THE WORLD’S #1 VIDEO GAME MAGAZINE © 2017 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. PRE-OWNED GAMES AND ACCESSORIES The Return Of Assassin’s Creed E arly in the life of the series, I looked forward to Assassin’s Creed games with a level of anticipation that few franchises could match. The original game, its sequel, and the amazing Brotherhood all hold special places in my personal video game hall of fame. At the time, I couldn’t see how anything could possibly go wrong, but I think it all started to fall apart for me with Assassin’s Creed III. I enjoyed it, but I could feel the ANDY McNAMARA execution starting to erode. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF I knew for certain it was flying off the [email protected] tracks with Black Flag, but even though the story had officially gone off the deep Read my column or end for me, I fell in love with the pirate- comment on this letter at focused gameplay. However, the story of gameinformer.com/mag Desmond and a larger mystery around or follow @GI_AndyMc the Templars and Assassins was what had pulled me into the series. That rivalry gave the great gameplay meaning, and Black Flag stated clearly that the series was headed in other directions. From there things just got worse. I was unable to finish both Unity and Syndicate. Some people thought Syndicate was a step in the right direction, but I didn’t agree. I don’t think I was alone; other gamers seemed to drift from the series as well. Was it the lack of execution? The change in story direction? I guess we will never know, but despite all this, I feel the universe of Assassin’s Creed has so many possibilities that it can weather the storm. The core premise that lets the games jump through place and time is a powerful one. But without er innovation and the time and care to make witt the games as great as their promise, it is n T easy to see why those two entries didn’t er o live up to my expectations. m I was happy that Ubisoft finally learned nfor its lesson and took the series off the mei yearly release cycle to right the ship. Even ga though the series lost some of its luster @ w over the years, it can still turn the tide and ollo go from a sinking ship to a redemption d f story. We all love a great comeback. an The pressure is on. If Assassin’s Creed st, Origins fails to engage, I feel the future e at of the franchise will be in peril, but things e gr look to be on the right track. Check out d n our cover story and let us know what you a st think. I know I’m looking forward to it. e at Enjoy the issue. e l h or t aily f Cheers, d m o c er. m or nf ei m a g sit vi 4 games index A Place for the Unwilling . . . . . . 24 Arms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Assassin’s Creed Origins. . . . . . 36 1 2Red Dead Delay Bloodstained: 1 425 Fun Video Game Facts You Probably Didn’t Know Rockstar Games is Ritual of the Night. . . . . . . . . . 66 Learn how Lara Croft was almost Lara Cruz, which video no stranger to delays, and game can claim to be the first in space, and what the heck the Red Dead Redemption 2 is Bye-Bye Boxboy . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Nintendo Comboy is, among other rapid-fire facts. no exception. Cities: Skylines – Xbox One Edition. . . . . . . . . . . 93 Cosmic Star Heroine . . . . . . . . . 92 06 Feedback Danger Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 24 Impulse: Indie Tales Darksiders III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Of Imprisonment Dead Cells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 25 The Good, The Bad, Deformers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 And The Ugly Destiny 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 26 Gamer: The Heroes Of Fitness 1 8Game Development In Co-op Mode Dreadnought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Video game development is undeniably a team effort, but Ever Oasis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 28 Top Ten Guardians this month we look specifically at two-person development teams and how they make games without driving each other crazy. Far Cry 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 30 Interview: Ian Dallas Farpoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 32 Gear: Figure Happy Fidelio Incident, The . . . . . . . . . 93 34 Opinion: Final Fantasy XII: What’s In A Name? The Zodiac Age. . . . . . . . . . . . 65 35 Timeline Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia . . . . . . . . 91 60 Previews Full Throttle Remastered. . . . . . 93 76 Reviews Ghost of a Tale . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 94 Classic: 6 0Darksiders III 6 4Far Cry 5 The Saturn Spiral At one time its future Ubisoft’s open-world Gnog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 was uncertain, but we’re shooter series always man- Hey! Pikmin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 96 Game Over: Spreading happy to see the Zelda- ages to surprise. Is that true The Assassin’s Creed inspired series will continue. of the new entry? Indivisible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Injustice 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Late Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2. . . 62 Little Nightmares. . