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HE WITHER 3 ILD HUNT igger and bloodier

DIABLO MEETS THE AVENGER'S

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CONTENTS
# 23 9 MAY2013

MONITOR
SEND

Your letters, our responses

LEAD NEWS

Kickstarting Torment: Tides of Numenera

THESPY

What's that about Thief? lc SPECIALREPORT Gas Powered's bankruptcy scare

PREVIEWS
20 Wildstar 26 Grid 2 28 Europa Universalis IV 30 Airland 32 Command & Conquer 34 Red Orchestra2: Rising Storm

FEATURES
36 Marvel Heroes 42 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 48 The Princeton Review rates the best

game design schools in North America

REVIEWS
62 Dead Space 3 68 lmpire 70 Skulls of the Shogun 72 Aliens: Colonial Marines 76 Dungeonland 77 Fieldrunners2

A free-to-play MMO by the designer of Diablo II? We'll assemble for that!

7710,000,000 78 Anodyne 79 Sonic& All-Stars Racing Transformed 79 Retrovirus

0 EXTRA LIFE
80 NOWPLAYING

ORCHESTRA 2: 34 RED RISING STORM

WITCHER 3: 42 THE WILD HUNT

Evan battles Starbucks-Man in CounterStrike: Global Offensive 84 TOPIODOWNLOADS Grab a Fistful of Gun in the Wild West or harass wandering tribesmen in Extinct
88 UPDATE

Bring an umbrella: authentic and unforgiving WWII shooting pushes into the Pacific front

Geralt's final game could turn out to be the biggest and best fantasy RPG we've ever played

Return to Morrowind with Overhaul 3.0 90 REINSTALL Why you should play Imperialism 2

The Hard Stuff

REVIEW

We test the Digital Storm Bolt Titan GROUPTEST Four of the best SSDs reviewed THERIG

62 DEAD SPACE 3

Now with co-op! That's twice the players and twice the action, but can the horror trilogy still horrify? Find out in our review!

9 A_ GET THE RIGHT SSD

I- Want the best performance? An SSD is the way to go, and we've tested four so you can make the upgrade with confidence
MAY2013 PC GAMER com 7

PC GAMER NETWORK
letters@pcgamer.com

Water vs. electricity, shaky shooters, and "will it play my old 78s?'"
s As I've recently
begun full-time work, become the fiance to a beautiful woman and started a journalist blog, I find myself pretty stretched for time to dip into a good game these days! As one of my favorite genres to play is adventure/ RPG, you can see my dilemma!

pcgamer facebook.com/pcgamermagazine www.pcgamer.com/forum PC Gamer, 4000 Shoreline Ct, Suite 400 South San Francisco, CA 94080

Minor cosmetic differences

I'm sometimes rather surprised by your choices for Game of the Year, but any unexpected picks are usually well enough explained that I can understand why you chose them. But this year? I can't even begin to understand why Mass Effect 3,
Whatever choices you make, she'll still have a head like a penis.

Isaac McIntosh Aw, poor you. Heart = bleeding. Sad face.

s I recently read your

Mann vs. Machine piece about all kids cursing. But not me. I've been taught ahead of time and I will never be the foulmouthed kid on Xbox Live that your other readers hear. This, I think, is because of my early exposure to memes. Some faith in humanity has been restored thanks to me! Your's truly...

in a field filled with competition from big publishers and small indie developers alike, could possibly deserve to be Game of the Year. I could argue that Tom Francis setting aside the ending is just dodging its problems, but I really take issue with the claim that "everything I'd done was reflected." I let the Rachni Queen live, my friend killed her, we got the same mission. I chose to have Anderson become ambassador, my friend kept Udina, and we only ever saw slight cosmetic changes to reflect our choices. I understand that BioWare couldn't make a game that made drastic changes for all the

possibilities, but I don't think PC Gamer should laud a game for those changes when they only amounted to minor cosmetic differences.
Greg Paraubek

Trickery when wet

As you can see by my photo, I was lying in my bath reading PC Gamer when I was struck by the memory of a piece written in a previous edition about the stagnation in keyboard and mouse design. I am typing this from my bath using my Windows Phone, and I find it hard to believe I am the only person that gets the urge to Google while soaking in the tub. In fact, most of my WoW tactics, XCOM plans and Civ V dreams have involved the tub. Why don't companies, instead of thinking "let's move the PC to the living room," think about moving it to the bathroom? Or the patio for when I have a BBQ, or the car? Just imagine being able to do your WoW dailies while someone else drives? See, it's not so much the stagnation of peripheral design as the stagnation of garners themselves that stops advancement. Therefore I set you, the gaming industry, the challenge of making a waterproof keyboard and mouse beforeSorry, I just had to log onto my PC to

finish this. My phone fell into the bath. Sad face.

Khristian Rawlings You may possibly just have seen the reason. Electricity and water aren't good friends, and there are 100-240 verygood reasons to keep them apart. Maybe try voice commands instead of physical ones; many people sing in the shower. You could conquer alien worlds with a few orders and a dramatic tone, and a much lower chance of Game Over ending with a scream and the smell of frying bacon. PCG
They're still working the bugs out of Bath Effect.

David Apostrophes don't work that way. Tsk tsk. Kids today..

s Your first issue

was thrust unsolicited through the letter box when another PC games magazine closed. At first I was stubborn, believing you'd never be able to match the wit and banter I'd grown to love, but I finally have to admit you've won us over completely. Your latest issue is always whisked from the door mat.

Its not about the game being different for every player; but feeling like it. Mass Effect is the only game of its ilk where years go into those romances and reveals, and while the war assets system isn't exactly great, the fact that there are any differences depending on, say, your response to the Rachni threat back in 2007, has more of an impact than many of its detractors give it creditfin:It's precisely these small changes, carried over from one game to another, that make the whole epic feel like it's your story as much as Shepard's, even Oicking at it afterwards reveals the secrets behind the curtain.
PCG

Boot 'em up
Singleplayer shooters have really been making me sad lately. At first I thought it was just the Call of Duty and Medal ofHonor-type games that were leaving me unsatisfied, but after replaying one of my favorite shooters, Far Cry 2, I found the horrible realization that it too was leaving me feeling the same way. If one of my friends was shot right next to me, I'd do a lot more than just hop onto a machinegun or duck behind a barrel and wait to get killed. I also hope that I wouldn't run around a corner into a pile of my recently killed comrades and

Cindy Those other game magazines ain't nuthin: Except all those we used to read too, and those made by our friends. Aww. Thanks for sticking with us, Cindy.

PC GAMER

corn MAY 2013

YOU'RE PLAYING
Matthew Aneiro

141

Currently playing:

Somewhere in here is a game. You may have to squint.

Dwarf Fortress

Being a fan of Bethesda's TES series I named my character Tiber Septim, and I was to be a knight. Setting out across the dark, moody dungeon, Tiber Septim killed many critters and headed as deep into it as he could. At the bottom of the stairs, he found a small room with a single wooden door. Upon opening the door, Tiber found just a small passage ending in a stone wall; no way out. Tiber Septim was furioushow could this be the end of the dungeon? In anger, he kicked the end of the stone passage, revealing a hidden door. Behind it, some sort of humanoid. The creature threw a knife, striking Septim in the ribcage.

A AA
'

Being a relatively new gamer, I have been looking out for a decent PC gaming rig. Although they look great, they are very expensive: the cost of a decent rig is about $2,000-4,000. That's way too much for someone not yet in high school, and it looks like PC gaming will only get costlier!

-47

AA,A "
,

ly

Tim D

L
Tiber pulled out his elvish dagger and rushed at the humanoid. He stabbed it right in the heart a killing blow, but one that still left our hero suffering from a mortal wound in his own ribs. He was near death when he finally lucked upon a
dried-up fountain. He had heard

rumors of restorative powers. Maybe this was his salvation. But no! Suddenly he was surrounded by snakes! Well, he wouldn't go down without a fight... I hope you weren't expecting a successful conclusion for this story, for this is Dwarf Fortress.

Not at all! In the '90s that was sadly the case, but these days you can get a perfectly respectable PC for the price of a next-gen console if you turn down the graphics a notch. And just think about the savings with F2P games and Steam sales... I saw that you
took a little heat for that Medal of Honor: Warfighter review (January 2013), but I thought it was spot on. Warfighter missed a chance to show how every victory is achieved only at a high cost exacted on all the parties involved. Or, even stuck to the mindless shooter experience that the genre is known for. As a society though, we can't allow ourselves to rewrite out history for the sake of simplicity.

meet the same grisly fate. The bland AI and the pinpoint accuracy shooting creates an experience that's just too easy. Then I remembered playing the first Brothers in Arms probably the most rewarding singleplayer shooter I've ever played. The enemies fight together, your aim wobbles realistically, and each hardearned kill is immensely satisfying. Could you recommend any more FPS games like Brothers in Arms?
Jonathan W

Its been awhile since we were impressed by an FPS AI that didn'tftel scripted. Maybe it's time to step up to something else while the technology develops a little? For example, Red Orchestra 2 might scratch a similar terrified, hand-shaking itch to BiA, but with the bonus of real players to replace tired AL
PCG

YouTube for videos of games that I loved but can't play on later versions of Windows. A few nights ago, one particular game sprang to mind Hardwar, which I really enjoyed, but wouldn't work on XP. It was so good to see the game again, and the commentary was greatespecially when the guy said that it ran on Wmdows 7. With bated breath, I tried it. Hurrah! It actually worked! Now, I know that older games like Hardwarare not always to everyone's taste, but you should try ityou'll probably be delighted. Now I have the bug, I am going to try a few more of my old games on Windows 7 to see if they work too.
Morbin

It's surprisingly easy to get most old games running. Virtual machines for old Windows versions will no longer make the average PC ay, and DOSBox does a blazingjob on older titles. Hardwar was an interesting one. GOG already has a couple (Gremlin games from that eramaybe it'lljoin them.
PCG

Tim D

And thank you, Lucas,

for your service to our

country!

Even if some PC gainers aren't into Linux, we should all applaud Valve's recent "Steam For Linux Celebration Sale." I think having some real competition in the OS market would benefit us garners (although I expect dealing with drivers will be a nightmare). Maybe I'll ditch Wmdows and join the growing Linux bandwagon some day. Grim
While the fracturingofPC gaming into multiple competing operating.systems would certainly introduce a whole new set of chtdlenges to garners and developers alike, that's what PC gaming has always been about choice, and the occasional pain and heartache it can bring.
PCG

Steam heats up Linux

JOIN U
Fight alongside us on the PC Gamer

community servers
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H J. L F

Being a gamer of the older generation, I have many happy memories of games that I used to play back in the day, on my first PC (and indeed my Amiga 1200). As such, I sometimes trawl

About my generation

Linux garners might be a tiny crowd now, but that could change if a certain third episode launched on that OS first."

Our game servers are provided by Art of War Central, PCG's staff-approved hosting service. Visit artofwarcentral.com

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Torment returns
Spiritual sequel to the legendary Planescape gears up for a Kickstarter campaign
he Planescape: Torment successor confirmed back in January has taken its first steps out of the darkness and into the light. Torment: Tides of Numenera will be an isometric oldschool RPG set in the Numenera universe, the latest creation of Planescape designer and prolific D&D writer Monte Cook. Numenera is a science-fantasy universe that was developed following a

change the nature of a man?" Tides of Numenera posits this as its core quandary: "What does one life matter?" It sounds like the strictly singleplayer campaign will have a strong focus on your relationship with the members of your partybut there's a line of cynicism running through Torment's take on friendship. "You will earn companions along the way, and discover their value," the introduction reads. "Perhaps through their strengths, perhaps more literally by selling them " In place of the multiplanar universe of the original game, the new Torment is set in a world defined by the rise and fall of

successful Kickstarter campaign last year. The initial announcement defines a Torment game as "a game of complex and nuanced morality, deep and reactive choice and consequence, and immersion into a new and strange vision." Rather than secure the rights to directly follow up on the history of the Nameless One, then, developers inXile have chosen to step sideways. Where the original game was grounded in the question "What can

12 PC GAMER.com MAY2013

r, 2 Days
INI

Slim Spent
One day we will look back at this conc art and lau h. Perh s that da is toda .

1 John C Reilly

MONITOR

BLUM'S BM

mm

RE-CONVENE CELEBRATION OF ALL THINGS BLIZZARD RETURNS

Blizzard's sort-of annual convention returns on November 8-9. "Sort-of annual" because this year's Blizzcon will be the first in a while Blizzard skipped 2012. The convention draws Blizzard fans the globe over, who come together in a big hall in California and dress up in costumes of varying quality. Expected to be shown area Diablo II/expansion, multiple e-sports events, and perhaps, perhaps, a first glimpse of the devs' next major project, codenamed Titan. Tickets will be available when Blizzard give the nod. RM

DEEPER DUNGEONS
GRIMMER LEGEND OF GR1MROCK GETS A SEQUEL

L'71 Devs Almost Human are working on a Ca straight sequel to their lauded dungeon crawler. Legend ofGrimrock2will feature a major engine update and vast amounts of new stuff to do. The sequel started life as DLC for the original game before the scope of what the developers wanted to do pushed it into full-blown successor territory. "A DLC would have limited too much what we can do," they say in a blog post on the official site: www.grimrock.net CT

HEALTH BAR
CHECKING THE GAMES BIZ'S PULSE

Winners
Gabe Newell The Valve founder picks up a BAFTA fellowship.
A A

Nicholas Francis The Unity co-founder quits his company to

make games using Unity.

successive civilizations over the aeons. People of the Ninth World live among the rubble of all of these civilizations, attempting to make use of powerful artifacts left behind The only character described so far is a human capable of living across centuries in a succession of bodiespipe down, Planescape: Torment fansbut it's not clear whether or not this will be the main character. In any case, the substitution of space for time is an interesting extrapolation of the themes of the original game. Tides ofNumenera is currently

gearing up for a Kickstarter campaign, and the community has been asked to suggest backer rewards in advance Tellingly, the most popular option is to "minimize physical rewards"cutting back on cloth maps and other knickknacks so that more resources can be poured into the actual game. Say what you like about Kickstarter being powered by nostalgia: old-school RPG fans appear to have their priorities straight. Find out more at

Irrational Games BoShock Infinite goes gotd!

Now release it, please.

Chris and Rich

Manage to lose a five vs three Data 2 tournament match. They were the five.

Activision
Layoffs as the company moves away from licensed games.

Gearbox
Aliens: Colonial Marines falls to live up to expectations. Anyone's.

unow.bitiy/pcg-torment. s
Chtis777wsten

Faildogs
MAY2013 PC GAMER corn 13

BUT WHO WATCHES THE SPY?

The Spy casts no

shadow, even beneath the midday sun.

he Spy can't remember the last time he felt surprise. You don't make it far in this business without knowing everything that's going to happen before it jumps out and kills youspeaking of which, The Spy advises that you skip any "beef" lasagne frozen dinners that might be lingering in the freezer. No reason. No reason at all. The Spy maintained his stony disposition throughout the PlayStation 4 reveal event. If the Spy has learned one thing, it's that you can't trick a trickster. The PlayStation 4 is actually a PC in disguise. The barrage of buzzwords from smart-casual corporate types did little to foil The Spy's ever-reliable execu-speak translator. The message was clear. "We've made a moderately powerful PC for your living room, and now we can all stop pretending there are no games coming out this year. Disguised as a floorboard on the nference stage, The Spy endured the smell of expensive aftershave to get close to the action. A series of drab console shooters and racing games made him itch for swift extraction, but then indie wunderkind and Braid creator Jonathan Blow took to the stage to show The Witness. An eyebrow raised for a split second. A twitch. Nothing more. A glance confirmed that Blow's neck bore no Sony control chipThe Witness will still come to PC. But what is Blow's island puzzle game actually about? That mystery is beyond even The Spy's powers. Where were the big guns? The Spy's network of drones reported sightings of Battlefield 4 at a behindclosed-doors showing for Gamestop employees. No

doors are closed to The Spy. Or if they are, there's usually an air vent nearby. That's how he made his way into the depths of Sega HQ searching for intel on Company of Heroes 2's new release date. He was flushed out before he got a concrete answer, but he expects it to be summer. The same trick proved similarly unsuccessful when infiltrating Deus Ex: Human Revolution devs, Eidos Montreal. They know everything there is to know about air vent infiltration, which is why theirs are filled with crabs. The Spy hadn't fought this many crabs since the deadly seafood market job of '83, so he resorted to a more subtle form of espionage surfing the internet in his pants. Notes on some ex-employee resumes mention a new title that will be revealed "within the upcoming months." A new title from the holders of the Thief license? That's worth putting trousers on for. Sometimes a secret snuggles silently behind layers of security, like the last rose of summer beneath layers of frost and an empty bag of chips. Others are screamed loudly from the rooftops by execs trying to gauge that secret's popularity ahead of an important publisher

Ai

A new title from the holders of the Thief license?

01

111

pitch. So it was that Obsidian's CEO mentioned an idea for a new Star Wars game set between episodes 3 and 4, an idea they'll be keen to ship to Star Wars' new masters, Disney. Will it ever happen? Clouded, the future is. One thing that certainly won't be happening is Obsidian's long-dead Aliens: Crucible game. Videos surfaced this month showing xenomorph animation passes attributed to the project, which was originally pitched as a survival-horror RPG, but was canned by publishers Sega for unknown reasons. Maybe they canceled the wrong game, given the state of Gearbox's Aliens: Colonial Marines. Allegations and accusations are already flying in the wake of its disappointing reception, some suggesting that Gearbox outsourced significant chunks of development to TimeGate studios. A source claiming to be an ex-Gearbox developer went online to describe Colonial Marines' six year development cycle as "a total train wreck." The Spy has no need to allege or accuse. He has access to an extensive armory of silent killing devices. He feels that literal termination at the end of employment is best for everyone, although Valve doesn't seem to agree. It has jettisoned off a number of staff without even slightly murdering them Those let go were rumored to be working on hardware, but boss Gabe Newell has said that Valve "aren't canceling any projects." The Spy would feel sorrow, but the neurons governing feelings of pain and fear were burned away by the debut showing of Titanic back in '97. Buying that ticket was, perhaps, The Spy's greatest ever mistake, but for a man who feels no regret, that's impossible to know. Spy out. s
The

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1,

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Wildman envisioned a world where your hero would battle sentient animal species.

Running out of Gas

Gas Powered's bankruptcy scare shows brutality of mid budget game market
-

n February 11, Gas Powered Games developers of Dungeon Siege and Supreme Commanderwere four days from the end. The Kickstarter campaign for their action RPG Wildman was still $600,000 short of its target, and founder Chris Taylor had made it very clear: if the game didn't get the funding, Gas Powered Games was over. It was a bizarre situation, and the fact that it had reached that desperate point shocked a lot of people, myself included. Dungeon Siege, Supreme Commander and their sequels sold wellmost of them over a million copies each. More recently, Gas Powered had handled the launch and ongoing development of Age of Empires Online. They'd since stopped work on that game, but that was only in January. Just 15 days later, founder Chris Taylor announced that he'd laid off almost everyone at the company, and would close it entirely

if their newly announced Kickstarter project wasn't successful. How the hell did it get so bad, so quickly, for a company so successful? Chris's desperate position gave him a rare chance to explain it without worrying about publisher relations. And the answer was alarming, because it revealed how brutal and unfair the world of mid-budget videogame development really is.

Tom says...
It's crazy that a game as brilliant asSupreme Commander can't justify its mid-range budget under the current publishing model. I hope its deal with Wargaming allows Gas Powered to make something -1"7 on that grand scale again.

Chris made it clear: if the game didn't get the funding, Gas Powered was over.
Gas Powered never took on projects as massive or expensive as MMOs like Star Wars: The Old Republic, or sprawling open world games like Grand Theft Auto IV But they made big, good-looking games, and they can't be made on a shoestring. Chris has previously hinted that Supreme Commander's

budget was in the region of $11 million, and its sequel around half that. That's money they were pretty sure the game would make back, but in that time between development and release people's salaries needed paying. So while Gas Powered was technically an independent company, it was dependent on one thing: publisher funding. If you need $11 million to make your game, and a publisher thinks it'll sell significantly more than that when it's released, they'll give you that money in advance in return for a share of the profits. The problem is the size and terms of that share. The publisher takes every penny the game makes until they've recouped a certain amount, but that figure isn't their initial investmentthe example Chris gives is five times that. "When you get a royalty advance from a company at 20 percent," Chris explained in an interview with YouTuber Matt Barton, "you're really getting a 500 per cent loan you have

18 PC GAMER com MAY2013

to earn in royalties now. If you got a $1 million advance, you now must pay back $5 million." And that doesn't just mean the game has to make $5 millionor $55 million, if your budget was $11m. You have to cover that enormous sum with the slim fraction of the profits that you'd be entitled to if the game had "earned out." "So if the game sells for $59 or $50, there's cost of goods, insurance, freight, returns, marketingthey call it MDF. Deduction, deduction, deduction. Then of the piece that's leftthat could be $30you get your 20 percent. You get $6. And you have to pay back advances with that $6. "Under this structure, of course, the publisher makes all of its investment back, pays for all of its internal costs, has a healthy profit, and then the developer will get paid." With the numbers skewed so brutally against the developer, just being successful doesn't get you anywhere. You need a mega hita Call ofDuty, a Grand Theft Auto. "We've shipped many titles that have sold a million copies," Chris says, "and we have not had a royalty stream from any of those." It's the classic advances-againstroyalties model, also used in the recording industry. And it works, in a sense: Chris got to make a bunch of
Gas Powered's RPG

KICKSTOPPED Gas Powered's last-ditch Kickstarter campaign

Wildman Kickstarter Project Source: Kicktrao.com

$1.2m $1m $800k $600k $400k $200k 0

....... ....... .......

0
4

12

16

20

24

28

32

Days

Chris Taylor announcesthat Gas Powered Games will close if Kickstarter fails.

Wildman project cancelled. Chris mentions some possible "good news".

Wargaming.net acquires Gas
'7' Powered Games.Chns will

Projected total if the Kickstarter project had continued: $600,000. Minimum target for funding of Wildman to besuccessfut: $1.1 million.

0 Releases video of Project

Mercury, a cool set of tools for modding Wildman.

continue to lead the company.

good games, and pay his staff while they did it. But at the end of each project, if the next one isn't lined up, you're in trouble. And even if you have several on the cardsas Gas Powered did when its work on Age of Empires ended-

Dungeon Siege \

111 'lli
ill.
4!

