STACK Magazine November Issue 121

034

ME: Shadow of Mordor

(Xo/ps4/PC)

NBA 2K15

(Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PC)

FIFA 15

(Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PC)

the evil within

(Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PC)

Destiny

(Xo/360/ps4/ps3)

Alien: Isolation

(Xo/360/ps4/ps3/PC)

forza horizon 2

(Xo/360)

Borderlands: The pre-sequel

(360/ps3/pc)

skylanders: tt

(PS4/XB1/PS3/X360/Wii/WiiU/TAB)

sid meier’s civilization: beyond earth

(pc)

Editor’s Letter

MGSV:The

Phantom Pain

DID YOU KNOW?

The Smash Bros. series hasn’t changed too

much since its original debut, but that really

speaks to its strengths – it’s fun, it’s fast,

and it’s completely unpredictable. Change

wasn’t really necessary for

Smash

on 3DS,

but refinement definitely was, and this was achieved

thanks to the guiding hands of Bandai Namco.

While Smash is a glorious, frenzied fight

fest, seasoned gamers will appreciate the more

professional leaning of the latest iteration.

Every character has their own strengths, eaknesses,

recovery times, skills, etc, and these are readily apparent

to players who investigate the game in any depth.

That’s not to say you’re going to need to be able to count frames in order to

win – there’s a damn good chance it’s not going to help you anyway. Between the

slew of new (and stupidly powerful) items, and the constant hazards of the stages,

that guy that normally lands twenty hit combos on you in Street Fighter will

probably be falling off the stage when a random blue shell drops out of nowhere.

There’s an old school sensibility to

Smash

that gaming veterans will be sure to

appreciate – characters and menus unlock with play as opposed to being instantly

available or trapped behind a paywall. It’s a philosophy of incentive that makes the

journey into mastery all the more fun – you’re actively being rewarded for fighting.

It has all the faces in gaming that you’ve ever loved, and is absurdly

entertaining. And the frenetic combat makes the new Smash Bros.

an instant classic that has found a perfect home on the 3DS.

The EvilWithin

Frustrating at times, absorbing for the rest.

FIFA 15

On new-gen is the only way to play FIFA 15.

“The world is a diagonal... I am the

balancing point.”

ED’S DESK

GAMES

visit

www.stack.net.au

NOVEMBER 2014

JB Hi-Fi

www.jbhifi.com.au

Voice actor Michael Mando lent more than just his voice to the role of Vaas Montenegro

Far Cry 4

. His appearance and movement was also captured for the game.

PES 4

, Chelsea goalkeeper Yves Makabu Ma-Kalambay is portrayed as a

Caucasian man, despite the fact that he is black and of Congolese decent.

STACK’s

MOST WANTED

The Order 1886

Halo 5: Guardians

WHAT WE’RE PLAYING

QUOTE

THIS

31/10/

Date:

Vaas Montenegro

Far Cry 3.

Super Smash Bros.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

h, sweet November, how you furnish us with the

finest. The bookend of a busy year, this is the

month that always delivers an endless stream of

games that you simply have to play. 2014 is no different.

Of course it wouldn’t be November without Call of Duty

making an appearance. This year, Sledgehammer Games is

stepping up to the plate with its first full operation in CoD

colours. It’s a real crossroads for the franchise, and Activision

need

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

to, pardon the pun,

come out shooting. We got some time this month with

Sledgehammer co-founder Michael Condrey, a man whose

excitement for the release is palpable.

Remember the biggest game of all time that swept away

all in its path last year? Well Michael, Trevor and Franklin

are back, now in High-Def, and ready to wreak more

GTA V

havoc on PS4 and Xbox One. Why should you buy it again?

We give you seven good reasons on page 50.

The last time we spoke with Australian Alex Hutchinson,

he was busy putting the final touches on

Assassin’s Creed

III.

He’s just completed work on

Far Cry 4,

and took some

time out to tell us all about it.

In a rare treat for Assassin’s Creed fans, this November

yields not one but two new adventures to enjoy.

Assassin’s

Creed: Rogue

sets sail on PS3 and 360, and

Assassin’s

Creed: Unity

has been built from the ground up for the new

generation of hardware. We cover both games in this issue.

And finally, while Halo fans are patiently awaiting the

arrival of

Halo 5: Guardians

(due next year), 343 Industries

have something to keep you busy in the interim.

Halo: The

Master Chief Collection

hits stores on the 11th November.

We lend our ears to franchise development director

Frank O’Connor. What a belter of a month!