STACK Jul #129

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JULY 2015 JB Hi-Fi
082
visit FEATURE GAMES
an opposition player is making an attacking
run towards goal. “Games are won and lost in
midfield,” said creative director Matt Prior, and
the studio identified this as an area that needed
attention. When a ball is won in midfield,
supporting players will move to space to assist
in the build up of an attacking manoeuver.
Pressing the R3 button accesses contextual
training during play, bringing potential options
and moves into play. This is an invaluable tool
for inexperienced players.
Resting the annual Need for Speed series
for a year is probably a lesson many publishers
should heed, but EA’s popular driving franchise
is back this year, once again in the hands of
Ghost Games. A complete reboot that merges
the best parts of games past is as good a
place as any. Customisation is as deep as any
car/Need for Speed enthusiast would want,
and the hands-on demonstrated this before
players were thrown into a mode known as
Rep Attack. Eight players face off in an open
world race and must accumulate rep points in
an allocated time. Avoiding the police, pulling
off near misses and drifts, and winning races
can gain Rep points. It’s a small glimpse of the
game, but the year-long hiatus appears to have
paid off.
Yet another scheduling clash restricted
access to Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst to a “must
return to see this” scribble on the timetable,
but as always happens at E3, you can never
find enough time to get back and see what you
missed.
Of all the publishers at E3, Nintendo’s press
area – situated behind the main booth – always
presents the best opportunities to get hands-on
with their games without having to queue. We
remember being obsessed with Star Fox 64,
spending an unhealthy amount of time with the
game when it released, so Star Fox Zero was the
game we headed straight for. One mission was
on hand to play here, with the design utilising the
GamePad as the view from the cockpit, while the
action is displayed on the main screen. There’s a
bit of a learning curve involved in referring to the
GamePad and the screen (not helped when you
realise that Shigeru Miyamoto is watching over
your shoulder), but towards the end of the demo it
all came together nicely. This HD reboot is out later
this year, and you can be sure we’ll be playing the
hell out of it.
How many times have you completed a level in
a game knowing you could’ve done better? Super
Mario Maker is giving you the opportunity to
prove it! Mario turns 30 this year, and to celebrate,
you can create game styles from as far back
as the SNES-era Mario or maybe even a Super
Mario Galaxy-inspired level. Is it hard to create
these levels? Not at all; creation is simple and
mostly undertaken using the GamePad and stylus.
Limitations only exist in the mind, but do be careful
not to create a game like we did that was practically
impossible to play. Once you have designed the
ultimate level, and beaten it yourself of course,
then you can challenge the general public to do the
same by sharing your creation. And Mario Tennis
Ultra Smash is also great fun, especially when the
opponents you rope in to play aren’t regular gamers
and you thump them set after set.