1,

Creature concepts for canceled

Kickstarter ro'ect Wildman.

there's always the chance that they'll fall through. Fifteen years under a publishing model that doesn't reward moderate success left the company with very little slack, and that's how they ended up with the whole company hinging on one very risky Kickstarter project. And it failed. It took 26 days to reach $500k; there was no way the extra $600k was going to arrive in the last four days. But that's not why Chris canceled the campaign. He accompanied the announcement with a video explaining that he was in talks that might lead to another way to save Gas Powered, and they'd got far enough along that the Kickstarter was no longer appropriate. Three days later, we got a call from Wargaming.net's PR to tell us that they'd acquired Gas Powered. The World of Tanks developer has not only become independent, but also massively successful from its free-toplay tactical shooter. And now it has swooped in to save the developer of
Supreme Commander.

Wreak mechanical hell in RTS Supreme Commander.

Gas Powered Games may no longer be an independent company, but it's still here. And with any luck, it won't have to go back to the advances-against-royalties model again in the future. Whether it'll continue development of Wildman, and how much influence Wargaming will have, we're still waiting to hear. But compared with the alternative, this

has to be a win. s
7bm Francis

MAY2013 PC GAMER corn 19

WILDSTAR
PLAYED IT
'm standing at the edge of the Deradune hunting grounds with a million things to do. I've been playing MMOs like WildStar for more than a decade but, while I'm capable of parsing the approximate meaning of all of the buttons and objectives presented to me, I have no idea what I should do first. I have two options: the first is to lean on my experience of other games and progress by inches, ensuring that I don't drop off the critical pathbut I've been there, and done that. The other option is to start running for the horizon and see how well the game can keep pace. I start running. Deradune is the starting area for the Draken, a race of horned beastmen who form the militaristic vanguard of WikEtar's imperious Dominion faction. The zone itself READ ME is modeled on the DEVELOPER Carbine Studios African savannah. PUBLISHER Winding paths link NCSoft scattered towns, LINK with prey species www.wild star-ontrne.com wandering the open

Carbine Studios is trying to create your perfect second MMO

spaces and predators lurking in the treeline. WildStar sits square on the boundary between science fiction and fantasyspaceships might populate the skyline of the game's single planet, Nexus, but on the ground swords are just as common as lasers. You're liable to find yourself battling a pack of ravening space panthers one moment and a circling enemy gunship the next. which determines how I go about killing things, I've also chosen a pathin this case, that of the soldierthat determines why. In WildStar, your path provides a set of extra objectives that are available exclusively to you and that shape the course you'll take on the way to the level cap. Other paths include the scientist, who focuses on analyzing monsters; and the settler, who is encouraged to play socially. There's also the explorer, but I'll get to that later. Running through the town gates, I pass a quest giver of the traditional sort. A little way beyond her is a computer terminal that dispenses an additional, path-specific missionin this case, I'm given a pile of grenades and a mandate to test them on the local monkey population. There's also a public quest in the area, asking players to place any skulls they've looted on a trophy pile in the center of town. On the way to the first cluster of monkeys, I receive a phone call from a quest giver I'd ignored, filling me in on her requirements and adding another objective to my tracker. The sense I get is

My other option is to run for the horizon and see how well the game can keep pace. I run.
The game has a bright, heavily stylized design, with action-figure characters and landscapes painted in broad, colorful strokes. Animations are exaggerated and impactful, from the lolloping run of the Draken to the full-body coil that telegraphs an incoming enemy attack. I'm playing as a Mechari warrior, an eight-foot robot wielding a two-handed energy sword. In addition to my class,

MONITOR

The game works in smart ways to ensure that I don't miss out.
There's a cartoonish edge to WildStar'ssu ti setting. Zones are approached differently depending on your path.

Poachers have set up camp in the Deradune hunting grounds.

of the game bending to accommodate my momentumwhile I'd probably have been better off approaching Deradune more methodically, the game works in smart ways to ensure that I don't miss out. This isn't an accident: according to executive producer Jeremy Gaffney, the way that experienced MMO players approach content has been a major influence on WikEtar's design. "Most people have an MMO they played and loved," Gaffney says. "But were they able to teleport back to the MMO they so blissfully remember, would they really put up with the stuff they put up with the first time? I loved EverQuest, but I had to stand in line for mobs. Would I be willing to put up with that now that I've played so many other MMOs?" The answeras evidenced by WildStar's attitude to contentseems to be no: hence multiple progression paths, quests branching from other quests and new things to do at every turn. WildStar uses a traditional action bar setup for combat, with a number of significant tweaks. Careful positioning is essential as almost all attacks have an area of effect, painted on the ground as

sweeping red semicircles or long cones. As a consequence, it's quite difficult to play on autopilot. My sword attacks range from direct strikes to cleaves and whirling blows that damage every enemy around me. It doesn't take long to settle into a rhythm, initiating with area damage before following up with a precision coup de grace Maximizing the effectiveness of your own attacks while avoiding damage is basically satisfying in the manner of a brawlerevery time you

"I loved EverQuest, but I had to stand in line for mobs. Would I put up with that now?"
dodge a would-be crippling blow, it feels like you're beating the game on your own terms. This is a strong basis for combat in an MMO. "If we do our jobs right, you feel clever when you find the combination that works for youand you feel super clever when you find a more efficient combination," Gaffney explains. "The same thing applies to areas. Maybe I got used to fighting this

monster, but now I'm doing it in a minefieldthe best way used to be to dodge backwards, now it's 'kick his arse into a mine and watch him explode'!" I use a combination of grenades and regular sword attacks to wipe out a few monkey camps and yet another mission type pops upin this case, a challenge. Designed to keep players on their feet, challenges suddenly up the stakes, asking you to wipe out a set number of enemy camps within a time limit in return for a randomized reward. While working on one of these challenges I realize that there are multiple types of exclusive quests available to my chosen pathas a soldier, I'm also capable of tracking down assassination targets or triggering pointdefense sequences out in the wilderness. Honestly, even with my determination to play as free-spiritedly as possible, this sudden onrush of options is paralyzing. I asked Gaffney if he anticipated this. "We fractured it out intentionally," he explains. "What we do is fracture it until it seems like too much, and then condense it. You have to do that because otherwise you'll never know when you should have added one more layer. It's better to go

PC GAMER

21

A giant ribcage. I'm sure that's not hing to worry about.

Watch the round to find out what an enem is about to do. Or look u

Raid bosses are present even in early zones.

too far and ratchet it back a notch than never take a step forward." By splitting the life of a single character into distinct channels with different play styles and rewards, the team at Carbine hopes to make the experience of playing an MMORPG more generous and consistently engaging than it has traditionally been. This basic level of mechanical complexity underscores the whole game. As a soldier, I've opted to focus on combat. Were I a scientist or a settler, however, I may have other objectives, or other reasons to be hunting specific species in Deradune's wilds. "We let the players do as much as they can simultaneously," Gaffney explains, describing the ideal behavior of a late-game WildStar player as a layer cake of complementary mechanics. "'I'm in the middle of kicking dudes into mines while at the same time I'm scanning them and studying them, and I'm unlocking and questing and doing a timed challengeand I'm doing all of this stuff at once because I'm awesome.' That's very powerful, and if there's a principle that impacts all of our designs, it's that one." "It lets you choose what your critical path is," he continues. "What do you want to do

in this game session? Do you want to work on your path stuff, or do you want to try to get through the main story arc? That dilettante style is something that I personally find fun." Here, then is my mistake: WikIStar furnishes the player with a vast amount of options, but attempting to do all of them at once isn't the way to play. You have to choose. With this in mind I make a beeline for another of my path missions, involving setting up and defending a piece of tech

"We let the players do as much as they can simultaneously...that's very powerful?'
from onrushing hordes of space panthers. As I fend them off I'm joined by another player, a Draken stalker who uses stealth to set up high-damage burst attacks. Players can pitch in with one another's missions regardless of path, meaning you're not wholly locked out of these other parts of the game, giving people a reason to come together while emphasizing personal choices.

Intrigued to see just how much of a difference your choice of path makes, I switch characters. As a human spellslinger, the way I approach combat changes substantiallyarmed with a pair of laser pistols I focus on kiting groups of enemies into position for a mixture of channeled and charged ranged attacks. As an explorer, my path-specific missions lead me into very different situations to the ones I found myself in as a soldier. The exploratory approach is intended for players who would otherwise spend their time pushing at the fringes of each zone, trying to reach impassable areas. Deradune is dotted with tall, winding trees that are only climbable by explorers. Every zone will have a number of these jumping puzzles to complete, and finishing the whole set earns you a reward. This is what I did first, and as a consequence my initial impressions of the explorer aren't great following an arrow to a jumping challenge with a fixed solution doesn't feel like exploring, and as these challenges are something that have to be completed solo there's no room for ad-hoc socialization. I get more enjoyment out of the explorer's other key ability, which is the

MONITOR
I ovely incidental detail abounds

Nexus's previous inhabitants weren't a cheery bunch.

power to unlock a long network of tunnels that link diverse parts of the zone. Stumbling across a highlighted patch of ground can lead to a drop into a monsterinfested cavern and a new set of quests before emerging back onto the surface or, in one case, onto a cliff-top route patrolled by enemy aircraft. Explorers can also unlock shortcuts for other players, which will be their chief contribution to social play. Nonetheless, I found the path a little lonely in the time I spent with it. The fact that I enjoyed one path over another isn't surprisingplayers are, after all, expected to pick the play style that suits them, and I wouldn't necessarily choose to play in this way in the final game. I asked Gaffney whether he was concerned that giving players such a significant decision to make right at the start could backfireparticularly considering the trend in recent MMOs toward reducing the amount of choices made at character creation. "There are a lot of babies that get thrown out with the bathwater, you know?" He says. "You don't want a horribly punitive death penalty, but what about that friend you made because they

saved you from dying? Those bonds are weakened when you don't care that someone saved you. As designers we need to know when pain can be fun, or when the pain makes things meaningful and when removing it can trivialize things." In this sense, then, my preference for one path over anothereven my confusion when faced with an overwhelming amount of different things to dois a negative response that the developers are willing to risk if it means giving players more freedom to meaningfully outline the parameters of their own game experience. It's an old-school sentiment wrapped up in a game with a lot of new ideas, an obvious devotion to the traditions of the genre mixed up with a studied effort to do things better. "We're not aiming for the lapsed MMO crowd because of grand focus groups and research," Gaffney tells me. "We're aiming for it because it's us." s
aids Thursten

',13 PC GAMER

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APREVIEW
Grid's "TrueFeer handlin man es the transition between different race car types.

, Sponsorship levels and crowds will Increase as ou ro ress.

Grid 2 will include real locations such as Abu Dhabi and Paris. IF

n overt focus on narrative drives Grid 2's singleplayer mode. P ' 1.

26 PC GAMER

21 1

7 ."7/7,"/F7J,/e/13/7
Full of fan

ZZZ,Ze'jf3Zil.2d
dro t rollerskates

MONITOR

There's more lens flare than a JJ. Abrams movie at times.

GRID 2
FIRST LOOK

The strong narrative focus goes back to Grid's origins in the TOCA series.

The world's racing machines face off in Codemasters' latest

much as it's your own, as you're hired at the outset of the game by ambitious entrepreneur James Callahan to become the poster boy for his new championship. This overt focus on narrative drives Grid 2's singleplayer mode, with progression marked in thicker ringside throngs at events, better sponsorship for racers, and excitable emails from wealthy slave driver Callahan updating you on the status of the specializes in an aggressive form of elimination racing that sees drivers at the rear of the pack culled every 20 seconds, and the resulting race is a series of hard, ultra-combative scrums to be as far toward the front of the pack as possible each time the klaxon sounds. Then we switch to more traditional European motorsporta race on Austria's Red Bull Ring in lightweight, formula cars that could have driven straight out of Codemasters' Fl series. Grid's handling model manages the transition, however: it ensures the open-wheel race cars feel grippy and distinct. The drifty, highperformance sports cars I try last are the stars of a Chicago-based race from the end of the gameas the heaving crowds and sponsorship attests. Grid 2 is a racing game with ambitions rivaling that of Codies' fictional Bernie Ecclestone. An attempt to combine multiple racing disciplines under one hood, there are few other racing devs with the experience and technical proficiency to even attempt the idea. s
CraigOwens

here's no way of knowing who's the greatest racing driver on earth. Motorsport is splintered across multiple disciplines, so the vast majority of drivers never go head to head. I wasn't aware of the problem when I arrived at Codemasters' headquarters to see Grid 2's singleplayer mode, but chief game designer James Nicholls has just shown everyone here an ESPN clip about the issue, and now I'm very concerned. Would a rally king beat an F1 champ in a city-based street race if they were both driving Japanese muscle cars? I have to know. Luckily, Codemasters has a solution. The World Racing Series is their fictional championship. It's an international crossdiscipline competition, and it's also the focal point for Grid 2's story. Multidiscipline racing READ ME tournaments don't DEVELOPER just rev into life fully Codemasters manufactured, you PUBLISHER know, and Grid 2 is the Codemasters story about the WSR's LINK www.gridgame.com rise to prominence as

Would a rally king beat an Fl champ in a citybased street race driving muscle cars?
WSR. But it's also a narrative custom built for variety, as the demos Codemasters have prepared make clear. First up is a Barcelona street race at dusk. This is taken from an early point in the WSR's lifespanand as such the crowds are relatively thin, sponsorship-light and the cars are merely high-end road vehicles, such as the BMVVM3 Evo I'm driving. The racing club I'm trying to dazzle

MAY 'fill"

I
&Invading France is hard without the Channel Tunnel.

Invade Lapland and punish Santa.

(-)1 -

C11 ANN

Ma-ma-roomy Girona.

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EUROPA UNIVERSALIS IV
NEW INFO

Learns from history, dooms players to repeat it.

The story is what's important. Do you want to take control of Britain and expand its glorious, prosperous empire? You can do that. Do you want to play as the small German state of Kleve, and hope only to survive the shifting factions of European politics? You can do that, too. "History isn't balanced," says Johanson. "You could see that as a game design problem, because a small German state

rand strategy games aren't complicated; you only think they are. Sure, Europa Universalis encompasses economics, diplomacy and war over a 300-year period, as seen from the perspectives of 250 different countries. But thinking you need to know what you're doing in EU1V from the moment you begin playing is like expecting to know the end of a story from the moment you start reading a book "Being intimidated by the mechanics can stop you from seeing the story," says Thomas Johansson, project lead at Paradox Development Studio. "If you go into it and think 'how do I win this game?', then you get stuck. But you don't have to figure out everything at once. If you instead go in and think 'I'm going to play my READ ME country, and my goal DEVELOPER Paradox is only to be bigger Development Studio than my neighbor', PUBLISHER then you're going to Paradox Interactive figure out things as LINK www.bitly/pcg-eu4 you go along."

EUis to involve players

ii The key thing with

in the story of their chosen nation fO

won't defeat the French on its own. On the other hand, it's an advantage because the replayability becomes enormous." People have been playing and replaying Europa Universalis games for a long time, but Paradox is keen to grow its audience by learning from last year's surprise hit, Crusader Kings H. The key lesson lay in how people connected with the game. "People play the story and not the game

mechanics," says Johanson. "And so the key thing with EUis to involve people in the story of their chosen nation, and its strategic choices, its enemies and friends." EUIVhas two devices to make that happen. The first is event chains, which give almost every country its own unique context-based storyline. If you're England and you don't have an heir in the 50 years prior to 1500, for example, then the War of the Roses may take place. It's up to players to deal with these situations as they arise. The second device is a system of unique national ideas, which help guide you through the sandbox towards interesting and historically relevant decisions. Again, take control of Britain and you're more likely to be pursuing the industrial revolution than if you're in charge of Brandenburg-Prussia. For returning players, it might be wholesale changes to the trade system that excite, but Europa UniversalisXis opening its arms to welcome those of us who have only ever given a cowardly glance at the series before. s
Graham Smith

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PREVIEW

W, 7 137 ,4A

AIRLAND BATTLE
FIRST LOOK
shouldn't be impressed by a game engine's zooming capabilities. It's 2013. Nonetheless, here I am staring at Wargame: AirLand Battle like a monkey at a monolith. It's breathtaking. My first look at Eugen's RTS sequel to Wargame: European Escalation, guided by lead developer Alexis Le Dressay, is of a single Apache chopper. Those familiar with the previous game's battles will know there's usually little time to appreciate details on units, but I could make out the wobble and swear I could even see the pilot. I wanted to take control, and fly it over the game's beautiful Scandinavian fields or admire the fjords. But this is not a game of sightseeing. As boss of one of 12 sides fighting under the umbrellas of either NATO or the Warsaw Pact countries between 1975 and 1985, you're here to command troops. Luckily for the aesthetically-minded general, doing so in Eugen's world is a pleasure. A quick spin of the mousewheel READ ME yanks the camera up, DEVELOPER Focus Interactive parting the clouds. PUBLISHER Below is a patchwork Eugen Interactive of fields. It looks more LINK like a satellite photo www.wargameee.com than a game, and at the

WARGAME

The Cold War never looked so good

furthest zoom it's like looking down onto a military commander's table. In the game, the table would be crawling with icons of allies and enemies, and if I pushed in closer I'd see the infantry and tanks moving at frightening speed. But the map is empty to show off the gorgeous new textures and increased scale of the game's Scandinavian setting. The square I see represents a couple hundred square kilometers of Swedish land, marked out with glowing strategic sectors. These AirLand of the title, reflecting the military doctrine of the '80s that created a greater synergy between ground and air troops. The sequel allows for greater diversity of tactics with the winged beasts, letting you send them deeper into enemy lands. They'll speedily swoop and dive at their targets before retreating to refuel and resupply. The importance of their inclusion drove a plethora of new engine tricks that fed back into the game: the flat fields are now surrounded with snow-capped peaks, and carved through with fjords. In a game where line-of-sight usurps the unrealistic notion of fog-of-war, and your every move is preceded with recon units, the undulating landscape is an immensely important addition. But while it's a structurally more complex sequel, AirLand Battles simplifies a few things too. The problems in the previous game's urban battles, where the infantry fighters in cities and towns needed to be looked after, have been smoothed over. The developers have solved that problem by designating "districts" within the cities, and infantry will always select the best possible positions to defend from. A quick demonstration drops two tanks on either side of a garrisoned town. The

It's a structurally more complex sequel, but

AirLand Battles

simplifies things too.

sectors give you deployment points: using these lets armies bring reinforcements in. These extra units aren't built as in a standard RTS; instead, they trundle in from marked points around the world. As in the previous Wargame: EE, land units roll in from the edge of the maps, but AirLand Battle adds new air corridors, too. You'll need to have control of these before you can call in a fighter squadron, or else your enemy will simply shoot your top guns down. These jets are the clunkily named

MONITOR

The previously flat landscape has been updated so you can make the most of your air units.

tanks crawl through the fields, intelligently using the hedgerows as cover without any player prompting, but when they enter the open they're rocketed into burning piles of scrap. It's a small but welcome tweak. When Eugen's RTS gets going, there's already enough to worry about. The previous game's biggest weakness was a reliance on a standard narrative and skirmishes. AirLand Battles' campaign is now dynamic, with the whole of the Scandinavian region in continual flux, and wins and losses will affect the overall makeup of the region. Weather and politics will also cause shifts in power, with special events throwing particularly cruel little twists along the way. An example that was put to me: what if Margaret Thatcher had a heart attack? How would that affect the UK's NATO presence in the region? It'd probably create a more erratic and less focused British backup. When you finally feel prepared enough to take your skills online, you'll have to create your own army. With 12 countries and over 700 units, you won't want for weaponry. The units are drawn from a ten year period, so some armies will struggle in certain areas. If I were you, I'd start brushing up on your alternate reality history books. It might come in handy. s
Cra&Pearson

APRIL

Don't they know smoking's bad for you?

MM AND & aINQUER

PLAYED IT
he new Command & Conquer is free to play. And it's from EA. Those two facts together should evoke a tank rush of unease, given that EA isn't above shoving microtransactions into every cranny it can find. So when I got my hands on it at a recent EA games showcase, I made sure to poke around the interface, looking for stealthy cash-sapping options. Nothing. Not a peep. Nothing but buttons that make sweet, sweet war. There are two reasons for this: first, it's still in alpha, and a lot of what's goirig to be in there hasn't been implemented yet. Second, the transactions just aren't as intrinsic to the game as I'd feared. You can grind or buy new Generals, XP boosts, and vanity items, but there's more READ ME micromanagement DEVELOPER Victory Games than micropayments. PUBLISHER What is intrinsic is Electronic Arts the feeling of C&C. LINK During the short time www.command andconquer.com I got my hands on it,

No money, no problem for EA's ancient strategy series

it really did feel like it contained the DNA of all the other C&C games. After a few crashes that showed off just how alpha the game was, I loaded up a co-op game with a fellow journalist. The two of us were crammed into the corner of a map, a few buildings already humming along, generating resources for our military plots. The game is repurposed from a canned sequel to the original CI7C Generals, and click, click, and I had some infantry. Some had guns, some had rockets, but all had a leader with a keen desire to send them into the battle with minimal support and no tactical advantage whatsoever. Luckily I had a developer beside me who suggested I garrison them in a pair of nearby towers instead of sending them into the fog of war. The road to our base would direct a fair few of the foreign invaders through them, and having the nearby buildings and towers stocked with fresh meat would stay their progress. At least they were going to die with a purpose. To support those plucky chaps, I had to plonk down an oil-pump and wait for the black gold to flow. With that in the bank, I planted a war factory and manufactured more war than you could shake a stick at in APC form and, a bit later, tanks. I clicked on as many as I could make. These, I reasoned, would be there as a second wave to take out anyone foolish enough to pass my garrisoned towers. My reasoning was undone when my partner was attacked way before we were ready. Whatever my CPM is, it's clearly not high enough.