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Mages of Mystralia . . . . . . . . . . 87 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. . . . . . . . . . .90 NBA Playgrounds. . . . . . . . . . . . 93 7 4Ever Oasis This action/RPG Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 5 0Destiny 2 from the studio behind the Prey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 We’ve spent time with Destiny 2 and are letting you know 3DS Zelda remakes is one what to expect from Bungie’s follow up. worth keeping an eye on. Pro Evolution Soccer 2018. . . . . 72 Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Rime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Silver Case, The . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Strafe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Surge, The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Syberia 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 8 4Perception Ultra Street Fighter II: 7 9Injustice 2 8 0Rime It turns out navigat- The Final Challengers . . . . . . . 89 NetherRealm delivers This emotional adven- ing horror environments Warhammer 40,000: a worthy follow-up to its ture surprised us with its well- without the aid of sight can Dawn of War III . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 2013 DC fighter. crafted, somber journey. be terrifying. What Remains of Edith Finch. . . 83 5 contents k c a b d e e f A number of readers were hot for Hellblade this month, while others wrote in with killer game ideas, business strategies, and a request for friendship advice. What? We give good advice! Hello, Hellblade! Comparing someone to George the news of MS purchasing Red Dead Thank you for your coverage of Lucas is a bit of a dubious compli- Redemption 2 in its entirety would get Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (issue ment nowadays, but we get what gamers’ attention and possibly sell 289). Heavenly Sword wasn’t my favor- you mean – Ninja Theory is certainly millions of Xbox Ones. I realize the ite PS3 game, but I enjoyed it and was trying to forge new ground in both up-front price would be enormous, but intrigued at what a “spiritual succes- Hellblade’s story and production. wouldn’t the eventual payoff be worth sor” might be like. The more I learned Here’s hoping Hellblade turns out it? It’s not like MS doesn’t have access of Ninja Theory’s goal to bring triple-A to be Ninja Theory’s Empire Strikes to that kind of money. quality to an indie game, the more Back, and not its Phantom Menace. Tim Johnson interested I became. Too often when For more on Hellblade, head to Holyoke, Colorado I see a new indie game, I’m repulsed gameinformer.com/hellblade. by its crappy graphics and “retro” style. While buying a franchise from I’ve also been burned at the other end A Modest Proposal Rockstar would almost certainly be of the spectrum by games that look I’ve followed video games for the out of the question, Microsoft did try gorgeous, but are less mechanically or better part of 30 years, so I con- this tactic when it forked over $2.5 thematically interesting than popping sider myself pretty knowledgeable in billion for Minecraft. However, MS bubble wrap. In this era of gaming, regards to the industry. I understand didn’t stop selling the block-building why can’t we have both? What really why companies have first- and third- sim on other platforms, and based elevated Hellblade to a must-buy, party exclusives, but there’s one thing on its recent Play Anywhere initia- however, was when I learned of the I don’t get. Seeing as how gamers are tive, the company simply seems dis- depths of Ninja Theory’s research and always complaining about Xbox’s first- interested in strict console-exclusive commitment to the meaningful por- party lineup, why doesn’t Microsoft properties. As such, we doubt we’ll trayal of psychosis. I’m happy to see just use its deep, billion-dollar wallets see another billion-dollar buyout – Ninja Theory following in the footsteps to buy certain franchises? I would think even if Microsoft can afford it. of possibly the most successful inde- C ontact Us pendent filmmaker, George Lucas, by Send your questions, showing us that ingenuity and drive comments, and rants to can deliver high-quality production on [email protected] a small budget. for a chance to be featured Quentin Hudspeth in the magazine! via email 6 You Win Or You Die Short Answers I can’t believe no one has jumped on To Readers’ the opportunity to develop an open- Burning world RPG set in the Game of Thrones Questions: universe. I know the Telltale series is out there, but you are still more or less “Is Sakura coming to beholden to the storyline set down by Street Fighter 5?” George R.R. Martin and the TV show. Not during season two. My friends and I are always talking about how awesome it would be to “How did Bubsy in Claws create a character and complete quests Encounters of the Furred in Westeros with the main objective of Kind not make your worst making your House as influential as subtitle list?” possible. Given the seemingly ever- growing fan base surrounding the Because the list wasn’t books and TV show, this seems like it Top 10 AWESOMEST would be an instant classic/no-brainer/ subtitles? slam dunk. Do you think we will ever see something like this down