STACK March 2017 Issue 149

58 / 97

56 MARCH 2017
visit GAMES PREVIEWS with Amy Flower
US beat poet Allen Ginsberg once claimed that
war is good business. As Ubisoft roll out their
tenth Ghost Recon third-person shooter, we
doubt that they’d disagree. Wildlands isn’t just
the same old scene with a new coat of pixels,
though. It sees a breaking away from on-rails
play to an open world environment – and what
an environment it is! We head to South America
– more specifically Bolivia – with terrain ranging
from salt flats to mountains to forests, complete
with a dynamic weather system. There’s little
of that futuristic pie in the sky tech this time,
either. It’s set pretty much in the now, so the
weapons are real, the people are rea- uh, no,
they’re fictional. Sorry, we had a Judge Judy
flashback – damn this war! Where were we?
Oh yeah, there’s some experimental tech to
play with, in particular drones which help you
to tag and bag enemies. Also new to the series
are side missions, while main missions can be
undertaken in several ways, and you can even
form relationships with locals – good or bad.
Speaking of which, up to four players can hit
the ground in co-op. Then there’s the incredible
soundtrack from QOTSA guy Alain Johannes.
Wildlands really is a revolution for the Ghost
Recon series. Come get some of Bolivia’s finest!
From the people who brought you...
Watch Dogs, Rayman Origins
TOM CLANCY'S GHOST RECON WILDLANDS
GENRE: ACT/ADV PLATFORM: PS4
| XBO | PC RELEASE: 07/03/17
MULTIPLAYER: YES
Every new Zelda release is a huge event, yet
Breath of the Wild, the nineteenth Zelda game,
could be the biggest yet. Not only is it the final
first party release for the Wii U, it’s also the
title that Nintendo are hinging the entire Switch
launch on. Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset.
Cats and the cradle and the silver spoon.
Yes, we have no bananas (but DK can fix you
up). They’re really pulling out all the stops to
reimagine the series in true 21st century style,
too. From the obvious – lovely full HD visuals –
to little things such as amiibo support, it’s a feast
for lovers of the series and newcomers alike.
Breath of the Wild is the most open world of all
the Zelda games to date – perhaps indicative
of the involvement of Monolith Soft, who gave
us the insanely great Xenoblade Chronicles
X. This means non-linear gameplay as you hit
dungeons in whatever order you wish, or just
go off the beaten path in exploration mode,
marvelling at the beautiful scenery. Of course
there’s an actual mission, where – playing Link
– you awake after 100 years with amnesia, a
mysterious voice guiding you to a ruined Hyrule
and news that Calamity Ganon’s power has
continued to grow all this time. You guessed it
Link, it’s time to save the world... again!
From the people that brought you...
Star Fox Zero, Xenoblade Chronicles X
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD
GENRE: RPGPLATFORM: SWITCH | WII U RELEASE:
03/03/17 MULTIPLAYER: NO