I made sure to poke around the interface, looking for stealthy cash-sapping options.
it's still set in the Generals universe. We both opted to head up the tech-heavy EU faction from the three availablethe guerrilla-ish Global Liberation Army and the large-scale Asian Pacific Alliance being the others. The transporters were hauling, the command center throbbed, and all we had to do was figure out what sort of war to fight. I focused on ground troops. Click,

32 PC GAMER

2013

MONITOR

I planted a war factory and manufactured more war than you could shake a stick at

"You have an airstrike," said a helpful developer's voice in my ears. And there, along the bottom buff bar, was a delightful little icon depicting an insta-kill air attack. It seemed too early in the game to use it, but I wanted to be useful. Screeeeeeeawwwwwww-boosh! My little v-shaped squadron flashed over the map, and the gathering forces of tanks and infantry vanished in sooty death. Beautifully so. The Frostbite engine, the same one that powers Battlefield 3, makes C&C a lovely, animated toy. With that initial blast shocking the cocky AI, I routed my tanks and APCs along to help out Soon all was quiet at my partner's base, but the periphery was now under attack. I clicked over there and watched my brave little rocketmen firing against the AI's aerial assault. Luckily I'd oversubscribed on units, and my home base was surrounded by unused tanks, APCs and infantry. I clustered them all in one huge group and sent them off to the edge of the base. They swarmed over the broken wrecks of the defeated enemy. But the early state of the game ruined my assault. My tanks merrily crunched through dividing walls on the way to the

fight, which in itself was interesting to see. The destruction from Battlefield has been kept, so walls and buildings are only guides: you can break them up and reroute the fight if necessary. This time though, it was a harbinger of doom for the play session. The game crashed. If this had been online, my stats would probably be skewed. In a first for the series, as you're playing you're both leveling up your Generalshero-style units you tailor to your playstyleand your own profile. The developers hope it'll give a sense of purpose to the game, and it'll help with matchmaking. When people are capable of boosting XP, the game needs more than just that tally to make meaningful connections, so doubling up on the Generals and your own progress makes sense. I asked a few of the devs about what will be coming at launch, whenever that is. At least five Generals will be available, although there was no talk of how many will be free. All maps will be though, and while there might not be dedicated servers, they'll be doing everything they can to support modding. Eventually. s
CraigPealson

2013
.4111, MAY -2013PC GAMER 33

The magical Time Bayonet can stab people in the future.

"Hey, where did that bayonet come from?"

Chilly Stalingrad is out, tro ;cal islands are in.

AEUORLNESTAA 2
PLAYED IT

RI SING STOR M
ou usually don't get a second opportunity to make a first impression. When Red Orchestra 2 released in 2011, it was an authentic, ambitious, 64-player WWII shooter burdened by bugs and a few unpolished features. Tripwire's selfimposed rush to beat Battlefield 3 out of the gate roughed the edges of an otherwise brilliant first-person shooter. The Georgia-based indie studio patched the issues over time, eventually releasing a `Game of the Year' edition that included new Action and Classic modes to cater to casual and hardcore players. But throughout this time, they were also READ ME collaborating with a DEVELOPER Tripwire Interactive team of modders on PUBLISHER Rising Storm, the In-house standalone expansion LINK that is Red Orchestra 2's www. risingstormgame.com second coming.

Tripwire's WWII shooter finds second life on the Pacific front.

Rising Storm isn't simply RO2 recast in the Pacific. 'We have something started and created by a mod team, but polished to perfection by a group of professional developers," says John Gibson, president of Tripwire. What is immediately impressive about it is the way it embraces soldiers harder to suppress, a trait chalked up to their willingness to die for the emperor. More tangibly, the islanders get bayonets and a Banzai charge attack a sprinting move that mitigates damage and suppresses nearby Americans. Both of these improve in radius and intensity when used in unison with teammates. Some members of the Japanese team can also carry the knee mortar, a portable artillery piece. "There's nothing the Americans can do other than run when they hear that whistling sound," says Gibson. "So it helps balance out the Americans' overwhelming ability to put bullets down range." My first encounter with the knee mortar is on Iwo Jima, where a crack member of Tripwire QA fires it horizontally off the hill like a cannon, dialing me in from a hundred meters. The shell punts into my gut, an impossibly accurate shot from an indirect weapon. I wheel back on my chair, laughing and raising my hands helplessly.

From 100 meters the shell punts into my gut, an impossibly accurate shot
the asymmetries inherent to the American and Japanese infantry. It's a seemingly uncrackable balancing problem, for example, that the Japanese mainly used bolt-action rifles while Americans carried the semi-automatic Ml Carbine and Garand, the Thompson, and the fully automatic BAR. One counterweight Tripwire have applied against this is making Japanese

34 PC GAMER .com MAY2013

" /7 /
Red Orchestra 2 continues to be a demanding game. Away from grey Stalingrad, neck-deep in island vegetation, it's still a shooter that insists you use your eyes, ears and intuition to stay alive. Acing an American with the bolt-action Type 38 or Type 99 is instant self-esteem. The famous plong of a spent Ml Garand clip signals that a GI's run out of ammo but incredibly, Tripwire let the Americans fake the sound by pressing a key. This overlap of precision, authenticity, and thick danger is still the most rewarding aspect of Red Orchestra. But as I keep playing, there are more moments of relaxed mayhem than I experienced in Heroes of Stalingrad like taking a mortar directly to the liver. I fill my team's flamethower soldier slot on a tough round on Guadalcanal. Under the blue-purple skybox, I curl around a bamboo but and lock eyes with a Japanese rifleman inches away. My mouse hand flinches, his skin goes molten, and I giggle as a lengthy death animation plays out Later in the round, I arrive too late to a

,,

Private Ryan's barbecue's were eettin a little out of hand .

capture point that's just been flipped by the Japanese. I linger, lost, outside the thatched, single-floor command structure. Some instinct rings inside me, and I flick a rope of heat through the window. Seconds later, four kill notifications with my name on them stack up. Letting a messy, powerful weapon like a flamethrower into a gritty game of inches

His skin goes molten, and I giggle as a lengthy death animation plays out
might seem like inviting a dragon to a war re-enactment, so it's remarkable that Tripwire have balanced the thing while making it so absurdly fun. You're heavy as hell, only have seven seconds of burn time before you have to refuel, and any burp of fire is a bright invitation to the Japanese to shoot you from across the battlefield. The good design of these asymmetrical features are in part thanks to Elliot

Cannon, an ex-Epic, ex-Crytek, veteran FPS designer who joined Tripwire in May 2012. Gibson pursued Cannon after learning that he was the author of his favorite Unreal Tournament map, Deck 16. "We needed some input from someone outside the inner circle, that could come in and say 'This is what needs to be different,'" he says. "Elliot came up with a lot of the ideas that are making the asymmetrical gameplay work." Tripwire's focus on taking Rising Storm's theme and context to its mechanical extreme is what has me excited. Modelling the differences between the Axis and Allies has already produced one insane tactic among testers: katanas, which are only carried byJapanese squad leaders, became a trophy weapon for American players. Noticing this, one Japanese soldier had the bright idea of dropping their katana in plain sight, then using the alternate fire for their hand grenades exclusive to the Axis sideto bury their grenades like mines and set a trap disguised as a trophy. s
Evanlahli

SPRING 2013
MAY2013 PC GAMER .com 35

RELEASE

SPRING

a 1Tel l leroes was

almost a very different game.
lLu rz'el Unizerce Online was unveiled

Entertainment (formerly NR2B Research) signed a 10-year deal with Marvel to make online games based on its pantheon of larger-than-life heroes and villains. That's over 5,00 characters. The news caught the attention of David Brevik, founder and former president of Blizzard North,

M_Microsoft and Cryptic Studios in 2006, only to he retooled into Champions Online when Microsoft dropped out of the project in late 2007. But the Marvel license wouldn't go unused for long. I n March 2009, startup Gazillion

Earth's mightiest heroes join forces in a free-to-play MMO that could rival Diablo III by Chuck Osborn
MAY 2013 PC GAMER

MARVEL HEROES
Hey, Savage Land dudes, you're bringing a spear to a Thing fight? Seriously?

PRE-LAUNCH READING For Marvel newbies Gazillion recommends:

X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills
This 96-page graphic novel introduces the character of William Stryker, who is set to play a critical role in

Marvel Heroes.

What If? Classic Vol.1

Uatu, The Watcher, narrates classic tales of What If ?, in which established Marvel stories are given unexpected twists.

New Avengers Vol.1

Brian Michael Bendis' reworking of The Avengers, in which a mass breakout occurs at The Raft super prison. Vol. I Breakout collects New Avengers #1 - 6.

who's best known as the lead designer of Diablo and Diablo II. A Marvel superfan himself, the thought of working with Earth's mightiest heroes excited Brevik and he joined Gazillion later in 2009 (eventually becoming the company's president and CEO in 2011). Brevik had big plans for the Marvel Universe; the question washow to do it? Gazillion didn't want to make yet another World of Warcraft clone. Brevik, inspired by his favorite Marvel gamesMarvel Ultimate Alliance and its sequelas well as his own experience creating the first two Diablo games, pitched that the game should be an action RPG and online free-to-playMMO mixed together. The idea was readily accepted by Marvel. Brevik quickly assembled a teamincluding fellow Diablo veteran, Peter Hu, the lead programmer of Diablo H's gamechanging v1.1 patchand chose Unreal Engine 3 to power the game's visuals. The finished game will take flight later this spring.

Watcherthe Marvel U's omniscient observerwho describes the many wonders he's seen on Earth as flashbacks show the origins of The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, The Hulk, and others. Only in the final moments do you see that he's been talking to someonesomeone he begs not to do what they're about to do. That person is Doctor Doom andspoiler alert!Doom kills The Watcher with the Cosmic Cube. Gazillion is cagey on specifics, but Marvel Heroes' plot centers on Doctor

It embraces an idea that has been kryptonite to other superhero-themed MMOs.

Doom's efforts to use the Cosmic Cube's reality-bending abilities to reshape the universe in his image. Its power to alter the fabric of reality is also the official reasoning behind why armies of Hulks can appear onscreen together at once. But the unofficial reasoning is... that it doesn't really matter. While City of Heroes and DCUO forced you to build original player characters, that didn't stop garners from skirting copyright laws to create doppelgangers like "H@wk3y3" and "Iron Dude." The fact is, garners want to play as the heroes they love.

Fantastic Four: John Byrne Omnibus

This classic run by John Byrne includes several classic Doctor Doom stories, including "Avengers" (1963) and "Thing" (19831.

Heroes Rising
Marvel Heroes embraces an idea that
has been kryptonite to other superhero-themed MMOs: it lets you play as its iconic characters. The game begins with an opening cinematic narrated by Uatu, The

38 PC GAMER corn MAY2013

WRITER UNBLOCKED Enter the universe of Brian Michael Bendis

Marvel Heroes's writer Brian Michael Bendis is one of Marvel Comics' most prolific powerhouses. An architect of Marvel's offshoot Ultimate Universe, Bendis has written some of the House of Ideas' biggest events, including "House of M,", "Secret Invasion," and, most recently, "Avengers vs. X-Men." He may be best known for his long-running stint as the creative force behind Ultimate Spider-Man and now Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man. Bends has won five prestigious Eisner awards, including Best Writer of the Year two years in a row.

It must be that time of the month.

The greatest superpower of all? Particle effects.

In practice, it really doesn't matter. Just as you may play with multiple Barbarians in Diablo III, encountering more than one Thing in the closed beta didn't ruin my experience. In fact, the game will be so solofriendly that Brevik says you'll be able to play the entire story campaign, which should take you up to level 30, without ever being forced to group with other players. The level cap, which has been under debate between Brevik and Hudo you let players level up to the point where endgame content is relatively easy or keep it challenging?will be at least 50 at launch, with possible raises as new content is introduced. Gazillion emphasizes that almost all of the game's content will be free to play. Here's how it works: when you start up the game, you'll be given a choice to play as one of five Marvel heroesDaredevil (acrobat), Storm (weather witch), Hawkeye (archer), Scarlet Witch (magic bolts), and The Thing (super-strong tank). Defeated bosses may randomly drop additional hero characters and alternate costumes, however, letting you switch to a new, character or switch duds on a current one. All characters

start out as level one, though, so you'll want to think twice before flipping over to a newly acquired Iron Man before that big battle with Mr. Sinister. Luckily, your inventory and private stash are shared between your entire roster of heroes. The problem is, it could take a long time to unlock a character you really want to play as. If you simply cannot wait, any of the game's 22 heroes and their alt costumes available at launch can be purchased immediately with real money, either a la carte or through one of the multi-item Founders Packs offered pre-launch. For example, the behemoth Ultimate Pack, which will set you back a whopping $200, includes all characters, costumes, a permanent XP boost, in-game currency, and moreincluding four exclusive costumes that are the only items you won't be able to obtain playing freely. And to keep the game profitable, dropped costumes and characters can't be traded or sold. (An auction house is planned for the sale of other loot, but won't be available at launch and, unlike Diablo III, won't allow sales for real cash.)

Diablo Connection
Comparisons to the Diablo series aren't lip-service; Marvel Heroes plays exactly like a gamma-irradiated puree of Diablo II and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Real time mouseclicking combat? Check. Tons of loot? You bet! Crafting? Absolutely. Randomly generated levels and loot drops? Stop it,
-

my nipples are getting hard.

Speaking as a fan of both franchises (as well as the Marvel universe in general), my time in the closed beta was nothing short of nerdvana. Upon selecting Fantastic Four's The Thing as my hero, I was taken to Avenger's Tower, which serves as one of the game's public hubs where can meet other heroes, visit your h, talk to vendors and crafters, get new missions, and transport

MAY2013 PC GAMER .com 39

He's really got it in for the concrete pouring union.

to mission areas. After a quick introduction to Agent Phil Coulson (voiced by Clark Gregg, the actor who's literally made a career playing the fan fave character), my first assignment was to squelch an inmate uprising at The Raft, a prison for superhuman criminals. Unlike Diablo II, you get two main attacks, controlled with your left and right mouse buttons. Each character's skill tree allows for over 20 specialized powers and abilities; they can be added to your six-slotted toolbar as you spend XP points to unlock them, meaning that my uniquely configured Thing will be different from your Thing. Gazillion is quick to point out that every character is its own unique class and can't be . pigeonholed into a definitive role. For example, not all super-strong characters are the same; The Hulk is pure offense and damage-dealing, while the mutant Colossus has steel skin that can be leveled up defensively, and The Thing has defensive and leadership abilities. As I smashed through the onslaught of prisoners in revolt, side missions popped up, such as saving a fallen guard from a surprise attack by HYDRA operatives. Regular loot drops would indude character-specific items like shirts, boots, pants, capes, weapons, and masks that give unique stat boosts; particles and molecules used for crafting; health packs, and, of course, in-game currency. Items are graded from normal to very rare, and, when moused over, an item in inventorywill show the difference in stats between it and an item
40 PC GAMER .corn MAY 2013

already equipped. (My main criticism is one that's probably unavoidable: equipping armor and weapons doesn't change your character's appearance. Intellectually, I know it's a consequence of playing as officially licensed characters, but it still diminishes the addictiveness of grinding for loot.) Aside from hubs, or safe zones, story missions are divided into two types: public combat zones and private instances. My journey into The Raft was a private instance, but

Never fear, True Believers once the story campaign ends, there'll be more to do.
my next mission took place on the streets of Hell's Kitchen, where I could fight alongside other heroes. One welcome feature is that all loot drops you see are for you to pick up; there's no need to share, roll virtual dice, or feel greedy. The social aspect of the game is streamlined, including chat and segmenting other players into three lists: Friends, Nearby, and Ignored. It's not fully implemented in the closed beta, but Gazillion says that it will include popular features like parties and emotes.

gradually increase his experience until he hits level two, allowing him to sell you better stuff. The same goes for crafters like Ant-Man, who may offer very basic recipes at level one (combining three tier-one particles to create one tier-two particle) and then custom core augments for your character's costume at level two. This allows you to configure different costumes with stat boosts for different experiences, such as instanced encounters or PvP. The level cap for vendors and crafters isn't set yet, but expect 10. Every hero is introduced at level one with the power level they had when first introduced in the comics. But as you gain experience, you can visit trainers to improve your base stats of durability, strength, fighting, speed, energy, and intelligence. Brevik says that adding a single bar to one stat, such as increasing your strength, can have huge ramifications for your character such as suddenly being able to hurl cars.

Bullpen Bulletin
Never fear, True Believersonce the story campaign ends, there'll be more to do. The story, or individual missions, can be replayed, and Brevik is toying with the idea of adding higher difficulty settings for campaign replays. End game content is in the process of being finalized, but expect to see PvE dungeons, Raids, Challenge Levels (boss runs against your favorite supervillains), and, of course, PvP. While Gazillion isn't ready to spill too many details about PvP, it will be faction-based. Players can join The X-Men, Avengers, or Fantastic Four for original story-based encoun-ters that pit hero against hero. Any hero

Trading Up
The vendor and crafters you run across operate just like they do in most action RPGs, but instead of seeking out new vendors that carry better loot, you can upgrade a vendor's experience level by donating items to them. So a vendor like Tony Stark's butler Jarvis may offer basic armor and health packs at level one, but donating dropped items (instead of selling them to him) will

MARVEL HEROES
$

Single Mingle Night at Avengers Tower is off to a rough start.

can join any faction, so my Thing can go clobberin' on The Fantastic Four, comic book allegiances be damned! Brevik also hinted, however slightly, that playable villains could be part of PvP. Marvel Heroes' post-launch content plans are nebulous, but Brevik says that new characters, costumes, loot, and more will be added on a regular basis. My guess? One of the most requested features will be playable villainsnot just in PvP, but in the main storyline. After all, if the Cosmic Cube can shift reality enough to allow for a gun-toting squadron of Punishers, surely it could let villains like Doctor Octopus and Magneto join the side of the angels...at least temporarily. s

Dance Ninjas,

4011111111%,

next on TLC.

THE NEXT WAVE Four more heroes will be added to the initial 22 after Marvel Heroes launches

Emma Frost
The White Queen is a former villain turned hero whose telepathic mutant power gives her the ability to turn her entire body into diamond form.

Luke Cage
Once known as Power Man, this hero-for-hire has unbreakable, nearly indestructible skin and superhuman strength.

Squirrel Girt
A member of the Great Lakes Avengers, Squirrel Girl has squirrel-like abilities including a prehensile tail and razor sharp claws. [Awesome! Ed.]

Nova
Teenager Sam Alexander found a helmet worn by members of an intergalactic police force that grants cosmic powers. He's still learning how to use them.

MAY2013 PC GAMER com 41

WI LD S
Bigger and bloodier, to become the best dark fantasy RPG ever strives
by Tom Senior
RELEASE

2014

42 PC GAMER

MAY2011

anti- cmo w oo c want you to think, but Geralt really

is misunderstood. At first glance, The Witcher's reticent protagonist is a walking cliche. He has silver hair, a scar over one eye and two swords permanently fastened to his back. If you asked an artist to sketch a typical troubled, dark-fantasy badass the results would look suspiciously similar, but these aren't frivolous artistic embellishmentsthey're the marks of a man who has survived for decades in the gloomiest of dark fantasy worlds. Take those twin blades: they're the tools of Geralt's trade as a roaming monster hunter. Different creatures require different swords. Silver for monsters, steel for men. His white hair, pale appearance and sinister eyes are the results of a childhood regime of chemical conditioning that grants him great strength and reflexes, but they mark him as an

outcast among the superstitious

spite o a t at ar s ip. Be ini t at fierce, unsmiling demeanor, he's quietly having the time of his life. In The Witcher 1 and 2, he slaughtered some of the most hideous creatures on the planet. He's knocked goblets with kings, flirted with politics and armwrestled the strongest warriors in the land. Geralt revels in the freedom that only an outcast can enjoy. For the first time, The Witcher 3 will put that freedom into players' hands with a sumptuous, fully explorable open world. This is what CD Projekt RED wants to show me today. The demo opens in the wilderness: Geralt is riding a horse through an evergreen forest beneath a bruised sky. A silver coastline curves towards the horizon and erupts into a mountainous outcrop. There's a great fissure in the distant rock. A stone walkway bridges the gap perilously, like Sam Fisher straddling an alley crack. That's Geralt's destination.
The Witcher 3 is the final entry
,

Witcher 2, e's searc ing or ost loved ones in a world on the brink of a calamitous war. But for all his vagrant instincts, Geralt has a knack for becoming embroiled in the squabbles of the rich and powerful. He's responding to a summons from Jarl Crach, who needs help with a personal matter.

The castle is miles away. The demo's controller, CD Projekt's QA analyst Lukasz Babiel, gives the camera an experimental spin. Behind, the forest gives way, to fields where shepherds guard flocks of sheep. In the distance, green plains sweep up into crumpled purple mountain ranges. There's no sign of the hub and corridor level structures of previous games. Studio head Adam Badowski is casually dropping fact-bombs in the background. He mentions that this island alone is the size of the whole of The Witcher 2, and I believe

him. It feels vast and wild.

qaal

fr

his white hair and sinister eyes are 0 the !guilts of chemical conditioning that grints him great strength and reflexes
MAY 2013 PC GAMER 43

is is one o many ynamic encoun ers a can interrupt your exploration - you can choose to engage or just walk away
l
th',IIH)11111%;111 s I I ;!1 . (111 ,11t)i 11;1/11111`,IMISIIS CCICI)1;11

rohhel v."11 hu ounce the Wilcher And start bawling rAcial -.111t , in his dirc( non. This is one 1 many dynamic encounters t hat call

Some monsters can be reasoned with. Not this one, though.

i nterrupt your explorat ion. You can choose to engaite -and chance starting a teem qt lest lineor just walk aw ay.( ;CI alt reaches for his sword. Steel tO men. The bandits draw rusty weapons and encircle the Witcher. Combat looks similar to the combo-heavy third-person brawls of The 11 .11(11er 2, but the developers insist that t hey've tOcused strongly on Mutt t sin the Itch and responsiveness i it ! g lut,. You till s /indult,. quick and Ilea% % sit 'kits k is ratio killer ront11os, but each HI or Iq)`,11)0 ;c1:111 tied h s ;1
bow W11011111111112, \\ 11 ,4 Win I SW

tot e as y rutsloppy due sot tne second game. But Geralt doesn't even need a blade. He holds out a hand and blasts a spray of roaring embers into the nearest man's face. I forgot that he could do magic. The victim reels away with a scream. Geralt follows up with a series of blade strikes, arranging I tgl ,ind heavy blows into a Violent worm.. endc of pummeling. ttralt dist] lint les lilts with more he I I .itcher i has 96 I lair than cs mot it ni-captured strike animations, compared with The Witcher 2's 20. It takes itist moments to put the man out of his misery. "Hie rest (di he group follow, and its soon time 14, nt s we on. The demo skips forward tt t save t ravel time, transportingus directly to the distant bridge between the rocks. Lukasz spins the camera again so we can see the forest we st :tried in. "You can go everywhere yl nl con see, es CrI here," I SatIt bes t i adds %s it h .t gest tire. first tssnine hes point ing to a ,t1 at die tar cud of t Itc
butte, I ICY l'111
114, 11111 1 ' 111

SCIC(

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Taverns feel mole 1,0isterous than ever.

put an end to 1 11 end], st, toll-dodging of the second and Geralt di case 'HI'S :II .1 nurre measured pace beiore lashing l tit, adding some touch
1111',Hlritt'SNI101I111

.11 in;.! t hr pale ooline nl :in enfirek different ',kind. I

How to earn a witcher's wage

Rumor
Gather monster attack rumors from locals.