the line? “Any new info on hockey- Maybe after the show has ended? mask Jason from the A.J. Litchfield Friday the 13th game?” via email Yeah – he’s standing right behind you! A half-dozen Game of Thrones video games have surfaced over the years, including a browser-based Worst Opening MMO that’s currently in develop- Line To P ersonal Foul ment. Unfortunately, none of them A Feedback deliver the open-world, choice- Letter: My friends and I were recently discussing video games, when driven mix of action and political I brought up the topic of sports games. I made the point that strategy that GoT fans want to see. “You’re review was sports games fans are different because we get excited over little We can always hope that some- almost correct.” things like updated rosters, more realistic gameplay, and more one will do the series justice in the future, but at this point we’d just be extensive career modes. One of my friend’s responses shocked Question content getting our hands on the me. He told me I wasn’t a gamer, and that sports video games final two books. Of The Month: aren’t considered real games. He said a real game is Warframe What do you want to see or some other game. I have since cut all ties to this friend for his in the new Assassin’s attitude (he also said sports are stupid and that I shouldn’t like Creed game? them) and for other reasons I will not add. Thoughts? Thomas Michael via email We’re confused…do gamers outrank jocks in high school nowadays? Either way, we’ve heard people complain that video games aren’t a real sport, but never that sports games aren’t real video games. Still, we wouldn’t recom- mend ending a friendship over one stupid opinion, no matter how phenomenally stupid it is. Now two stupid opinions, on the other hand… y (Left) Ubisoft Montreal’s Jean Guesdon and Raphael Lacoste gave p us the full rundown on the latest chapter in the s Assassin’s Creed saga. (Right) This month we said farewell to another team of inspired interns: i Manon Hume, Jordan g Leendertsen, and Zak Wojnar. Thanks for all the hard work! PHOTOS FROM THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY feedback 7 On Your Mind More Co-op Concerns In issue 289, you responded to a 60-year-old gamer’s query about split- screen co-op (No Country For Old Co-op Partners). I loved the respect you showed us older gamers who enjoy playing with our kids (or getting better on our own during school hours). Is there any chance that a console might give us two video outs or run a game on two monitors? It’s a bit of an invest- ment buying two consoles and two copies of each game to play side by side. I would certainly pay an extra 100 or 200 for that ability. Thanks again for the old gamer props! Jeff Koch via email Steal This Idea! After reading the letter on co-op, I was In issue 289, we asked readers what characteristic Sony and reminded of my childhood. I grew up in Microsoft should copy from Nintendo. Respondents wrote in the ‘90s when some of the best games with several suggestions, some more helpful than others. featured co-op modes that made sib- lings like my brother and I grow closer. I believe they should put more of an emphasis on couch co-op. I really wish couch co-op would make a comeback. I’d also like to see a Top In recent years, local multiplayer is becoming more and more 10 Co-op Games list in a future issue to of a rarity. While headsets do allow for communication, it’s not make people remember the good old the same as being next to each other. Although PlayStation and days of gaming. Xbox are ahead of Nintendo in many ways, designated offline Eric Nyman modes are where Nintendo has the edge. via email Gabe Schraer Hellblade Hoopla Alas, there really isn’t a multi-display solution for consoles, and while set- More Couch Co-op! Nintendo has always been accessible to non-gamers, as seen ting up more than one monitor on Nintendo’s with games that almost anyone can play, like Wii Sports. PC is straightforward, few develop- Noteworthy Ideas Microsoft tried to piggyback on the company’s successes with ers offer split-screen support on the the Kinect and Sony with the Move controller, but Nintendo platform. As for a Top 10 Co-op list, Review Complaints remains the champion of pick-up-and-play games. I believe we can do you three times better: Darth Clark Fans that Sony and Microsoft should focus more energy on first-party Issue 233 contained our list of the (Scary!) casual games to entice a new market of players. Top 30 co-op games of all-time, and you can check out our picks for the Emily Lewis best couch co-op games of this gen- eration at gameinformer.com. As a longtime Nintendo fan, the answer is simple: Sony and Microsoft should learn the savvy business move of withhold- ing stock of their products. My five-month ordeal of calling stores daily for the NES Classic – only to find out it is now discontinued – has bolstered my level of faith and loyalty to Nintendo to a level where I would die for them. Grant Coscia (Left) Community super fans Keith Norberg, Kathryn Scrafford, and Hilary Wilton were all smiles after the Game Informer panel at this year’s GlitchCon. (Right) U of M journalism major Dalton Tuskowski got a quick tour of the G.I. vault after his one-on-one with Reeves. (continued on page 10) 8 feedback