U version feels like a completely different game and is a definitive step up in the series. It’s bigger, it’s brighter, it’s more beautiful – and it’s eight player. While that might not sound like a big deal in the age of the internet, the idea that eight people will gather in one space in order to play a game is almost unheard of, unless of course you’re still in school, in which case you are to be envied. There’s a lot hidden in Smash Bros. Between almost endless customisation of the battles, there’s also a host of special battles and side- games. Special Orders will see you taking direction from the Master Hand as you fight under unique conditions, or you can smack a sandbag with the baseball bat in the homerun challenge – Smash isn’t so much a fighting game as an endless way to compete with friends and yell at a TV screen. Then there’s the amiibos – the easiest present for children and the most embarrassing gift adults can give to themselves. These figurines (which are surprisingly well-made and detailed) carry your info from Wii U to Wii U, so if you’ve got a character whose attributes you’ve messed around with, you can rest assured that you’ve always got them on you in the form of a toy. Take that as you will. In a very real sense, the Wii U has allowed Smash to grow into something more interesting, having been stuck on similarly powered consoles for far too long. It’s a great fighting game, and a great game to fight your family with all over the long, hot summer, and beyond.

DID YOU KNOW?

Two pro-wrestlers, Hulk Hogan and Rob Van Dam, voiced roles in Saints Row: The Third . Saints Row IV sold over one million units in its first month of release. The heist known as ‘Rats’ in Payday 2 took its inspiration from Breaking Bad .

BEST-SELLERS at

DATE:

19/12/14

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FIFA 15 (Xo/360/ps4/ps3) far cry 4 LTD Ed (Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PC) call of duty: advanced warfare (Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PC) NBA 2K15 (Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PC) GTA V (Xo/360/ps4/ps3) assassin’s creed unity (ps4/pS3/pc) dragon age inquisition (Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PC) POKEMON OMEGA RUBY/ ALPHA SAPPHIRE (3ds) driveclub (PS4) little big planet 3 (ps4)

FIFA 15

QUOTE THIS

Far Cry 4 So big. So much to do. So bloody entertaining. GTA V - PS4/Xbone GTA V Online - We’ll never get bored of it! WHAT WE’RE PLAYING

STACK’s MOST WANTED

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Tom Clancy’s The Division Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Star Fox Wii U

“You can’t build an ivory tower without killing a few elephants.”

Dane Vogel in Saints Row 2.

JANUARY 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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