Murder
Scan murder scenes for creature clues.

Vision
Use Witcher vision to spot monster tracks.

Lairs
Search nearby countryside for lairs.

Research
Study creatures

Harvest
Harvest trophies

to discover their
weaknesses.

and turn them in

for gold.

Maim
Strike at vital organs to maim powerful foes.

.AILV.GANIER:. MAY 1013

only one part of the whole world map. Barring a few especially distant quest instances, the world streams seamlessly, without loading screens. The bridge serves as the only entrance to a perilously poised castle that clings, limpet-like, to a great spike of rock reaching out of the sea. It's home to thejad, a broad, affable bear of a man who greets Geralt on top of the fort's tallest turret. A storm crackles moodily in the distance as Crach explains his dilemma. His hot-headed sonand likely successor to his crownhas ventured Out to "the island from which none return." He hasn't returned. Geralt agrees to help, but not before the pair have exchanged a little small talk. They discuss the politics of the Skellige islands with an offhand familiarity that's convincing and informative. Gera It may be terse, but he's not a blank avatar. He knows much about his world that the player doesn't, and isn't afraid to express it. Does this put distance between the world and the player authoring his every move? Perhaps, but Gera It's intelligence grants him a degree of status and autonomy in his world that's more empowering than alienating. 1 ha banter is the lw-product of a knowledgeable and well-informed mind. It makes Geralt more likeable, and lends

Pleasantries concluded, Geralt takes a rickety wooden rope elevator down the sheer cliff-face. A bustling settlement huddles around the base of the outcrop, far below the battlements of castle Crach. Fans of The Witcher 2's busy townships won't be disappointed. A muddy thoroughfare holds apart a ramshackle collection of grimy structures. Dozens of grubby peasants loiter near braziers, gossiping loudly and huddling for warmth. Geralt strides past the serfs, crooks and drunks lingering in the open and enters an even noisier tavern. There he extracts information on the mysterious island from a boozeaddled navigator. Swaying, the long faced lunk launches into a story about an adventurer he once knew, but barely manages a sentence before Geralt tells him to shut up and get to the point. Geralt has a knack for saying exactly what I'm thinking. Then our journey takes a surprising turn. Geralt hops into a boat and sails off into the ocean. You have full control of your vessel. If you choose, you can abandon the main quest and say hello to some other cultures on neighboring islands, but for the purposes of the demo, we stay on-mission. As the "island from which none return" looms large, a

a grim sea shanty. Off the bow, a whale surfaces momentarily, then vanishes with a flick of its tail. Once you've discovered a location, you're free to fast-travel there at any time, but the first time round you'll have to discover it for yourself. The doomed island is not a cheerfu place. Black stone pathways snake inland, strewn with broken bodies. It's a sensible momerit to deploy Geralt's "Witcher sense." It's a new passive abilitynot dissimilar to Batman: Arkbam City's detective modedesigned to present Geralt's monster hunting expertise as an environmental overlay. When activated, this vision mode adds blue highlights to clues at the scene of a monster attack. Geralt comments aloud as he spots each one, mentally piecing together the series of
Hold down the spell button to sustain its effect.

..,

Use magic and intimidation

to manipulate NPCs.

MAY 2013 PC GAMER

45

Geratt now has a horse! No, you can't eat it.

e.

events that must have precluded the gruesome scene. In this case, he observes blood splatter, and then notes a body speared on a splintered tree trunk nearby. "Lifted, and then dropped," he murmurs. The imagined scene plays out in the environment. A blue

, . spectre appears, s t e o struggles against an unseen airborne assailant, and is thrown violently onto the spike. This particular investigation is unfolding as part of a long, involved story mission, but Geralt can use the same technique to hunt monsters the world over. These side missions will be his primary source of income. For the first time in the series, we'll earn a wage doing proper Witcher work. The culprit in this case isn't hard to find. In a short cutscene, Geralt rounds a corner and spots a gaggle of harpies around the hull of a half-built galleon. Then the earth shakes with slow, sure footsteps. As Geralt takes cover, a monstrous green humanoid stomps into view, dressed in crude armor made from ropes, planks and bones. I don't need Witcher sense to know it's a giant. The beast moves away, clueless to the Witcher's presence. The origin and purpose of the galleon go unexplained, although Badowski confirms that there is a story there to uncover. The ship is one of many "points of interest" that world designers have scattered throughout the environment. They aim to pique players' curiosity by always having something to investigate. I see a faint orange glow beyond the galleon. It appears to be a cave, illuminated from within by a campfire. If I had my hands on the controller, there's no yaw I wouldn't have clambered up to investigate, but Lukasz skips the demo forward, again. We're in the giant's lair. The beast is curled up in a corner, safely asleep, but a man is shouting loud l

1sec, to tumble

apparently unconcerned about waking the thing. It's Crach's son, trapped in a cage. I'm starting to suspect he may be some sort of idiot. Geralt can choose to free him right away, or let him rot for a while. The choice will alter how the Jarl's son perceives him later in the game, and will have significant consequences when the question of the Jarl's successor eventually arises. In The Witcher 2, the repercussions of your choices dramatically shaped its three insular acts. Badowski suggests that consequences in the Witcher 3 will be more localized, but just as significant.

a nearby boat and starts wielding it like a huge flail. This is a prescribed boss fight, but these behaviors are dynamic AI decisions: If you run across a giant in the wild, he'll start looking for ways to use the environment against you. Monster behavior is even affected by the dynamic weather system. Certain creatures will swarm at night, and werewolves grow in strength beneath a full moon. The anchor does little to improve the giant's chances. Geralt cuts the creature down with a few vigorous stabs, and with a deep, sad gurgling
,

THE REAL WITCHER'S CODE

"Thou shalt not kill thinking beasts, unless they get in your way, or someone has paid you to kill them, or you're in a bad mood, or it's Monday"

"Thou shalt not suffer 1VPCs to ramble endlessly?'

"Thou shalt show off at every opportunity by lighting lamps with fire spells in front of frightened peasants"
"Thoushalt wear Iwo bladesatall times, even when eatingbreakfastoi on the toilet fora Witcher must remain a badass24 hours day"
4

A monstrous green humanoid stomps into view, dressed in crude armor of ropes, planks and bones
Geralt will cross the battle lines of the burgeoning war often during his travels, and Badowski hints that entire towns could be razed, or saved, depending on Geralt's actions. Over the course of the 80-hour adviture, your choices will build towards one of three different endings. Lukasz frees the Jarl's son. I ie charges across the cave screaming and kicks the giant in the head. Oh good, he's a maniac. Geralt reaches wearily for one of his blades. Silver for monsters. The giant fights with the lumbering, graceless enthusiasm you'd expect from a barely intelligent creature with arms longer than his legs. Geralt spins and rolls around the towering clod, dodging lanky blows and striking back with the occasional flash of the sword. The giant stamps to dislodge some ceiling rocks. Then he tears the anchor off noise, the giant expires. The screen goes dark. It's over. But there's so much more to see. The snowy Nordic environments of the Skellige islands will draw justifiable comparisons to Skyrim, but that's just a portion of The Witcher 3's world. There are haunted badlanits brimming with creatures inspired by Slavic folk tales. There's a huge city called Novigrad, packed with enough assassins and scheming politicians to fill a Game ofThrones novel. Whether developer CD Projekt RED can master the world-building techniques that make Skyrim such a fascinating place to explore remains uncertain, but from what I've seen here, their huge open world setting has done nothing to dilute the intrigue, ugliness and dark humor that make The Witcher games so strange and memorable.

"Thoushaltnotsufferto be accidentally called "Uerald,"andshall rectifysaid infraction with a swift kicktothe offender'snethers."

You can put the main quest on hold and sail freely between islands.

Geralt's fame can make him a target.

An abandoned galleon? I feel a quest coming on.

' 1

MAY '013 PC GAMER.i.

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You've conquered worlds, vanquished demons, sniped soldiers, and collected sweet loot as your reward. All foes have fallen before your mighty gaming hands, and you stand victorious. But there remains another challenge: building the epic games that you love, in addition to playing them. As a passionate gamer, you've already developed a strong sense of what makes games fun and what can quickly ruin the experience. That insight will definitely help you get started in game design, but there's a lot more to it than just that, You'll need a deep set of skills and core training if you want to build the next big game. Thankfully, there are a lot of experienced designers out there ready to help you on your journey.

A formal game design program can be a great way to hone your skills, learn what it takes to be successful in the industry, and gain practical, handson experience building games with other talented individuals. The Princeton Review just released its lists of the top game design schools in North America to help prospective students like you pick the best program for them. All of the schools on these lists are topnotch, providing the best education possible, along with great benefits like portfolio reviews, job placement programs, and paid internships. Take a look, and see what piques your interest. Great games won't build themselves!

NOW, MAKE IT YOUR CAREER.

Don't just sit on the sidelines... get in the game! And get into one of our undergraduate or graduate programs for Computer Game Design and Development. Now's the perfect time, because computer games aren't just for fun anymore. Today, they're also a great way to get into an exciting, profitable, fun-filled career. Sacred Heart University offers Bachelor and Master degree programs to enhance your gaming skills big-time. You'll take courses like Game Design, Storyboarding, Animation, Action Scripting and much more. You won't "just" be a gamer anymore. You can be a game and genre creator! Do it now. It's one of the smartest career moves you can make because the need for computer game developers is greater than ever. Learn more about Sacred Heart University's Game Design programs today. Call us at (203) 365-7619 or visit www.sacredheart.edu/gaming.cfm

BECAUSE YOU

At the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, our 16-month master's degree features artists, programmers and producers working together on large game projects overseen by the most experienced faculty in the world. In other words, our main theory is you learn best by doing. Just ask EA, Microsoft, Blizzard, Bungie, Neversoft, Zynga and more than 110 other companies who have hired our grads.

UCF
enter
"II "

learning

CENTER FOR

EMERGING MEDIA

Portfolio help
You may have built a lot of great games, but if you can't easily show them to potential employers, they won't help you land that all-important first job. Laura Warner, who graduated from University of Utah in 2012, told us, "There's no question about it, the games industry is a tough gig to break into... A solid portfolio is the most important thing a student needs to have at the end of their program, especially for an artist. Having the full support of my cohort and professors in creating my portfolio made all the difference in the world. "

Job placement record

Landing that first gig at a gaming studio can be tough, but the best schools make sure you do it. Fredrick Nolting, who currently attends Savannah College of Art and Design, told us, "I know many SCAD graduates who entered their field before they even graduated. This, along with professors who are dedicated to helping me find desirable positions at game studios, makes me very confident that I will find a job in my field."

Which school is best for you depends on what you're looking for and what elements you value most. There are the obvious considerations like where the school is located and how much tuition is, but the tough calls come when you're looking at the finer details that distinguish the schools on this list.
We talked with recent graduates of the game design programs on these lists and asked them for their advice for prospective students like you, who are wondering what to look for when picking a school. Here's what they recommend.

Interdisciplinary diversity
Jenova Chen, who received a graduate degree from USC in 2006, strongly recommends schools that connect students across multiple disciplines. "My video game design philosophy and the passion behind starting thatgamecompany all grew from my study at USC. The education gave me great insights into the history of various entertainment mediums. The fundamentals I learned from filmmaking, screenwriting, and critical studies inspired me to look at video games through the lens of narrative arc and emotional impact. We want to create timeless interactive entertainment that makes positive changes to the human psyche worldwide."

Student to teacher ratio

-

Zak Schillor, who currently attends Savannah College of Art and Design, believes class size is one of the most important factors. "SCAD's low studentto-teacher ratio was a key selling point in my decision to attend this institution. Having a maximum of 18 students in a class feels more like I'm paying for a mentor rather than just a professor."

Distinguished professors and alumni Learning style

Some programs can get too deep into the academic side of game design, but the best schools remember that hands-on and collaborative approaches teach students the most practical skills. Eshan Mathur, who graduated from USC's Gamepipe program in 2012, liked that his program, "placed heavy emphasis on project-based, real-world application classes. We had so much to learn about the practical side of game development that we rarely had time to sit back and be 'academic.' This went a long, long way toward providing me a distinct edge over other games graduates." It's not just about publicityexperienced teachers and a track record of successful students can be good indicators of a program's strength. Sumeet Jakadar, who graduated from USC in 2007, told us "It matters who the teacher is and how much experience they have in the games industry. That experience will help the teacher keep relevant curriculum and prepare students for the rapidly evolving games industry.... Distinguished alumni help spread the word and generate confidence about your education in the industry." www.PrincetonReview.com/game-design

Pacuityhoslyor"0

UCSC

A a eth e b r at bbyist de an ayi

SCAD SMU UTD NYU GT

Rank

School

Gaming Classes

Faculty Studio XP* 88%

Degrees

Fun Fact

University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

71

Major, Minor, Concentration, Certificate, Masters. PhD

The freshman laboratory is set up like a startup game company with desks, computers, tablets, and personal space for each student that they can decorate as they like.

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA

48

100%

Major. Minor, Masters, PhD

It already has one of the 10 largest motion capture studios in North America, and it will double in size in 2013.

DigiPen Institute of Technology REcimoncl, WA Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, NY

218

51%

Major. Minor, Masters. PhD

Audio development gets a lot of love here, including a full audio lab, music rooms, mobile recording workstations, and every piece of audio editing software you could want.

48%

Major. Minor, Concentration, Masters

RIT is the only school on this list that had 100% of its 2012 graduates find a game development job before graduating.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge. MA

74

50%

Major, Minor, Concentration, Masters, PhD

MIT game design students collaborate with local game companies and students from nearby music schools and MIT's Singapore institutions to build games. Classes try to mirror actual production environments by hosting large game projects that involve up to 30 people.

Drexel University
Philadelphia. PA

74

70%

Major, Minor, Concentration, Certificate, Masters. PhD

Shawnee State University

Portsmouth, OH

43

100%

Major, Minor

A new Laptop Orchestra program focuses on using gestures and controllers to allow groups of players to produce complex music live.

Savannah College of Art and Design

Savannah GA 90

70%

Major, Minor,. Concentration, Certificate, Masters

SCAD offers 46 majors and 50 minors, encouraging its students to take advantage of the hundreds of design and art classes offered.

The Art Institute of Vancouver

Vancouver, British Columbia

90%

Major, Diploma

Every designer is trained on Unity, the impressive browserbased engine that fuels MechWarrior Tactics and Slender: The Arrival.

Michigan State University

East Lansing. MI

19

75%

Specialization

The capstone course pairs students up with employees at local game design companies to be mentored and contribute to a real game release for a full semester.

' Faculty has worked at a game studio

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NITRONIC RUSH Indie Game Challenge 2012 WinnerGarners Choice Award

hardware and software engineering applied to simulation

Thirty-four DigiPen student games have won awards at the Independent Games Festivalmore than any other school in the world.

video game design and development fine arts and digital art production sound design

Download and play'them at:

digipen.edu/gamers
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Independent Games Festival 2011 WinnerStudent Showcase

Rank.

Gaming Faculty Classes Studio XP*

Degrees

Fun Fact

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy. NY

77

27%

Major, Minor, Masters. PhD

The Emergent Reality Lab uses multiple stereoscopic projection screens, surround sound, and motion tracking technology to build experimental virtual reality environments.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA

42

31%

Major. Minor, Masters

WPI facilitates large focus group testing for students' games to let them get immediate and honest feedback on their projects.

Becker College
vorcester ,

148

77%

Major, Concentration, Certificate

Game design students live in renovated Victorian-era housing that has been overhauled with the latest technology to be a combined living and learning community.

New England Institute of Technology

Warwick, Ri

75%

Major

NEIT puts emphasis on helping students learn from their mistakes as well as their successes, and hosts postmortems after major projects where their performance can be discussed.

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC

24

38%

Concentration, Masters, PhD

Students are hosted by local gaming companies to gain contacts and to experience a real working environment.

Honorable Mentions
Bradley University; Champlain College; DePaul University: Ferris State University; Full Sail University; Georgia Institute of Technology; Miami University; NYU / NYU POLY; Northeastern University; Oklahoma Christian University; Quinnipiac University: University of California. Santa Cruz; The University of Texas at Dallas; University of Wisconsin - Stout: Vancouver Film School
* Faculty has worked at a game studio

CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE

Rule N S

STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME

Recognized as one of the top places to study game design, Champlain College brings game development education to the next level. To compete, students need to know how to work the entire process from beginning to end not just their respective areas of study. At Champlain College, students work together in a collaborative studio environment that mirrors the tight-knit teams of the game industry. At Champlain, experience matters.

THE GAME STUDIO

at Champlain College
LET US DARE gamestudio.champlain.edu

University of Southern California

Los Angeles. CA
Laird Malamed, former Senior Vice President and Head of Development at Activision Roger Hughston. Gameplay Software Engineer at Blizzard (Diablo Ill)

DigiPen Institute of Technology

Redmond, WA
Claude Comair, co-founder of Nintendo Software Technology, a first-party developer. Sean Shypula, Server and Tools Engineer at Bungie Studios (Halo)

University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT Craig Caldwell. former 3D Technology Specialist for Walt Disney Feature Animation Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari (so many games)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA T.L. Taylor. who has written several books chronicling the growth of eSports and multiplayer games like EverQuest and World of Warcraft. Tom Cadwell, Design Director at Riot Games (League of Legends)

Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA Paul Diefenbach, former CTO of OpenWorlds Inc., which provided technology for NASA, Sony, Mitsubishi, and Boeing. Seth Kendall, Cinematics Lead at NCSoft Carbine Studios (WildStar)

University of California, Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA Michael Mateas, co-creator of Facade and leader in Al and interactive story research, Tim Schafer, CEO of Double Fine Productions (The Cave. Psychonauts) and former designer at LucasArts (Grim Fandango, Monkey Island)

Rochester Institute of Technology

)chester, r David Schwartz, who designed the first formal Ivy-league game design program in 2006. Josh Gilpatrick, Program Manager for XBOX at Microsoft

Savannah College of Art and Design

Savannah. GA
Stuart Robinson, Visual Effects Supervisor for What Dreams May Come, which won an Academy Award for its visual effects. Will Miller, Lead Designer at Firaxis (Civilization IV and V)

University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL
Ben Noel, former Vice President and COO of Electronic Arts-Tiburon. Justin Schram, Level Designer at Bethesda Softworks (Skyrim)

Southern Methodist University

Plano TX
Gary Brubaker, former lead programmer on LucasArts classics like Curse of Monkey Island and The Dig, and veteran of Atari and Stormfront Studios. Andreas Papathanasis, Lead Software Developer at BioWare (Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II).

Alt Students funded by research grants

Percentage 2012 grads employed by graduation

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IMAGINE

1131 STUDY AT THE TOP-RANKED GAMES PROGRAM IN THE NATION

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EAE is where artists, engineers, and producers collaborate in a simulated studio environment to create every kind of game you can imagine. Critically acclaimed games have been published on the Xbox, mobile devices, and PC platforms. Graduates and current students work for EA, Disney Interactive, Zynga, Microsoft, Mythic, and more, and our alumni have started game companies, become museum exhibit creators, and VP's of technology. Contact us today to find out more!
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World of Your Craft

Groundbreaking game design is serious business at NC State University. Our innovative technologies let you develop your design skills in immersive environments unlike any other.
Richardson. TX

This survival-horror game bu It as a thesis project at the University of Utah places you in the role of a Red Cross investigator trying to escape the horrible fallout of a nuclear meltdown on the shore of lake Erie. Download it free at: www.desura.com/games/erie

University of Texas at Dallas

Kyoung-Lee Swearingen, Technical Director at Pixar Animation Studios Matt Charles, Producer at Gearbox Software (Borderlands 2)

Learn more at

ncsu.edu

New York University

New York, NY Frank Lantz, co-founder and Creative Director at Area/Code (Macon Money) N/A

Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA Ian Bogost, independent game developer (Cow Clicker, A Slow Year) Chaim Gingold, Designer at Maxis (Spore, The Sims: Online)

Parsons The New School for Design

New York, NY Colleen Macklin, independent game developer (games for The Red Cross and Boys and Girls Club) Zack Gage, independent game developer (Spelltower, Halcyon)

DePaul University
Chicago, IL Ed Keenan, Executive Technology Director at Midway Games (Mortal Kombat 4, Blitz: The League) Nick Ehrlich, COO at Robomodo (Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD)

Honorable Mentions
Full Sail University; Michigan State University; Sacred Heart University: University at Buffalo; WPI

Students funded by research grants Percentage 2012 grads employed by graduation

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`L1199

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What is it?
Action-horror game set primarily on the frozen planet of Tau Volantis.

Influenced by
Resident Evil 4

Play it on
2.8GHz CPU, 4GB RAM, 512MB 3D card

Alternatively
Dead Space 2, 87%

Copy protection
DRM EA Origin/online authentification

REVIEW

DEAD SPACE 3 goes all action blockbuster on us, but still

ENGINEERED
0
game opts to be both. This is possible because it consists of big, distinct sections: a breathless highstakes opener (in the James Bond tradition, appropriately enough), a claustrophobic few hours in a debris field of broken ships orbiting a planet, a lengthy action push on the planet's icy surface, and a climactic section in an ancient city.

delivers on the darkness by Nathan Ditum

n a city street at the start of Dead Space 3, there's a poster for a film called Tools Of Terror. It features a man in a tuxedo pulling a James Bond pose, but instead of a pistol he's holding a wrench. He is, it's fairly obvious, both an action hero and a blue-collar guy, and despite that fact this film is a spoofor perhaps because of ithe's also an accurate symbolic representation of Dead Space hero Isaac Clarke as he appears in this latest game. Isaac is an engineer. It's the thing that made him such an unusual protagonist in the original gamehe didn't talk, he fixed things and had weapons that could conceivably have been used to fix things, if they weren't busy dismembering the reanimated dead. He was a highfunctioning hammer in a space suit, but he returned the John McClane of religious hysteria and viral outbreaks in Dead Space 2. How could the same crap happen to the same guy twice? And how could he suddenly be so good at it? The question was raised: is Isaac best as the handyman-in-a-tightspot or as the stomping shooter frontman? Dead Space 3 fixes on the elegant solution of pushing him in both directions at once. Progression is dependent on a series of hardware fix-upsthis shuttle, that tram system, this alien genocide machine. But at the same time, Isaac fights wave after wave of monsters while saying things like "I turned my back on the world because I couldn't face what had to be done"and he's not talking about an oil change or repairing a carburettor. The debate over Isaac-as-engineer versus Isaac-as-action-hero feeds into Dead Space's genre identity crisis. Should it be a cold, lean horror, or an explosive shooter? The

The sum of its parts

The segments feel episodic, as though they were built by different teams and bolted together to create a varied, lengthy whole. The first major stop is a floating scrapheap, with Isaac exploring a series of derelicts looking for a way to reach the planet below. It's an expanded echo of the original Dead Space not just repeating the haunted ship routine, but bringing the quiet, tense and considered approach to a frozen flotilla of craft with Isaac shuttling between them Dusty airlocks and the grand, muffled spectacle of Isaac drifting through space are the foreground to the game's hard sci-fi style, and it fruitfully resurrects the old, effective mix of mundane tasks performed amid calamity. The first moment of dread I've experienced since crawling through the guts of the Ishimural don't want to find out what's blocking the tram systemconfirms that this is partly the faithful sequel to Dead Space that people have been waiting for, even as they resent Isaac for learning to talk or daring to display his human face. A change of pace on the surface of the planet moves Dead Space 3 into more conventional action territory. The snowstorms and wind-battered outposts are a nod to the influence of The Thing on Dead Space, just as surely as the Ishimura paid tribute to the devastation of the Nostromo in Alien, but the combat here

introduces elements of cover-based shooting. There are still encounters with skittering necromorphs in corridors and vent-heavy rooms, but there are also more clearings and open spaces, and action set-pieces in the form of cliff-face rappelling (both up and down), boss encounters (tiresome), and an industrial drill that's transformed into a giant rusty flesh-whisk (loud). It feels as though Dead Space 3 has settled on volume and value as part of a big-fisted approach to appealing to everybody. The game feels laudably substantial, although sometimes the pacing suffers. The inclusion of any level that requires players to double back through a now-repopulated section justifies a call of shenanigans; Dead Space 3 does it more than once. And while the inclusion of optional side-missions is definitely a good thing, not just for the added con-

Isaac's toolbox

What he

and can't fix...

Train

Escape pod

Generator

Tram

His heart

REVIEW

The systems are clearly designed for a game pad

tent but also the opportunity for resource gathering, they can feel at odds with the urgency of the larger objective at hand. Near the close, I was offered the chance to explore one such cul-de-sac, and declined in order to continue my in-progress race against a religious fanatic to reach a control panel in time to prevent the extinction of mankind. Fighting religious fanatics is a staple of Dead Space 3. The intriguing Unitologist sect, which worships the monolith-like Markers, emerges from shadow and conspiracy to offer all-out war. The result is combat against humans for the first time, and an extension of the split that runs down the centre of the game. Combat against the necromorphs is refined and dangerous. It manages what the hapless Aliens: Colonial Marines could not: abundant monsters that are also individually deadly, thanks to Isaac's accumulated skill set which includes the ability to slow enemies in time, to move and fire small objects with telekinesis, and the need to slice enemies limb by limb in order to dispatch them most effectively. It's a layered, satisfying set of systems. However it's also one clearly designed for a gamepadeven with options to customize controls, the

need to have fingers hovering over four triggers at once makes a mouse and keyboard unwieldy. In contrast, battles against the Unitologist army offer little except variety and gunfire in stereo. They don't subtract from what might be called the purer Dead Space experience, they just bolt a conventional addition to the side.

A matter of resources
The nature of combat is largely determined by the weapons at Isaac's disposal, which in Dead Space 3 come from the bench. The gun crafting is deep and worthwhile, offering a basic choice of weapon type (plasma, laser cutter, military, explosive) before adding variety (modifiers to these types, the ability to combine any two on larger weapon frames) and stat-tweaking and optimization. It rewards experimentation and patience, and is paced sensibly enough that the controversial option to buy raw materials through microtransactions never feels imposingI always had enough to create weapons that felt suitably powerful, and after one run through the game I had the resources to build pretty much anything. It's possible to make the same cutting, tearing, flaming tools that have been the series' mainstays, but just as effective now are single-shot weapons with high concentrated damage, and forgiving, spray-andpray automatic rifles. The basis of Dead Space's combat is a little undermined; de-limbing enemies is a precise, engineer's way to kill space zombies. It sits uncomfortably with the game's own rules that, with damage stats boosted, necromorphs can now be killed with a single sniper shot to the chest. Also impacting on combat is the addition of co-op Ironically this makes manifest the split in Isaac's gaming personalitywhen present, his co-op partner really is a gruff action soldier type, called Carver, the Tyler Durden to Isaac's jittery narrator. Co-op is drop-in, dropout, with cutscenes shifting to reflect Carver's absence during solo play, the only noticeable effect being that some sections are a little strung out and lonely in singleplayer. Whether it suits a horror game is a moot point: given Dead Space 3's efforts to provide both scares and

Dismember me well
Picking apart necromorphs: a guide
Go for the head Will come offwhich will make it tough to bite Isaac's face but otherwise accomplishes little.

The thigh An accurate hit will knock the legs off, slowing him to a crawl, and a further arm pop will then finish him off. Lop off an arm or two This will cause heavy damage, and lopping off both arms will either kill the necromorph or render him much less scary.

Kneecapping Will deliver a hefty dose of damage as the lower leg pops off satisfyingly, but this isn't a stopping blow.

thrills, the impact of co-op is negligible. But it does change the combat, in entirely positive ways. Working together is fun: trapping enemies in stasis for your partner, or rescuing them from pinned execution, and planning what complementary set of weapons to use as a pair. As with the others in the series, Dead Space 3 positively encourages post-completion playthroughs on higher difficulties and with tougher restrictions. In terms of performance, Dead Space 3 ran without a hitch on an i5 processor-equipped rig with 8GB of RAM and an Nvidia Geforce 560 Ti. Before release, Visceral Games spoke about their aim to create a uniform experience across console and PC, which raised legitimate concerns that the PC version would be a horrendous port. It's not quite that bad; custom render settings are available from the in-game menu to control various effects like bloom, glow, SSAO, depth of field, and it does look prettier than console versions. I played on 1920 x 1080 with no impact on framerate, which was locked at a steady 30fpssomething that can be unlocked with some vsync tweaking. If this "uniform" approach is slightly disappointing, it's absolutely in keeping with Dead Space 3's comprehensive, please-all approach. The game tries hard to be all things to everybody (ironic, considering it features a religion with the ultimate objective of making all everybody into one giant thing). It's accomplished, it looks wonderful, and delivers an uncompromised, highquality horror game. It's just that it's so big that it delivers a less compelling shooter game as well. This is perhaps the inevitable reality of creating a searing, stylish new IPthat two sequels down the line, the need to maximize appeal has turned everything great about that game into the still-beating heart of a commercial machine augmented with features, an appealing hero, and explosive moments. Dead Space 3 is still good, and it's still Dead Space. It's just lots of other things as well. s

VERDICT
An excellent horror game burdened with action pretensionsbut it still delivers a fraught, polished experience.

PC GAMER

Expect to pay $60 Release Out now Developer Visceral Games Publisher EA Multiplayer Online co-op Link www.deadspace.com

80

Crafting means you can refine and combine weapons into badass space zombie blasters.

This is a family establishment, limb-thin _. Put some proper trousers on.

An early section set amidst space wrecks feels most like the ori inal.
'

Remembering can be tough.

Geometry wars kill all the shapes!

The moon plays a lamer rt in the st than 'd .

In Dead Space 3 you face human enemies as well as necromorphs.

The Funky Zombie dance craze was wildly popular.

MAY 2013 PC GAMER corn 65

i4W

F L DERSC ROLLSON I. N E.COM

HTTP://APPS.FACEBOOK.COM/ESOFOODTR

NI .

May contain content inappropriate for children. Visit www.esrb.org for rating information.

REVIEW

UN-IMP-RESSIVE
Need to know
What is It? A love letter to Dungeon

IMPIRE's ambition and good ideas get lost under hellish micro-management by Cassandra Khaw

Keeperwith less of that

game's charm and freedom

Influenced by
Dungeon Keeper

Play it on
2GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, Radeon 4850

Alternatively
Dungeon Keeper 2, 90/a

Copy protection
Steam

It's important you remember that. Although peopled or imped, if you willby long-eared, razor-toothed denizens, this RTS-meets-dungeonsimulator is less about running an evil underground empire than middle management in the lower echelons of a slow-witted, weightwatching hell. I assume they're weight-watchers, anyway. Certainly none of your minions seems to want to eat of their own volition. No one seems to want to do anything on their own. Your creatures can spend days gallivanting past the fetid innards of the local kitchen without so much as a second glance inside, or acknowledgment of the fact that they've starved themselves into impotency Workers will not run when intruding heroes are hacking at their ears, they'll just... stand there, taking it. And unless they're on patrol or have been explicitly told to do some-thing about it, your units will ignore suspicious ladders up until the point where uninvited guests drop in and

mpire is not Dungeon Keeper.

they're forced to look incredibly surprised about it all. Impire is a haphazard patchwork of not-quite-thought-out ideas and occasional glimmers of brilliance. It's a multi-layered affair that wants you to oscillate between the traditional isometric perspective of real-time strategy games and the overhead map of its management modeexcept everything is just plain better accomplished from a bird's eye view. It wants you to build mushroom farms, nurseries, prisonswhere you can hold errant do-goodersseedy dives, workshops and more, but fails at making the process as satisfying as it should be. Instead of giving you the keys to the proverbial kingdom, Impire has you enlisted as a pro bono city planner stuck worlcing around pre-existing architecture, ho-hum interior design and the understanding that, once constructed, nothing can ever be destroyed. Impire is chock-full of niggling problems like these, half-baked concepts that probably could have used more time in the development

lmpire's player character starts off small...

0 Bug eyes
10 Wings

To better focus a gaze for evil. Fashionably archaic attire.

M Loincloth
&T.1 Speedy transportation and a show of power.

oven. Point-and-click overworld raids (you really don't do anything but point and click here), a finicky UI that demands you do things like navigate with the WASD keys as opposed to simply waving your mouse cursor around, the constant need to cancel your jaunts into the unknown to fend off encroaching heroes and feed your servants, a teleport spell that is ridiculously exploitable-4hese all could have been done better. There are things to like here as well. The narrative is cheesy and over the top, garnished with decent voice acting. Impire makes it clear that this tale of Baal-Abaddon, indentured servant of a bumbling demonologist who bears no small resemblance to Doctor Evil, is not one to be taken seriously. While it can't quite make up for the lack of self-preservation instincts in your minions, the Dawn of War-like squad system bears mention as well, due to the appeal of mixing and matching your units for the best skill sets, dressing them up in progressively better equipment and piling them on suspecting foes. The RPG stylings of the upgrade system? The panoply of traps? The enemy-infested, trap-riddled communal dungeons? The ability to gain free units via wanton gambling? Pure silver, if not gold. Like the whiskey-soaked eccentric uncle that no one approves of but who's invited to the party anyway, Impire demands patience and a willingness to forgive. It's decent where it could have been greata missed chance to make a cult classic. s

No one seems to want to do anything on their own

68 CiL GAMER

Horns
To better make pointed comments.

VERDICT
A muddleitaktiOniit good ideas, Impire has charm enough, but its flaws are likely to frustrate most players.

M Mouth

=a For blood-curdling laughter and commentary.

Expect to pay $20 Release Out now Developer Cyanide Montreal Publisher Paradox Interactive Multi player Up to four players Unit www.bitty/13dVIST

PC GAMER

63

MAY 2013

You don't want to know what's in that layer cake.

Malister Crueely's guardian doesn't seem too imp-ressed.

Guess the dwarves had a burning question...

And this is Oscar Van Fairweather, sorcerer ext- yeah, maybe not.

The dotted line denotes a unit's movement limit.

4
.

Attacks are likely to miss distant enemies.

AMP 110 6/6

03.411111M1

Feed three skulls to the same unit and they'll get an extra attack per turn.

The three basic unit types: ".

infatry,chedvl.

GHOST WARS
novel to be confined to Windows 8
magine being industry veteran Jake Kazdal. After stints with Sega in Japan and EA in Los Angeles you set up your own studio, 17-Bit. You begin work on your first project as an indiea quirky turnbased tactics game with a samurai themeand Microsoft loves it. They want an exclusive. And then you find out that the PC version of Skulls ofthe Shogun is going to be exclusive to Windows 8 at launch. It's an odd sight, this indie strategy game sitting on the Windows Store alongside pricey mobile ports. You're General Akomoto, a mighty shogun warrior stabbed and killed in battle by your trusted lieutenant Kurokawa. He's soon dead too, so you set off through a surprisingly verdant afterlife in search of revenge and the acclaim that's rightfully yours. Each battle ends when either Akomoto or the enemy team's general is defeated, and it's the novel

SKULLS OF THE SHOGUN's strategy is too neat and

by Nathan Brown

Need to know
What is it?
Windows 8-exclusive tumbased strategy for PC, Windows Phone, and Surface.

Influenced by
Advance Wars

Play it on
Windows 8, Athlon 643300+, 1GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce GT 220/Radeon HD 4650

Alternatively
XCOM: Enemy Unknown, 87%

Copy protection
Windows 8

ways that Skulls of the Shogun helps you stave off that threat that makes it more than a cheerily nostalgic turnbased strategy game Your starting crew changes every level: you can expect an assortment of infantry, cavalry and archers. You can spawn more units, by first "haunting"the ghost version of capturingpaddy fields to produce rice, then offering it up as sacrifice to the gods in exchange for an extra pair of hands. You can only give five orders per turn, however, so don't expect to overwhelm the enemy through pure weight of numbers. Select a unit and a white circle denotes how far it can move in a turn; it can move freely within that dotted line, meaning you can attack enemies from any angle. Position yourself correctly and you can knock foes off ledges and into rivers to their instant doom. Where possible though, you want to keep them on

terra firmawhen an enemy is dispatched, it leaves its skull behind. Eating one skull restores a unit's health and raises its maximum HP. Feed three to the same unit and it gains an extra action per tum handy enough for the standard units but essential for Akomoto, who can already attack twice. But eating a skull uses an order, and powering up your general is a balance of risk and rewardand something you don't want to do too soon. It's clever stuff, and things improve further when magic-wielding monks arrive, with munched skulls unlocking more powerful spells. It's wittily told too, with the warring generals' sassy exchanges recalling Double Fine's brighter moments. Among its faults are busy environments and bulky unit designs which clutter the battlefield at times, and the fixed limit of five orders per turn feels stingy when you've got enough units to turn a battle in your favorbut these are minor complaints. Skulls of the Shogun's biggest problem is that, for its first few months at least, the platform it's tied to means it is only going to reach a fraction of the PC audience it deserves. s

VERDICT
A witty spin on turn-based
strategy with some novel mechanics that briefly makes Windows 8 gaming slightly less depressing.

PC GAMER

Expect to pay $10 Release Out now Developer 17-Bit Publisher In-house Multiplayer 4-player local & online, asynchronous and cross-platform Link www.skullsoftheshogun.com

77

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

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REVIEW

AN OTHER BURN N
Need to know
What is it?
Aliens-themed first-person shooter by the developers who made Borderlands.

ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES falls a long way short of being the pinnacle of evolution by Chris Thursten

Influenced by
Aliens, Call of Duty

Play it on
2.3Ghz quad core CPU, 2GB RAM, 512MB GPU

Alternatively
Natural Selection 2, 90 0/o Aliens vs. Predator 2, 87%

Copy protection
Steam

This is an act of repetition rather than expansion.

ate in Colonial Marines' campaign you find yourself fighting through the Xenomorph-haunted hallways of Hadley's Hope accompanied by a smartguntoting jarhead called O'Neal. He's the model of a shooter sidekick: a bottomless well of bullets and exposition who always knows what the plot requires him to know, and occasionally needs you to watch his back while he hacks a door. The two of you turn a corner in time to see a marine being hoisted into a ventilation shaft by a Xenomorph's lunging tail-spike. O'Neal gasps. "What the s***was that?" "It's an alien," you may feel like saying. "You know, from the movie Aliens. We have killed hundreds of them. Earlier I watched two of them circle you impotently, swiping at you and making those adorable little chittering noises. You turned them into paste with your smartgun, shrugging off their acid blood like it was hot apple pie filling." O'Neal's throwaway response bothered me. The designers must know that it doesn't mesh with either

the player's or O'Neal's understanding. The best explanation I can come up with is that "what the s*** was that?" sounds like something someone might say in an Aliens movieand as far as I can tell, "sounding a bit like an Aliens movie" is the alpha and omega of Colonial Marines' narrative ambitions. Colonial Marines desperately lowballs its bid to be seen as the "true" sequel to James Cameron's movie. This is straight-to-video Aliens pastiche, an act of repetition rather than expansion. It's by no means alone in this, but it's clear from the game's 1980s-throwback opening titles that it perceives itself as being something purer. It isn't.

"We're doomed here!"

Gearbox evidently has a real love for the films, but it's the kind of love that suffocates. Over the course of the 10-hour campaign you are dragged through meticulous recreations of the Sulaco, Hadley's Hope, the surface of LV-426, the ancient spaceship, and so on. Colonial Marines' greatest desire is to show you things you've seen before,

Harsh language

Colonial Marines say the funniest things

"Save the high-fiving for the bedroom, marines!"
Private O'Neal vastly misunderstands what adults do in private.

"This isn't just crossing the line it's reinventing it!"

Geometry was never really Corporal Winters' strong suit.

'Is that the thing that was on your face when you woke up?"
Private O'Neal successfully identifies which of the things on the floor is an alien.

Tm pretty sure something exploded from

his chest Are you sure, Corporal Winter? Because that seems like the kind of thing that would be obvious.

regardless of narrative status or significance. Hadley's Hope may have vanished in a 40-megatonne nuclear fireball at the end of Aliens but, well, it's fine, thanks for asking. These aren't the operating parameters of a sequel, they're the parameters of a Universal Studios Tour. Aliens: Colonial Marines couldn't be more of a theme park ride if it spat out a Polaroid at the end. Aliens has already been stripmined by the videogame industry: if Colonial Marines was going to avoid vanishing into the mix, it needed to have something new to sayand it doesn't. Its attempt to explore the relationship between the WeylandYutani company and the military is hamfisted in the extreme, taking Carter Burke's reptilian corporate maneuvering and repackaging it asdeep breathenemy mercenaries who wear corporatebranded baseball caps over their balaclavas and who fight the marine corps for some reason (?) to do with profit (??) derived from engineering new kinds of Xenomorph (???). Your guess really is as good as mine. The game's key interaction with the Alien canon is an egregious retcon whose hand-waving explanation is so thin it made me laugh out loud. Key sequences are underwhelming or fail outright due to scripting errorsincluding, for me, the one immediately preceding the game's limp climax. As a narrative-driven shooter, Colonial Marines is a swing and a miss; it simply doesn't have the nerve or spectacle to compete at the level it's being pitched at. Every now and then you get a glimpse of the systems-driven Aliens game that could have been: halfimplemented mechanics that jut out of its landscape like derelicts. Moviederived ideas like placing sentry guns to lock down corridors and welding

72 PC GAMER .corn MAY2013

They mostly come in a straight line. Mostly.

To be fair, I'd look surprised too.

Fleeing through an exploding ship is one of the game's highlights.

Never look a gift Xenomorph

in the mouth.

I see your ostentatious lighter, and raise you an underslung flamethrower

That nuke at the end of

Aliens didn't do very much.

Fighting in a power loader seems a bit ---,`=" superfluous when you have a gun.

MAY20

A gun, pointing at an alien. This is representative . of the game's broader theme.

"Look, guys! A setpiece!"

ak

Acid blood doesn't hurt much just slows your regeneration.

40

1 Killing things with fire remains a viable strategy.

The Crusher is powerful but slow and easy to confuse.

The best parts are the defense sequences.,

: .TAVITT;1 74 F

MAY 2013

REVIEW

doors shut arrive at predetermined moments, when they'd be far more interesting as a dynamic part of regular play. As it is, your time is spent running from objective to objective, pulling the trigger whenever a shiny Xenomorph or enemy mercenary pops out in front of you. Use of the motion tracker is primarily an act of roleplaywith a bottomless ammunition supply and invincible companions, you don't need it. The mercenaries themselves are the biggest curveball: they're more dangerous than aliens. When battles take place between all three parties you are effectively encouraged to target the other humans first, which strikes me as profoundly backwards both in terms of the fiction and the mechanics that should support it.

Giger counter Colonial Marines' new alien variants are a mixed bunch

The Soldier
A garden variety perfect killer. Specializes in whipping its tail

The Spitter
Gobs its own blood at you. It also glows, which is of questionable utility.

The Lurker
Small and fast. It can leap and pin down marines like Left 4 Dead's hunter.

No-one can hear you sigh

The campaign is at its best when it changes the rules. A mid-game mission sees you stripped of your weapons and stalked by a new type of alien that hunts by sound. Another highlight is a sequence in which you're asked to establish a perimeter around the command center in Hadley's Hope. The freedom to explore lets you appreciate the devotional level of environmental detail in the manner of a museum, rather than as a rollercoaster. These moments make up less than 10 percent of the experience, however: you'll be fending off waves of Xenomorphs with your pulse rifle within the first 15 minutes. The behavior of the Xenomorphs is laudably unscripted, but the AI is all over the place Aliens pop out of vents and pop back in again, get stuck, fall off walls, and run in circles. It becomes quite sweet, after a while. A few hours in I got caught in a canned getting-murdered-by-aXenomorph animation and it made me jump. The fact that these banana-headed morons could be scary struck me as a fun novelty. Then I remembered what game I was playing and the depth to which Colonial Marines demystifies Giger's seminal monster became vertigoinducingly clear. A cooperative mode for up to four players is available for the entire campaign, but its impact is not

especially profoundor at least, it improves the game as much as co-op improves just about anything. Instead, Colonial Marines is most successful as a competitive game. Its Versus mode splits players into teams of marines and Xenomorphs across four modes, ranging from regular Team Deathmatch to Objective Capture, Survival, and a Left 4 Deadstyle game type, Escape, where the human players must escape through a long, linear stage punctuated by defense sequences. These last two modes are genuinely enjoyable. Mechanics that never really cohere in the campaign, such as having to shoulder your rifle to use your motion tracker, come into their own when you're coordinating with four other players to fend off enemies who are hunting you intelligently. There are, nonetheless, issues. Xenomorphs are controlled in the third person and it's easy to become disoriented while attempting to move on the walls or ceiling. Likewise, the alien classes are deeply gameythe vanilla one, the fast one, the ranged onein a way that plays against the fantasy of being the universe's apex hunter. As does unlocking a giant rhino horn to stick on your banana-head. There are only two maps each for Escape and Survivor modes, with a further five shared between the other two game types. The paucity of environments is something that Escape particularly suffers from. The lack of AI-controlled enemies and the fact that each ammo cache contains the same equipment from

session to session raises the concern that multiplayer Colonial Marines lacks the staying power that Left 4 Dead's randomization provides. It's disappointing to find repetition setting in within the first few hours.

Colonial Marines

Colonial Marines runs well on max settings on a Intel i5 760 system with a Radeon HD 6970 and 8GB of RAM. Graphical settings don't go especially deep, but you can alter the field of view from the main menu. The game paints a few striking picturesHadley's Hope in the shadow of the burning atmospheric processor, the Engineer vessel underlit by searchlightsbut suffers from some low-res environmental textures up close. Aliens: Colonial Marines is a deeply underwhelming game. It's neither staged carefully enough to be scary nor dynamic enough to be exciting, and it succeeds only where other players breathe life into it. There are better linear shooters, better asymmetrical multiplayer games, and better Aliens sequels, and your love of the motion tracker and pulse rifle would need to be profound to surmount those obstacles. I really wanted this game to be good: having played it, I still want to play the game it sometimes gestures at being. It's one to study, maybe but it isn't one to bring back. s

"They cut the power!"

demystifies Giger's seminal monster.

VERDICT
A middling shooter with a wildly inconsistent tone. The decent multiplayer is hindered by its questionable longevity.

Expect to pay $50 Release Out now Developer Gearbox Software Publisher Sega MultIplayer Up to 16 players link www.sega.com/allensroionialmarines

MAY2013 PC GAMER .com 75

Oh, shinyyy!

Bees, bees, BEES EVERYWHERE!

-.

Chicken and seafood do not go well to ether.

OM WINS!

Because nothing says "win" like fat ballerinas and moustaches.

MALEVOLA D
44

Nothing says you hate your friends like a quick round of DUNGEONLAND by Cassandra Khaw

Need to know
What is it?
A cooperative hack-and-slash that leads you on a frantic, bloody theme park adventure.

Influenced by
Magicka

Play it on
Dual-core 2.66Hz CPU, 4GB RAM, 512MB GPU

Alternatively
Magicka, 69%

Copy protection
Steam

other of dolphins!" An angry yelp cuts across Skype. The exclamation startles a laugh out of me even as I watch my companion's fat, yellowgarbed mage backpedal desperately to the side. A battalion of rotund dragons have taken an interest in him, an interest they communicate with little fireballs. He reciprocates in kind. A passing lamb is turned into collateral roast dinner. I am just about to comment on his brilliant choice of profanities when things take a turn for the worse. Streams of midget wizards start flooding out of a corner, even as a missile drops from the sky. I dodge the projectile only to be slammed into a wall by armored, bug-eyed imps. Almost immediately, my assassin folds like a poker player on a losing streak. We wipe. One minute, 30 seconds. That was all it took. "Couldn't you at

least have let us out of the damn starting area?!" Dungeonland is a sadomasochist's dream, a dumbed-down, arcadelike Diablo set in a spike-infested Disneyland. It makes no pretense at a plot, no nod toward depth. Yet, at the same time, this is exactly why it's such vicious amounts of fun. There are no illusions about what Critical Studios' hack-and-slash is: a keyboard-breaking co-operative trial by fire, or an opportunity to inspire new heights of loathing in your friends. If viewed through a limited lens, Dungeonland isn't just good, it's maddeningly brilliant. "Maddeningly" being the operative word, of course. The mechanics are simple. From the adventurer's perspective, Dungeonland handles like a standard isometric action RPG except in character movement, which is WASD rather than mouse-

based. Things are marginally more complex for the Dungeon Maestro, the person who starts the server and who is pitched against the adventurers that fill their lair. As the Maestro, you're asked to assemble a deck of cards, which represents the monsters and paraphernalia at your command. After that, it's a question of managing your mana pool, deciding when and how to capitalize on the hand you drawcards are randomly doled out at intervalsand deciding if you want to spawn an elite monster or a stampede of critters. Don't even bother with the singleplayer mode; the AI is so abysmal it'll have you weeping within minutes. Dungeonland is at its best when you have a particularly tenacious group of people rounded up. Sure the game might bug out occasionally, lag may one-shot your team, and it could do with a better upgrade systembut in multiplayer, at least, it works. In order to fully appreciate Dungeonland you may need to be the kind of person who loves roguelikes and eat kittens for breakfast, but who doesn't like filleting friends with axeriddled teacups? s

CO1 1.) I
Dungeonland is useless in
single player, but in multiplayer it's a brilliant bastard of a game. Just add friendsor enemies.

PC GAMER

Expect to pay $10 Release Out now Developer Critical Studio Publisher Paradox Interactive Multiplayer Up to 4 players Link www.dungeonlandgame.com

70

76 PC GAMER corn MAY 2013

REVIEW

ZINGER TOWERS Death comes in many colors in

FIELDRUNNERS 2 by Jon Morcom
riginally a mobile app designed for greasy swiping fingers, diverting tower defense game Fieldrunners 2 has been ported to the PC. An agree-ably naive art style with bold, trippy colors entices you from the outset in a campaign that covers over 20 levels and as many hours of play. The fieldrunners are a mix of grunts, armored, and airborne units that invade each map in upwards of 50 waves, running the constantly evolving gauntlet that you create on the fly. Click and strategically place towers from your preferred six-slot loadout to fashion mazy paths that funnel the runners into rat runs of death. Let too many through, though, and you'll taste defeat. A clear tutorial level and gentle learning curve eases you in but the difficulty ramps up considerably as your fun-size foes grow in number

and resilience. The smug satisfaction of having a map under control can quickly give way to panic, but the visuals are such a joy that there's consolation even in defeat. The game offers 28 upgradeable types of tower but access to these comes via a slow, miserly unlock system unless you're willing to play on the harder difficulty levels. Victories are immensely satisfying and earn you stars and coins that can be used to buy premium weapons and extras such as mines. Four scenically diverse hubs keep the maps interesting, and three alternate game modes provide refreshing variety to this enjoyable clickfest. Fieldrunners 2 beguiles with its military polish and visual appeal. Who would have thought PC GAMER that a constant deluge of death and destruction could be so charming? s

They may look cute, but they pile on the pressure as you progress.

83

Expect to pay $10 Release Out now Developer Subatomic Studios Publisher In-house Multiplayer No Link www.fieldrunners.com

10,000,000's puzzle dungeon by Rick Lane

n this stupidly named matchthree RPG mash-up, you align tiles on a grid to defeat monsters and overcome obstacles in an 8-bit dungeon. Matching sword and wand tiles triggers melee and magical attacks, key tiles unlock doors and treasure chests, while shield and backpack tiles increase your armor and provide one-off items to use against the dungeon's dark denizens. The dungeon runs left to right in a small box at the top of the screen. The ultimate objective is to stay towards the right of the screen and accrueyou guessed itl0,000,000 points. Meanwhile, enemies and obstructions gradually push you left. Get shoved too far and it's back to bed for your blocky hero. The challenge stems from clearing the appropriate tiles in response to whatever the dungeon throws at you, while simultaneously keeping the

NUMBER WON Match your way from zero to hero in

''

In museums, garners are banned from approaching priceless mosaics.

grid organized and free from clutter like wood and rocks. Fortunately, a wide variety of upgrades can be gradually unlocked to aid you, ranging from equipment upgrades that increase damage to training perks like time bonuses. The instant restarts and regular dishing out of improvements form an infectiously addictive cycle. The only questionable feature is tile movement. Rather than clicking to swap individual tiles, you scroll entire rows and columns with dramatic sweeps of the mouse. It's clearly designed for touchscreens, as playing with the mouse feels clumsy. That aside, 10,000,000's lighthearted retro puzzling gets under your skin very quickly. It's unlikely to stay there PC GAMER more than a couple of days, but for five bucks that's plenty sufficient. s

/
For Sale: spacious, breezy castle with large... er "entertainment' room in the basement.

74

Wed to pay $5 Release Out now Developer EightyEightGames Publisher EightyEightGames Multiplayer None Link www.eightyeightgames.com

I'm not sure what these clone things are, but they're unsettling.

Boss fights can be tough, relying on expert timing.

Enemy design recalls a less gross The Binding of Isaac.

Young wields a brush, which can also turn dustclouds into rafts.

The unease grows the further

you venture into the game.

SWEET DREAMS
Need to know
What is it?
A SNES-style adventure set in a nightmarish fantasy world.

overworld, which like all the best

Zelda-a-likes constantly expands and

loops back on itself as you revisit familiar areas to mine for secrets, or unlock the next chunk of dreamland. This is a game crammed with secrets, from odd encounters with equally odd characters to collectible cards that seem to serve no purpose. One moment in particular stuck with me. Partway through I was sucker-punched by, of all things, the context-sensitive action button, which suddenly performed one of its more violent functions at a totally unexpected moment. I could have walked off-screen, perhaps resetting the situation but, intrigued, I pressed the button a couple more times. I was rewarded with access to a hidden part of the world, and given new respect for a game that isn't afraid to play around with the fundamentals. In terms of length you'll get throughAnodyne in a matter of hours, but it's unlikely you'll find everything on your first run through, and I doubt I'll ever get to the root of its narrative mysteries. It's this sort of inscrutability that incites debate and inspires fan theories, and I can't wait to see what others are going to make of it all. s

ANODYNE is a surreal adventure that's short on explanations but big on atmosphere by Tom Sykes

Influenced by
The Legend of Zelda

Play it on
If you can run Flash, you can run this

Alternatively
Lone Survivor, 79 0/o Copy protection
None

dreams are made of. Its 16-bit-styled world is a tapestry of lightly strange, largely unexplained locations: you'll come across a forest, a mountain area, a swirling void populated by leggy sentient shrubsyou know the drill. As with a real dream, there's little rhyme or reason as to why it's assembled the way it is, why a talking rabbit tells you off for your sloppy brushwork or why dead-faced clones seem to gather in empty rooms, accompanied by the sound of chattering crowds. The game merely begins with your character, Young, jumping into this patchwork purgatory from a Dark Souls-style Nexus world, before a Sagethere's always a Sagesets him off on his mysterious journey. Structurally, Sean Hogan and Jonathan Kittaka's game owes a considerable debt to the Game Boy

nodyne is the stuff that

classic The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, which similarly took place within its hero's decidedly overactive subconscious. There are dungeons to clear, bosses to fight and puzzles to solve, as Young grows in both constitution and ability. While these elements compare favorably with any of the 2D Zeldas, the game's reliance on keys as the means of ordering progress can border on repetitive at times. Anodyne can be as funny and charming as Link's Awakening on occasion, but the overall tone is one of unease, with a subtle malevolence the "something seems a bit off here" factorreminiscent of the indie horror Lone Survivor. Meaning is elusive, but themes and motifs soon begin to take form, in a game that feels increasingly personal the more you burrow into it. The game is at its strongest when you're exploring the sizeable

VERDICT
It stays closes to its inspirations and risks growing repetitive, but Anodyne's darkly surreal atmosphere is gripping.

PC GAMER

Expect to pay 89 Release Out now Developer Analgesic Productions PubUsher In-house Multiplayer None Link www.anodynegame.com

84

013

REVIEW

SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING TRANSOFRMED surprises by Ben Griffin

or PC players, a Sega kart racer is like a compilation album of no-name bands. Burning Rangers? Billy Hatcher? Pudding? Console mascots the lot of them. But you don't need to know who Joe Musashi is to have fun here.

POWERED UP

Team Fortress's racer comes in three

flavors: Heavy, Pyro, and Spy .. ...)

t 4CV

Sonic & All Stars Racing Transfirmed's big gimmick is vehicles

-

that transform depending on the terrain. When airship RPG Skies of Arcadia's level crashes blazing zeppelins through wooden bridges, you'll morph into a plane and take to the air; when the Panzer Dragoon stage plunges you into water, the game triggers your amphibious form. Pull a trick in transition and you'll get a speed boost. Punchy weapons add to the fun. Sure, spiky blowfish is basically Mario Kart's banana skin, the firework is a green shellbut there are some original gems. Hit an

opponent with a curse and they'll drive backwards. Shoot a bee swarm and the insects will form buzzing roadblocks up ahead. Lagging behind? Look for ultra-pickupsSuper Monkey Ball's AiAi transforms into a massive plastic ball and flattens the pack, while Football Manager yes, reallyhops on a private jet to the sound of samba. Different event types mix it up. Boost Events showcase the game's healthy drifting and driving mechanics, Traffic Attack sees you navigate car-filled courses solo, and Pursuit has you destroy a tank using missiles. There's also four-player splitscreen and ten-player online play in both races and arena battles. It doesn't matter if the fan service is wasted on you. This PC GAMER imaginative, thrillingly fast racer is better than it has any right to be. s

85

Expect to pay $30 Release Out Now Developer Sumo Digital Publisher Sega* Multiplayer Up to 10 Link www.bit.ly/pcg-srace

RETROVIRUS is a mutated update of a primordial classic by Matt Thrower

by do first-person shooters keep you tethered to the earth?" the Retrovirus team wondered, and borrowed freely from acclaimed 1994 title Descent to create a shooter where you maneuver across six axes instead of the usual four. You're cast as an antivirus program pursuing a marauding worm through a computer, clearing up corrupted software as you go. It sets the scene with a striking visual style, a neon kaleidoscope resembling the wreckage of a collision between Tron and a modernist building, but the visual noise complicates tasks like orienting yourself and spotting foes. You'll get used to it, but getting lost or blindsided by octopoid horrors are irritatingly common occurrences. To help, you're given an inventive tool: the scan. Expanding out in a cone before you, it highlights

CATCH AN OLD

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

enemies, even those hidden behind scenery. Scanning your last shot impact triggers effects based on the weapon usedeffects like gravity wells and miniature explosions which allows some interesting tactics. Controls feel fluid, but a propensity for simple engagements to suddenly turn nasty adds tension. The same can't be said for the plot. Retrovirus tries, offering twists and a cast of cleverly characterized digital denizensbut they're just software. It's hard to care about their fate. That's problematic because the limited palette of enemies, weapons, and upgrades eventually loses its novelty. Without prods from the story to push onwards, Retrovirus is reliant on the appeal of its threedimensional shootouts to PC GAMER push you toward the end. Thankfully, they are up to the job. s

74

Expect to pay $20 Release Out now Developer Cadenza Interactive Publisher In-house Multi player Up To 32 Link www.cadenzainteractive.com

EXTRA LIFE

This looks more intense than insult sword fighting.

THE PC GAMER TEAM

I grab the Drake Sword with both hands and leap after them
MAKING FRIENDS AND IMPALING PEOPLE IN DARK SOULS: PREPARE TO DIE
This month Determined the
relationship oetween gravity and a pointy thing.

Also Played Dote 2, Guild Wars 2, DmC Devil May Cry

load Dark Souls and create the most hardcore character I can think of. Her only weapons are a stick and a wooden board fora shield. Her only possession is an amulet that doesn't do anything. Dark Souls' undead heroes start withoutskin. She's just a nerve wrapped in rags. Every Hollow Warrior's flashing sword is a fatality waiting to happen. Every skeleton crushed is an act of defiance against both my inexperience and the high stakes I've set for myself. Dark Souls is the picture of a cult hit: notoriously difficult, ugly-beautiful, and loaded with secrets and shortcuts. Its online features range from messages scrawled on the ground to co-op and PvP threaded in and out of the solo experience. It's an

reached via a narrow ledge at the top of a anecdote factory, and this explains the ruined abbey. On the floor is a summoning breathless enthusiasm of its devotees. It's sign. I've never used one before, but this one also why it took me over a year to finally play says it'll let me call an NPC knight called it. The word "cult" has always retained a bit Solaire to help. I activate it. of its pejorative sense for me. My desire to A figure materializes a few feet away. find out what all the fuss is about is held in Tall, robed, glowing, red. Shield in one hand check by my distaste for fanclubs of any and a curved katana in the other, wearing kind. Creating a hardcore Dark Souls a pointed crown that reminds me of the character is a little like overcommitting to Statue of Liberty. There's a gaudiness to fancy dress: 50% serious attempt to extreme power in most RPGs, and this is participate, 50% parody through imitation. gaudy power manifest. And it's not Solaire. Half a dozen or so hours in, my character is It's not Solaire at all. I've just been invaded by no longer so fragile. Following Rich's advice another player. I've equipped myself with the Drake Sword, I panic, but the only way back is through a secret weapon fashioned from a dragon's the portal onto the roof. My enemy pauses tail. New enemy types are greeted with before striking. I raise my shield but the blow caution but I've learned that a solid parryrends the better portion of my health bar. riposte combo solves most problems. Suddenly a round-chested golden knight Armed with this confidence, I've started materializes in front of me: Solairefinally. playing as a full humanskinless no more, The invader is blasted by a and connected to the bolt of divine lightning. He game's online features. READ ME steps back, Solaire lunges, One of Dark Souls' early RELEASED August 2012 and both tumble to the set pieces is a rooftop OUR REVIEW Nov 2012, 89% tussle with a pair of abbey floor below. I watch, BUY IT $40 Steam MORE www.preparetodie.com massive gargoyles wounded, from above.

Dr rIAMPI) a as

EXTRA LIFE
Twenty-four-hour rolling news has a tot to answer for.

An... unusual place for a break.

I've turned my fists into flaming balls of rock and I'm punching
THE ABSURDITY OF DEVIL MAY CRY' S BOSS BATTLES
I stab him in the face. Once. Twice. Then countless times in a shimmering frenzy. This month Fact-checked "TRILLION STABS!" screams a pop-up an unhinged news message. My score multiplier leaps into a anchormanright in the new tier. A huge "S" appears on the screen. gob-flecked mouth. The Zordon-like pundit roars. Dante Also Played Rage, Guild Wars 2 responds with subliminal speed and dodges away in a shiver of blue angelic energy. Then a noise happens, as though a PA system has "5 omebody help!" I'm deep into thirdgained sentience and condensed its surprise person monster-mangling sim Devil and horror into a supersonic boom. May Cry, facing the screaming gob of a Then Barbas fires lasers out of his face. demonic media mogul. I've charged full-tilt Why do giant heads in games always do into a twisted world constructed from the that? I dodge, but my initial wave of fear is fading as I recognize boss patterns. Lasers. A visual trappings of a 24-hour news network. One that happens to closely mimic the fiery wave. More lasers. I pound ground switches and take down his defenses. theatrics of Fox News. Before I know it I've turned my fists into The news anchor's giant head looms like a bronze televisual turd. His flickering features flaming balls of rock and I'm punching, are woven from the static strands of stray punching, punching. Barbas's face reels, jowls broadcasts. Digital wobbling. He shrieks. His brain explodes out of his artifacts bubble across his READ ME features as he laughs. head in a flood of fractal RELEASED January 2013 "THIS IS BOB BARBAS," he shards. What madness. OUR REVIEW April 2013,83% booms in the voice of the What raw, noisy stupidity. BUY IT $50 Steam Metatron. "JUST DOING MORE www.devitmaycry.com I put the controller down and applaud.t GOD'S WORK."

TOM SENIOR

4( 1'm sorry pal, I don't have any change on me."

After an exchange of blows it's clear that Solaire won't win a straight duel, but I feel helpless in this new territory. Then I remember Dark Souls' first boss. You're taught that enormous odds can be overcome with a plunging drop-attack: it's by this method that, six hours earlier, my stick-wielding warrior put an end to a demon the size of a chapel. I grab the Drake Sword with both hands and leap after them. My landing blow cleaves my opponent from behind as he strikes out at Solaire. It doesn't kilt him, but one more blow will do it. He rolls backwards and raises his shield. Then, he runs. I sprint through the abbey in pursuit. The invader reaches the top of a flight of stairs, turns and swings. I hammer the input fora jumping power attack, sail over the blow, and plunge the Drake Sword longways into his sternum. He dissolves into red mist. It's over. I punch the air. The GfWL overlay appears to tell me I've received a message: "Well done :)" I gain a pile of humanity, a friend, and an anecdote. Membership of the Dark Souls fanclub follows swiftly.,

Thais gonna smart the next day.

NOW PLAYING

The games we Love, right now

You play a space marine investigating an isolated human colony. Sounds familiar...

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The shrill cries of non-human creatures all around create a chilling atmosphere.

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RGB distortions tell us that reality is not feeling so well.

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Explore randomly generated dungeons, collect items, and craft yourself some new tableware.

My latest discovery is a can gun: it's a gun made from a can n

TOM GETS HIMSELF INTO A TIGHT SPOT IN INDIE SURVIVAL HORROR TELEGLITCH
This month j ut nails in a can
in such a way that they left the can very fast and very hot.

Also Played Civilization V, Supreme Commander

nil mited range teleportation sounds like a good idea, but it's apparently a slippery slope from warping to a distant alien world to finding yourself bleeding, out of ammo, and trapped between a swarm of mutant monkeys and the throbbing black spacetime rupture that's tearing apart the universe. Don't touch that, by the way. Teleglitch has the atmosphere of System Shock 2: you're alone and almost defenseless in a place gone horribly wrong, horribly far from home. But it's a top-down, pixelly indie game, which makes it a little less creepy. As reality is splitting apart, almost any important interaction causes the screen to warp, the red, green and blue channels

more and more empty tins. I then find I can momentarily separating as they bend in combine them into plates, which doesn't different directions. The first time I use one of the local teleporter pads, the effect was seem useful until I try combining the plates: so jarring I actually jumped. That's what that makes armor. teleporting should feel like, particularly in a My latest discovery is a can gun. Don't worry, I'll explain: it's a gun made from a can. world that's being destroyed by it. The teleglitch itself is spreading through You shove explosives and nails in an empty this abandoned,research lab, consuming tin, and you have a one-shot sawn-off that large chunks of it and rejiggling the rest to its fires superheated nails. own random design. What the game lore is I am saving it fora special occasion, which telling you is: this is a roguelikethe levels comes when the horde of monsters I am are different every time you play. You start running away from chases me into another horde of monsters. I try to weave my way with a pistol and a pack of explosives, and anything else you need you'll have to through enough of them to get away, and scavenge from storage closets or build lure them all into a long, triangular trail yourself. Explosives and a tube makes a behind me. I scroll down to the can gun, turn, panzerfaust. A tube and some circuitry and fire. The gigantic and satisfying blast of makes a motion detector. Bits of hardware hot metal rips through the hordeand yes, can be used to mod your pistol. this too distorts reality. When the smoke Most of it comes down to cans. I find a clears there are few enough survivors that I can just finish them off food storage closet on one with my knife. level, and fill my inventory READ ME with canned meat. As I Teleglitch will cost you RELEASED Novemb er 2012 $13, but to be honest, the munch through it to OUR REVIEW May 20 13, 84% restore health after each three-level demo will last BUY IT $13 www.tel eglitch.com fight, I find myself with MORE www.teleglit ch.com you a good while by itself.?

ISO..., s-r11

EXTRA LIFE 1.1'

My rival is called Starbucks-Man

EVAN MEETS HIS NEMESIS IN COUNTER-STRIKE: GLOBAL OFFENSIVE
.

ri

Distract him with talk of grande skinny chai lattes.

This month Bonded with

a stranger, killed him, and then was killed by him.

Also Played Arma 2, Unity of Command, SimCity

mode as "safe" and "unimaginative." At first, it felt like CS forced into a tiny paintball arena, stripped of the ecosystem of tactics and counter-tactics that arises from the game's three-lane maps. But I was wrong. I've spent 57 hours discovering how has good ping, loves to kill my teammates, elegantly Demolition harmonizes the best and is an ace sniper. In a given night we take aspects of casual and competitive FPS play. turns getting the best of one another and Five-on-five as a format makes sure you get cursing. We agree on one thing: the reload to know who you're playing with. And the time of the UMP-45 sucks balls. automatic matchmaking, Our duel resumes in through some magic, pairs Haiti. We're a few rounds READ ME me with many of the same in, and I've earned a bonus RELEASED August 2 1, 2012 people night after night. grenade from killing two OWIREVIEW PCG 2 45, 84% My rival is called enemies in the previous IIIVIT $15 Steam Starbucks-Man. He MORE www.count er-strike.net round. Four seconds in, appears most evenings, I pitch the frag down the

n my review of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, I shrugged off Demolition

left-hand side corridor. The grenade parabolas and thuds, wrapping StarbucksMan's ragdolling body around a tree. He condemns his teammates. I taunt him: "I liked the part where I killed you with a grenade." Starbucks-Man switches teams as the round resets, teamkills me in our spawn, and rage quits. Tonight, I have won. Despite our mutual hatred, I like to think that Starbucks-Man values the experience of learning each other's tendencies, best weapons, and favorite map spots.?

Pilot your ship and its vital info to a distant allied fleet.

It made me realize how much fun I can have when I'm losing
Ti IS STILL TRYING TO BEAT FTL, AND DOESN'T REALLY MIND
every single time. It took this particular masochistic voyage to the edge of space to make me realize how much fun I can have This month Condemns yet another interspecies when I'm losing. Even when I spend a good crew to die in space. hour getting to the end of Sector 8 and Also Played Crusader immediately explode, I often feel a strong Kings II, Skyrim: urge to start afresh immediately. Dragonbom Why don't more games take advantage of this? MMORPGs, whose business model have a confession to make: I've been relies on keeping you hooked fora long time, playing FTL since it came out, and I still are really just giant, repeating positive feedback loops. Where is the FTL-style, haven't beaten it. Untold hours have been spent, and countless brave souls have been permadeath MMO that smacks you down lost to the void in my attempts to defeat over and over again, yet still keeps you that blasted rebel flagship. I've unlocked coming back for more? Maybe one day I will see that coveted quite a lot of ships and tried quite a lot of strategies. Really, the only victory screen. But that's thing my dozens of runs not the point. Come what READ ME may, I will keep mourning have had in common is RELEASED September 2012 their ultimate failure. my dead and steering my OUR REVIEW Holiday 2012, 89% And yet, I still play it, and crew toward uncertainty BUY IT $10 Steam and adventure.? still have a lot of fun with it MORE www.ftlgame.com

:1 2

I
s

MI NLRB ME ilia

The concept for FTL was based on tabletop board games.

DOWNLOADS

ames stuff from the web

SYNERGIES MOD
MOD

LEFT 4 DEAD Z
EI:1 DON'T LEAVE THESE
WORKSHOP MODS
eft 4 Deady was recently updated with Steam Workshop support, offering the community an easy way to browse and install new weapons, campaigns, items, and... er, clothes. PS
INFORMAL SKYBOXES These sky textures greatly enhance the atmosphere as you chop your way through levels. Just don't look up.
www blr I y/L49 - 1

A DEADLY MOD PACK FOR TORCHLIGHT 2

Dolls to the powerful Spectral Dragon. he Torchlight 2 modding scene has Finally, Bonedancing concentrates on been quietly working away since the skeletal powers and buffs, including armor, game's release, adjusting items, cages and ground-piercing spikes. rebalancing skills and, of course, creating Overall it's an enjoyable class, with respec potions. In terms of the sheer amount enough distinctive traits to give it a unique of content, though, none come close to flavor. It does steal the Outlanders' charge Synergies. It claims to be a full conversion, bar effect, but the steadily rising aggression and while it doesn't drastically change the buffs suit the nature of the character. setting or questline, it does provide a large number of additions that completely Synergies also includes a selection of changes that have been made to the world. overhaul the balance. The most notable extra is the new While most of the content is designed for high-levet characters, you'll class: Necromancer. She plays encounter a tougher selection like a cross between the of monsters, with over100 Embermage and Outlander, "Amazingly, elite variations of standard all high-damage magic and Torchlight 2's mobs. Played on higher mob-directing status mod tools difficulty (it's designed for effects. There's a full set of haven't been released Veteran or Elite modes) this new skills in place, each yet." themed around an aspect selection spices up the path through main quests and of the undead. dungeons. For high-level The Death tree focuses on poison-based damage, the most characters, there are raid-styled devastating being the Tier 3 variant of the dungeons, new overworld maps and new starting Skull Barrage. Deadly projectiles World Bosses. Synergies' additions, and the home in on enemies, laying down exploding many other mods it includes, make for a varied second playthrough. PS pustules of poison. Undeath skills focus on www synergesmodcom summoning familiars, from creepy Death

IMPROVED BLOOD TEXTURES Given how much blood is involved, it only makes sense for it to look as good as possible.

IMPROVED BOTS (ADVANCED) A massive Al overhaul that Improves bot performance in campaign levels. mob/ ly4_40._ CRAZYRABBIT'S TACTICAL FLASHLIGHT A simple mod that ups the brightness of the flashlight to make it appropriately eerie. t)t,

EXTRA LIFE
Ignore him. He'll run off and do sde nre. 1

MOD FROM THE HALF-LIFE MUSEUM

Calm down guys! You have a whole game to kill me in.

Valve released a demo called Half-Life: Uplink. It was an entirely new scenario, showing an area of Black Mesa that didn't exist in the final release. Fittingly, a few months

few months after HalfLife's launch in 1998,

after the recent launch of Black Mesa, the fan-made Half-Life Source engine remake, a community mapper has recreated the entirety of Uplink using the mod's new assets. It's a short campaign, quickly taking Freeman through a

small part of the main complex, then up to the surface. A lightweight addition, it's nonetheless an interesting curio of Half-Life history that fits nicely into the spirit of the Black Mesa restoration. PS

EXTINCT
THE DEADLIEST GAME
gib 60D STATUE The tribe must use their fire
Sal here, or else sacrifice their leader. Cleverly they choose the sacrifice. They'll need the fire later.
00114 4.11
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WEBGAME

econd-place winner of Ludum Dare 25, Extinct ran with the gamejam's themeYou Are The Villainto create a challenging puzzle game in which you layout a series of traps ahead of a group of wandering tribesman. Extinct's real success is its AI, and the way the humans vary their behavior in order to survive. PS www.bitly/Errante

so

MAMMOTH The tribe lost their best fighter IIIF. TZ .;- in an earlier trap, so fighting the mammoth would be fatal. Fire scares him away with no losses. ICE PATCH With no fire, three tribesmen "- freeze to death. It doesn't matter: there's one left to collect the food. I've failed... this time.

INECRAFT CONDENSED BLOCKS

GOMPACINGHN
R A inecraft's modding community
has been responsible for some stunningly creative projects, but most of the best mods seem designed to overwrite the vanilla Survival experience. There are far fewer that complement it, keeping the original challenge intact. Condensed Blocks fits the brief nicely. It's a small change, designed to simplify inventory management and material storage. It works exactly like the existing gem blocks but expands out to include most of the materials you'll find in the world. You can condense everything from rotting zombie flesh to buckets of water, but the mod is best used for transporting building materials without making multiple trips. If you nave loads of wood or cobblestones, those blocks can be condensed again and again, creating ever more compact stacks. A full Extreme Condensed stack contains 46,656 of an item in a single slot. PS

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MAY2013 PC GAMER :nm 85

id DOWNLOADS

Free games stuff from the web

= "
rd has all the traits
of a roguelikerandomly W aywa generated levels and permanently dying charactersbut instead of battling through a dungeon, you're fighting for survival. You're more likely to die from hunger than from monsters, although there are plenty of those around as well. It hides a lot of depth behind its top-down 16-bit graphics. You begin washed up on a beach, carrying nothing. From there you must chop trees, mine rocks and use the assorted items they give to craft tools. So far, so Minecraft, but Wayward goes further in the amount of detail in its systems. Killed animals can be carved for food, provided you have a sharp rock to cut the meat, kindling to build a campfire, and some method of lighting it. Alternatively you can build a shovel to dig up mushrooms, but they're less nourishing and slightly poisonous. Wayward absolutely nails the harsh and lonely atmosphere. The odds are stacked against you so making any amount of progress feels like a real achievement. To truly master the inhospitable environment provides a compelling goal to work towards. Ps

FISTFUL OF GUN
CO-OP

NO PLACE FOR THE LONE RANGER

eight directions, but making up for it with a wide spread. Finally, Zeke's rifle is entirely approach to gun-toting Wild West action. It's a top-down shooter with a mouse controlled, increasing in accuracy as stark pixellated art style that supports up to the button is held. three players in a co-op battle arena. Each weapon also has a specific reloading quirk. It helps give the About the only things that stay true to the atmosphere of the weapons a sort of cantankerous untamed frontier are the personality as you dodge fire hats and moustaches. "Be sure to and rapidly mash at keys or award points The co-op is entirely buttons to shove bullets for eraoffline, so each of the three into a barrel. It turns the appropriate characters' movement and co-op into a slapstick dash swearing!" weapons are mapped to a of fire and tactical retreats. different control scheme. While the game is available Abel's rapid-fire pistol works from the developer's website, through the analogue sticks of a later updates including a planned control pad, making him the most difficult online modewill only be available by in terms of pure accuracy. Noah's shotgun signing up to a mailing list. PS lives on the keyboard, only able to fire in the wwwbitly/FistfutofGun

istful of Gun takes a frantic arcade

8
How appropriate. You fight like a cow. '431114

INSULT SWORD FIGHTING

WEINNIE THRUST AND PARRY IN YOUR BROWSER
ere's a nice idea. Take the best bit of an adventure gaming classic, remove it from all those tiresome inventory combination puzzles and pop it online in a svelte HTML5 wrapper. That's the concept behind this browserbased port of Monkey Island's insult sword fighting. It transposes the mildmannered parrying from both Secret of Monkey Island and Curse of Monkeylsland into a minigame, using sprites from Threepwood's first adventure. It works perfectly, largely because the swordfighting comes without the rest of

the game's convoluted, multi-screened puzzles. What's more, when played in isolation it becomes clear how elegant a solution these standalone standoffs were in a genre incapable of combat. For those unfamiliar with this battle of wits, insult sword fighting sidesteps real fights with a call and response system of folksy put-downs. You issue a challenge and your opponent attempts to respond. Win at the wordplay, and the swordplay follows. Lose, and you take those new insults into the next fight. PS

86 PC GAMER. corn MAY 20t3

EXTRA LIFE

STUDENT SHOW[ASE
SURGEON SIMULATOR 1013
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WINNERS! THE BEST COURSEWORK OF 2012

he Independent Game Festival's award nominations were recently announced, offering a round-up of 2012's best indie titles. While many of the categories were dominated by commercial games, the Student Showcase highlighted a great selection of interestingand free downloads. Some of them have been featured before on these pages: both the frenetic skate-based Zineth and the metaplatformerATUM received deserving nods. But even the ever-vigilant Top 10 can miss some gems in the non-stop cascade of free gaming, so here are three of the best Student Showcase games that previously slipped through our net. There are more to be triedthe full list is on the website. CT

PULSE
Pulse is a 3D platformer in which you play
as a blind girl, Eva. You can't see, so the game's graphics are painted in around you in response to sound. In order to explore the environment you use a process similar to echolocation to navigate, achieved by throwing cute little critters, Mokos, whose happy mewling opens up the world around you. Throw one at a gong and the corresponding clash will expose a large chunk of level. But those sounds can also be heard by monsters, providing a tense and at times terrifying sense of danger.

www.bitly/IGFNoms

wiov btt IyAGFPulse

FARSH
Farsh is a relaxing puzzle game about rolling
and unrolling Persian carpets. No, really. Each level requires you to move your rug across a series of tiles, to reach the red cube at the end. If your carpet unrolls onto a red tile, everything it covers can be rotated, so you can create bridges across gaps. Later levels require are harder thanks to the introduction of green tiles, which can only rotate once.

TALES FROM THE MINUS LAB

In this well-crafted first-person puzzler you discover a strange device in your father's workshop. With it, you can grow and shrink at will, and use these powers to explore the lab. It's an open-ended adventure that lets you explore at your own pace. It's based entirely In the one room, but by shrinking you can discover weird places and puzzles hidden in the workshop.

A n entrant into the 2013 Global M Game Jam, which this year centered on the theme Beating Heart, Surgeon Simulator 2013 understands a tried and tested gaming formula: ridiculous control scheme plus crudely implemented physics equals hilarity. You play Nigel Burke, an ordinary guy inexplicably required to perform a heart transplant. The game maps each finger of his left hand to a specific key on the keyboard, and with this you must grab the relevant tools, perform the operation, and do your best not to throw a lung on the floor. It's brilliantly absurd. As you crack ribs, cut through arteries and remove organs, Nigel's panicked voice gibbers away helplessly. Your "patient" will die on the table if their blood level drops to zero, so a large part of a successful operation is figuring out which tools you will need to complete the job with minimum blood loss. Word to the wise: don't use the circular saw to cut open the ribs. It's a sure-fire route to massive internal bleeding. Just smash 'em open instead! PS
v/voivb;:y

wwwbitly/IGFFarsh

wwwbiTly/IGFMinus

MACHINIMA
WRECK IT RICHARD: HOTLINE MIAMI ASSAULTS YOUR CHILDHOOD
The concept is about the only thing this video shares with Disney's Wreck-It Ralph. Hotline Miami's lead travels between the worlds of some classic (mostly Pac-Party console) titles. This I A phonecallcomes in on doesn't Lead to japes and the Hotline. Our lead takes a hijinksinstead, you get to ' visit to his neon neighbors, enjoy slick animation on a stumbling into a surprise more visceral level. Might party held by Pac-Man and be slightly traumatic for friends. A ghost hovers sheepishly by the phone. Nintendo fans. PS
f s DANGEROUS_ _TO GO " ALONE rE

IBM

141 11111i
Take That
The protagonist now heads through the Nintendo archives, achieving what Miyamoto never could and permanently retiring Mario and Zelda. He also finds Street Fighter is a lot easier when you have a lead pipe.

r2 Road Rage
He stops for Frogger)! It never came up in Hotline Miami, but maybe the psychotic anti-hero is a member of PETA. However, GTA's police force are less mindful of the endlessly bouncy amphibian.

A Indie Attack
t This rampage could be stopped by an unlikely source: Fez's Gomez. The dimension warper summons an army of Super Meat Boys to battle our lead through a level of Super Hexagon. He's better at it than lam.
11

= /ireck

He knows what he did.

MAY 2013 PC GAMER

87

7-What's new in the biggest games

GOO D MORROW
ven after adventuring in Oblivion and Skyrim, Morrowind holds a special place in the hearts of most Elder Scrolls fans. There are a lot of reasons for that: the small but packed island of Vvardenfell itself, with all its different cultures. The chance to rise in guilds and have it feel like an achievement. An open world where the kid gloves were off from the start, and the first cave you encountered was full READ ME of bandits happy to give you an FIRST REVIEWED ass-kicking. And of course, that PCG 99, 90% falling wizard nearthe start. So DEVELOPER many memories. Bethesda Ten years is a long time in PC PUBLISHER In-house gaming though, and Morrowind REQUIRES isn't the shining RPG destination Pentium III, 256MB it once was. Enter Morrowind RAM, 32MB 3D card Overhaul, which is far from the only MULTIPLAYER None user-made mod out therevisit LINK the Nexus (wwwmorrowind. www.bitly/Yzzige nexusmods.com) for othersbut it is one of the most ambitious. It's a compilation of graphical tweaks and improvements originally released on their own, wrapped up into one gigantic installer so that you don't have to mess around getting it all to work. As with all the best graphical update mods, Morrowind Overhaul doesn't so much rebuild Morrowind as turn it into the version you have in your head. Take your first sight of Seyda Neen, the village port where the story begins. It's recognizably the same place, with the Customs Office, the silt strider to the right and Imperial soldiers clanking . around in Roman-style armor. But at the same time, it's not. The once-faded textures are now bright and vibrant under a more inviting sky, especially the added foliage all around: trees peer out of the fog instead of making it look like the whole world ends just past the horizon. Faces aren't exactly up to modern standards, but they look less plankbeaten. It actually looks... good. Just as importantly, everything is pin-

MORROWIND OVERHAUL 3.0 ADDS POLISHES TO VVARDENFELL by Richard Cobbett

sharp, in away that's easy to overlook because we're used to games looking this way. Fire up an untouched copy of Morrowind, however, and the difference becomes clear. Even with all the settings cranked up to max, everything looks as if it has been slathered in Vaseline. Except, of course, for the edges. There's no antialiasing in the original game, just like there's no widescreen support. Morrowind Overhaul fixes both of those too, resulting in a world where everything easily blends together at 8xAA. Some of the textures, especially faces, are a little creepy in their smoothness, but it still represents a huge improvement You also get a number of general tweaks to call on, including real-time shadows and other lighting effects. To see the results, just fire up the game. From the opening view, you meet up with a guard and note the depth-of-field blur as you talk to him. A fisherman on the docks and a scribe behind the customs office desk are the first new cosmetic NPCs you'll encounter. Then, as ever, once given your duties you're free to go wherever you like made easier by the road signs being readable instead of out of focus, and a little fiddly by the newly added blur effects. A little like the popular ENB mods for

The once-faded textures are now bright and vibrant under a more inviting sky -#
over what came before. Morrowind Overhaul ismostly--a lorefriendly update. By default at least, it's about making Bethesda's existing world look and sound as good as possible rather than actually changing the details. But during the long (but heavily automated) installation, there are a number of choices to make, including lore-appropriate amounts of foliage for various locations or simply cranking it up, adding extra NPCs around the map, giving Dagoth Ur's text dreams a voice, and having naked characters stripped down to their naughty bits instead of that ugly cloth underwear. In most cases, there's a screenshot to see what things are going to look like in advance, with each choice color-coded green, yellow or red based on how systemintensive it is to run. That's a relative thing though, and most recent systems should be able to handle everything cranked up. Skyrim and other implementations, they're essentially binary: everything will look crisp until you edge a tittle closer to something, at which point the wortd melts. This is very annoying with NPCs, which are shown more than slightly out of focus unless you target them specifically. Not all of Morrowind is attractive, but this mod polishes it up to a shine, including the Tribunal expansion, and the snowy island of Solstheim from Bloodmoon. The crisper style suits it, and the new textures and models fit extremely well. You don't lose the atmosphere of areas like Ghostgate and Red Mountain, and while the result is far, far from Skyrim quality overall, it feels like the game Bethesda would have made given a little more time and technology. Though without the nudity options, obviously; that's still the madders' domain. This isn't, however, a one-stop-shop for perfecting Morrowind. Its combat has aged even worse than its graphics, to say nothing of the awkward stealth. It's also an incredibly empty world, having been built for systems that couldn't handle many characterseven if they were ugly. Future Morrowind Overhaul packs are planned for release, which will spit-polish these elements of the experience. Once installed, most other mods should work over the top. Visit the Nexus to see what else has been made available, andtaking great carewhether you can recreate the full Morrowind experience you remember without having to wait for someone else to take charge.

BEFORE AND AFTER What a difference ten years makes

88 PC GAMER ,corn MAY2013

EXTRA LIFE
Vvardenfell. Cold, unfriendl , violent. And that's just the villa c ers.

With the mods, Morrowind has a certain Gothic 3 look to

So, like, die, and stuff. Sorry. Just rot feeling this today, I guess. Ow! Sorry, god-rays in my eyes. Can we turn around, then fight?

Outlander, who is this and why is he at my desk?

Vivec guards are like the ones at the Tower of London. Only if you make them laugh, they murder you. Okay, so this is... a little awkward for all three of us...

"DUDE, I'M TOTALLY A BEAR!"

MAY 2013 PC GAMER .com 9

No Minerals;

REINSTALL

Unconnected resources are uncollected resources.

There's a good chance this is the best game you've never played
TIM HAS A RALEIGH GOOD TIME WITH IMPERIALISM 2 by Tim Stone
here's El Dorado? What's the purpose of the Nazca Lines? Who did Jack the Ripper's laundry? All these are very minor mysteries compared with history's ultimate baffler: why didn't Imperialism go on to be as famous a franchise as Civilization? As anyone familiar with this splendid Renaissance-rammed turn-based strategy game will tell you, Frog City's Imperialism 2 was every bit as colorful, clever, and compelling as Microprose's Civilization 2. If you're under 20 and the sort of past-prodder that's naturally drawn to Civ,theAnno series or Paradox fare, there's a very RE AD ME good chance this is the best game you've never played. FIRST REVIEWED June 1999, ':-3 The original Imperialism was DEVELOPER caked in the soot of the 19th Frog City Software century. For the sequel, designers PUBLISHER Ben Polk and the Spieth brothers, SSI Ted and Bill, decided to shove the RELEASE 1999 start date right back to the time of Columbus and the Conquistadors. It was an inspired move. Although victory conditions still revolve around gaining control of half of the Old World, players are expected to explore and exploit the New World in order to fund their European dreams.
90 PC GAMER MAY 2013

if an assault means declaring war on a In a lesser creation, "exploit the New powerful European state) and he sows the World" would be a euphemism for "butcher seeds for ahopefullylong and profitable natives and swipe their stuff." In the relationship with the land seller. economically engrossing Imperialism 2, From that point on, every time the tribe though unseemly land grabs and brutal sells tobacco, silver ingots, or whatever from native culls are regular occurrences, you're the purchased land, the player receives a cut nudged toward more subtle behaviors. of the profits. The better the relationship Because military expeditions are risky and costly, it's often best to put pike and musket with the tribe, the bigger the cut. Being an aside and colonize patiently with investor rather than a divestor can be coffer and quill. incredibly satisfying. At the start of everygame, Commerce and diplomacy tivc sailing ships rush toward the are beautifully linked in "Discovering fog-of-war-shrouded Imperialism 2, and both are diamonds shores of the randomly crucial. When one of the 20 and gold still generated Americas commodity types is traded, makes me (Europe can be randomly affection grows between tingle." generated too, if you prefer). the two trading nations. Do As soon as these vessels spy enough deals with a minor or land, morion-helmed explorers tribal state and one day it may are off over hill and vale in search of like you enough to peaceably join potentially valuable resource tiles. In the your empire. Each turn, you're not only footsteps of the fog-dispersers come attempting to buy the goods you need at merchants, engineers, and builders. prices you can afford, you're also striving By buying plots studded with precious sometimes by offering subsidiesto strike metals and gems, or those suitable for the deals with potential annexes. The game is a cultivation of crops such as tobacco and racketeer's paradise. sugar cane, and then linking those plots to It's also a heaven for transport tweakers. ports, the shrewd strategist achieves two In a typically elegant piece of design, your important ends. He protects a province from exploring ships enable amphibious early invasion (while Al powers are quick to invasions, conduct blockades and piracy, gobble up tribal nations, they'll hold back and also make possible trade and intra-

TRA LIFE
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empire transport. A turn seldom passes when you won't be contemplating the tubs moored at your capital's port (happily, there's no need to manually choreograph maritime logistics), wondering how many should be assigned to patrols and colonial milk-runs, and how many should be made available to ferry traded goods to and from shipless minors and tribes. Manufacturing choices, tech tree routes, diplomatic options... Imperialism 2 is a treasure galleon packed to the gunnels with thorny yet graspable dilemmas. Like Total War, it's also a game that periodically slams shut the ledgers, rolls up the maps and suggests you get your hands bloody. The optional battle layer wouldn't win any prizes as a standalone wargame, but there's sufficient distinction between the 40 unit types and enough unpredictability in the AI to make time in its company a pleasure. Often you're facing fortified foes and must breach walls with cannons, or feint to attract opportunity fire, before assaulting. Sometimes the only difference between victory and defeat is the timely use of a resolve-firming general. On the battlefield, the Al is serviceable. On the global stage, though, it's sabre-sharp. Returning to Imperialism 2's enticing plains, forests, deserts, and uplands after many years away, I recklessly selected normal

LIVING OFF THE LAND No commodities = no combatants

Every connected Level 1 farm feeds one regiment, peasant, or naval unit. Most troop types can't be recruited without wool or cotton-based cloth.
e) Copper and tin makes the L) bronze essential for the

best early-era warriors. A Iron is vital for building and, later, combined with coal to produce steel. Horses can be turned into
0 nine different cavalry units

and tasty hamburgers.

difficulty for my first game and was left looking painfully rusty. My silicon opponents explored, made friends, balanced books, and battered foes like they'd been practicing their skills nonstop in my absence. Considering the number of interlocking factors at play in the average Imperialism game, the skill exhibited by rivals borders on the uncanny.

Want to wince as a neighboring superpower invades three of your most vulnerable provinces simultaneously? Want to look up from diamond hunting, deal forging, and fort fighting to see the sun rising? Want to meet the only franchise that could haveshould havegiven Civilization a run for its money? Set a course for the impeccable Imperialism 2. t
MAY2013 PC GAMER. corn 91

Call Livelinks. The hottest place to meet the coolest people.

Hard Stuff
GET THE PC YOUR GAMES DESERVE
REVIEW

LITTLE BIG RIG

So much performance, so little

space by Gordon Mah Ung

GE MORE!

Titan
)

Digital Storm Bolt

t's pretty damn clear from the last few mini-tower PC's PC Gamer has fondled that you don't need a machine bigger than a mini-fridge to pack in the performance anymore. But a wee, whisper-quiet rig with more power than most high-end desktop systems? Believe it. Besides being the thinnest mini tower we've seen yet (just slightly thinner than Falcon Northwest's Tiki reviewed in the Holiday 2012 issue) Digital Storm toasts the benchmarks by wedging in Nvidia's latest wundercard: the GeForce GTX Titan. The Titan can pretty much be considered a part fallen from the Super Computing Gods to Earth to enable mere mortals to play games with. And despite its considerably smaller size, it delivers performance that nearly rivals that of the company's previous iibercard, the dual GPU GeForce GTX 690.

hradar.com

www.digitalstormonline.com
Nvidia's also spent some time trimming the Titan's acoustic and thermal needs as well, so that even under a heavy gaming load you can barely tell that the Bolt is there. It's not as quiet as the dead-silent Steiger Dynamic Leet Core (with its liquidcooled GeForce GTX 690) that we reviewed last month, but it's also not as big, and less than half its price too. Again, the real accomplishment here is damn near GeForce GTX 690 performance in a mini tower something impossible out of a box this size until Nvidia's Titan GPU was introduced. Think of it this way: the Bolt Titan gives you 90 percent the performance of a gigantic gaming rig last year with dual GeForce GTX 580 or 680 cards in SLI. That's more than enough brawn for any game if you're gaming at 1080p TV in your living room with Steam Big Picture mode. But it's also got plenty of juice for maxed-out settings in games at 2560x1600 and 2560x1440 with reasonable frame rates. Not all is perfect with the Bolt Titan of course. We prefer our minitowers to have the capability to be run flat instead of upright, to fit in a media center. The TB hard drive feels cramped in these days of 4TB hard drives, but this is a relatively minor complaint that can be easily fixed at checkout time. What's utterly uniqueat least for the momentis the Bolt Titan's combination of amazing performance, barely audible operation, and formfactor so small the cat couldn't even kick back on it.

EDITOR'S CHOICE

*****

VERDICT
A crazy-fast,
impressively quiet SFF gaming rig that proves the expensive GeForce GTX Titan does pay off.

PC GAMER

95
MAY 2013 PC GAMER com 93

Asus P827701 Deluxe SPEC CPU CPU Intel 3.561-1z Core i7-3770K overclocked to 4.5GHz RAM 16GB DDR3/1600 GPU EVGA GeForce GTX Titan Motherboard Storage 120GB Corsair Neutron SSD,1TB 7,200rpm HDD DVD Slot-fed DVD Combo drive Case Custom

GET THE PC YOUR CAVES DESERVE

GROUP TEST
GET MORE!
Check out for the latest, best prices. HOW WE TESTED
Attrition > Realistically there's no way to test how an SSD drive is going to fare over its entire lifespan, but we can get a decent idea of what happens on the performance side. SSDs will give much better performance fresh out of the box than af ter they've been used, so we fill up and delete data on each SSD multiple times before testing Sequential performance > AS SSD was used to benchmark the performance of each drive. It uses uncompressible data to push the limits of each SSD and givesa good indication of thestraight-line performance of a given drive. 4K random lead/write > AS SSD alsogives us 4K random performance too. This indicates how effective a drive is at shunting around files and small blocks of datasomething your SSD will be doing continuously during everyday use. That makes it a good indicator of just how responsive a drive will be in general use.

SS D
Vector
??P

The latest, fastest and best value solid state storage, put through its paces by Dave James

OCZ
all Indilinx/OCZ's own work, and that's very much to the Vector's benefit. This is probably the fastest SSD that I've ever tested. The touted sequential read/ write numbers are only a little quicker than the Vertex drive, but in my testing it's only the 4K random read speeds that are closein every other metric the Vector is the clear champion. In particular, the 4K random write speeds are blisteringly fast. The Vertex was faster than everything else in this regard, and the Vector extends that lead even further. It's this 4K random performance that really tells a taleit's more indicative of real-world Windows responsiveness than anything else, and with one of these as your boot drive you're certainly going to notice the upgrade. The only real issue is the price. At $238 the Vector hovers at the high end of the SSD spectrum per gigabyte, and with prices dropping almost every day that seems a lot to demand for a 256GB SSD. This is the fastest drive around right now though, and you do have to pay for this sort of performance. You should also consider relative longevity along with price. With a five-year warranty OCZ has focused on reliability with the Vector, and that's important because I've seen anecdotal evidence of some Vertex 4 drives falling over quite quickly.

he SSD business is all about the memory controller these days so when a company introduces a new one it's time to sit up and pay attention. The memory controller is the bit of silicon sitting between the flash chips and the PC storage interface, and is arguably more responsible for the performance of the drive than any other element. OCZ have shelved its previous status as a RAM manufacturer and are now focusing all its efforts on the burgeoning SSD market. It bought the memory controller company Indilinx with a view to

With a five-year

warranty, OCZ have focused on reliability with the Vector

creating its own, totally in-house SSD. Most of the smaller SSD manufacturers cherry-pick off-theshelf components, mixing and matching memory controllers and flash chips to create their drivesOCZ plans to keep the all-important controller silicon completely internal. The Vertex 4 was the first OCZ drive to come with the IndilinxInfused badge, though in reality Indilinx only created a custom firmware for the drive and OCZ used Marvell silicon to provide the controller itself. The Barefoot 3 controller on this device, however, is

The Vector, then, is the outstanding drive in terms of sheer performance. And, with OCZ making reliability one of their main focuses now that they've got speed nailed down, it's my pick of the current range of SSDs. The interesting thing here with the Barefoot 3 controller is that it's OCZ's own productand that means they don't have to let the competition get a piece of their action. Everyone else apart from Samsung is going to have to wait for Marvell or SandForce to pick up the slack. s

GAMER
EDITOR'S CHOICE

*****

A blisteringly quick drive with a focus on longevity, which ought to make it just as quick a few years down the line.

PC GAMER

93

SPEC Capacity 256GB Flash memory Synchronous MLC Max TOPS 100k Controller I ndilinx Barefoot 3 Cache memory 512MB Interface SATA 6Gbps

94 PC GAMER corn MAY2013

840
'I170 Samsung

amsung has become heavily involved in SSD drive manufacturing in recent times, and are one of the few companies capable of making a 100 percent in-house drive. OCZ may be able to boast its own controller silicon, but only Samsung can also fill an SSD with its own memory chips. And that also means that, in the case of any new memory technology appearing, Samsung is likely to be the first to put it into its SSDs. That's what's happened with the 840 series drives from Samsung: they're currently the only SSDs that can boast triple-level cell (TLC) memorywhich has the ability to store three bits per cell. Compared with the standard multi-level cell (MLC) memory that is used in most SSDs, the Samsung 840s have 50 percent extra data density, which should make for cheaper drives. At $170 things are looking pretty good for drives with this kind of SSD memory, but sadly all is not rosy in the TLC garden. As well as

having a shorter lifespanroughly one third of what MLC memory can boastit's also slower. In read speeds it doesn't really take a hit, which is good news for garners loading levels or restoring saved games. But the write speed is the slowest drive in this roundup. (Samsung offers a Pro version of this drive with MLC memory, which results in a faster drive, but it costs $30 more than the OCZ Vector and still isn't quick enough to give that drive any cause for concern.) Samsung has the muscle to drop prices and turn up the heat in the controller wars, but it's not showing off the price or performance aggressiveness I'd have liked to see in the 840. On the other hand, if you're looking to shave a few bucks off the new rig you're building, this might be the place and drive to do it. Keep in mind that the 840 is still an SSD

and it's still going to make Windows feel young again. And if you're still using a mechanical hard drive, you'll be blown away by what a solid-state drive will do for your load times in games..

VERDICT
This 840 series isn't the PC GAMER budget hero Samsung wants it to be. Its bottomrung performance shows the market has moved on.

79

SPEC Capadty 250GB Flash Memory TLC Toggle Max lOPS 96k Controller Samsung MDX Cache Memory 512MB Interface SATA 6Gbps

Neutron GTX
$220 Corsair

orsair has come flying out of left field with its new Neutron series SSDs, employing a memory controller from a company that's almost unknown in the consumer sector. But if choosing the Link A Media Device (LAMD) controller implies that Corsair is taking a bit of a gamble, a quick study of the drive's performance numbers suggests it's a wager that has almost paid off. The Neutron GTX is the full-spec member of the Neutron series. In addition to the LAMD controller it comes with synchronous Toshiba MLC Toggle NAND memory chips, which are among the best you can put into an SSD. In practice, this means the GTX can boast performance numbers that are very close to the top of the SSD tree. In sequential read/write speed it's only slightly slower than the Vector. However, in the 4K random read/write numbers it doesn't score as

impressively as the OCZ drive, and lags a little way behind the SanDisk SSD. As I've mentioned previously, reliability is an important factor in the storage and SSD market. After all, you need to feel confident that your data is still going to be where you left it next time you boot up your machine. So asking consumers to choose an SSD that's based on an relatively unknown memory controller seems like a tough thing to ask. But, despite its virgin status in the consumer sector, LAMD has been making controllers in the enterprise market for years. And you don't get to operate in that sector without your drives holding up to serious usefar more than the average consumer drive gets subjected to, in fact. So while it doesn't crush any of the other drives in the benchmarks and

---- ""mium111411.111101111.10 does clock in around the higher end of the price spectrum, the Corsair Neutron GTX finishes very close to being my favorite, thanks to an impressive debut for the LAMD controller. s

VERDICT
A quality drive, but it falls off the pace due to a fairly high price and a weaker showing in the 4K random tests than the top drives.

PC GAMER

Interface SATA 6Gbps SPEC Capacity 240GB Flash Memory MLC Toggle Max lOPS 85k Controller Link A Media Device LM8780 0 Cache memory 256MB MAY 2013 PC GAMER corn 95

 ss

VI

GET THE PC YOUR GAMES DESERVE

BUDGET SPECIAL

The PC Gamer Budget Rig

There's always a budget option
raditional thinking has it that when buying a new PC, the more you spend the better. I'd normally recommend that a system built for no more than $1,500 would offer the best mix of performance and futureproofing, hence the PC Gamer Rig. However, as we're coming to the end of this generation of hardware, in CPU, motherboard and graphics terms, the hardware market has stagnated. So this month I've done something different, to see what we can offer those unable to spend quite as much on a full system. The machine I've specced out below can be put together for less than $870, will give you great gaming

;4;

performance for your money, and decent futureproofing too. By dropping our game settings down one notch from the highest level, I'm benchmarking this rig at well over 40fps at 1920x1080 in Batman: Arkham City and Max Payne 3, and over 70fps in DiRT Showdown. When you consider that the next-gen consoles are going to be around $600without screen or headsetsuddenly this upgradeable rig looks like incredible value for money.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX

$140 $701'

Dave James Hardware Editor

$80

$18

CPU
AMD FX-6300 The Piledriver update has given AMD's Bulldozer a performance boost, and for $140 you'll get a multithreading beast.

MOTHERBOARD
Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 A basic board, this will give you USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps interfaces, but not much in the way of overclocking possibilities.

RAM
Corsair XMS3 4GB 1600MHz At $25 you can't go far wrong, although these days 468 is definitely the minimum I'd recommend.

CASE
Corsair 300R This mid-range chassis is a great little case that will fit a budget build, but will also happily house your PC for years to come.

STORAGE
Seagate 1TB HOD The storage game is getting very tight. There are few HD makers around now, but still a 1TB drive for $80 is fantastic value,

DVD DRIVE
Samsung SH-224AB They'll be free with a packet of cereal next. At this price, you may as well buy a sackful for your friends.

RI D
AMD Radeon HO 7770 The AMD range is right at the top in terms of value for money. You simply get more fps on average for what you pay.

POWER SUPPLY
SilverStone ST45SF The power supply is one component where you don't want to settle for a no-name brand. Sketchy power is hell on your PC. _

MONITOR
Viewsonic VX2370Smh I'd normally recommend spending more, but this 21.5-inch TN screen will give you full HD with only a 5ms response time.

KEYBOARD
Logitech 6105 You know a Logitech gaming keyboard is going to be solid, even at this price. This membrane board will keep you going.

MOUSE
CM Storm Xornet The bargain-priced Xornet is a quality gaming mouse. But it is also very little, so you may struggle to get used to it.

HEADSET
SteelSeries 314 VR One of the better sounding budget headsets. Nice microphone, too. But spend more if you can for better quality.

POSSIBLE UPGRADES
AMD HD78501GB > For another $35-$50 you can slot in the1GB version of the HD 7850. With just a little sacrifice of video memory you get best-in-class performance. Cruda1128GB M4 > If you've alreadygot storage hard drives knocking around you can use for data, picking a medium-sized SSD will giveyou a great boost for just $120. Viewsonic VX2370Smh-LED > Spending a decent amount of cash on a monitor is always worth it, and this 23.5-inch IPS panelis a bargain at $190.

TOTAL PRICE

96 PC GAMER tom MAY2013

869

EV =RYWH R
THE WORLD'S NUMBER ONE PC

IT'S PC GAMING

MINDS= BLOWN
vertfict Who busts out with the bast germ of them

a ammo.

pace-time

I
Which of these games is the next Portal?

EFFE T3

Wm/LE:Newt of the Swarm Hemat Icampaxgr, insane rem Guns or

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t's entirely possible there's a cadre of superheroes out there risking their lives every day in the pursuit of justice, but you've never heard of them because they fight crime in polo shirts, hoodies, and Uniqlo. Yawn. Let's face it, crusaders: if you want the press, you gotta dress. And this month we're giving you two extra-fancy costumes otherwise available only as part of Marvel Heroes Premium Packsabsolutely free!

LOGAN DECKER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF logan@pcgamercom

@logandecker

FREE MARVEL HEROES COSTUMES

How to bag your costumes
See the series of randomized characters at the bottom of this page? Cerebro has foreseen a unique Marvel Heroes key for two elusive costumes. Suit up when you collect the heroes Wolverine and Iron Man with Wolverine's "Patch" costume and Iron Man's "The Avengers" costume. Your gear will be available when Marvel Heroes launches this Spring!

IRON MAN AVENGERS

ap on ron an s a
VII suit from the Avengers movie and not even gods can stop you.

Instructions
1.Go to MarvelHeroes.com 2. Create a free account. Already have a Marvel Heroes account? Log in. 3. Click Profile button on the upper right corner of the homepage. 4. Click on Redeem Key and enter your code. 5. Wolverine's "Patch" costume and Iron Man's "The Avengers" costume will appear in your in-game inventory when Marvel Heroes launches this Spring!

Any problems?
Don't sweat it! Visit www. pcgamer.com/forum under "Magazine and Site Talk" for help.

Wolverine's "Patch persona will be familiar to anyone who got beat up by him on Madripoor.

PC01-1PAE-A111111-PSQC
98 PC GAMER corn MAY 2013

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Gigabyte' GA970A-D3 AMD 970A USB 3.0 & SATA Ill Corsair' 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz Dual Channel Memory 1TB SATA III 7200 RPM HD 32MB Cache AMD Radeon" HD7750 1GB Direc t X 11 Video Thermaltake Commander Gaming Tower Case 430 Watt Power Asetek Liquid Cooling System AMD FX-8350 $ 719 AMD FX-6300 $ 645 AMD FX-8320 $ 695 AMD FX-4300 $ 629 AMD FX-8120 $ 685

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517177ER SCISW PILIS 90E10 Windows 8

Gigabyte GA970A-D3 AMD 970A USB 3.0 & SATA Ill Corsair 16GB DDR3 1600Mhz Dual Channel Memory 2TB SATA Ill HDD 7200RPM 64MB Cache AMD Radeon " HD7850 2GB Direc t X 11 Video Xion Predator 970 Tower Case 600 Watt Power Asetek Liquid Cooling System AMD FX-8350 $ 979 AMD FX-8320 $ 959 AMD FX-8120 $ 945 AMD FX-6300 $ 999 AMD FX-4300 $ 889

ae7177E17 LILTR7 704E70 ELITE Windows 8

AMD A75 Chipset MB USB 3.0 and SATA III Corsair' 8GB DDR3 1600 Mhz Dual Channel Memory 1TB SATA III 7200 RPM HD 32MB Cache AMD Radeon' HD6550 1GB Dual Graphics Direct X 11 Video Nzxt Tempest 210 Mid-Tower Case 350 Watt Power Asetek Liquid Cooling System AMD A10-5800K $ 609 AMD A8-5600K $ 585

/MO 7.1 K s reroe 6ear /MO 7.1 Meow Geer 600W Keyboard Laquid Coal,
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AMD A6-5400 $ 545 AMD A4-5300 $ 535

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