Games™ Issue 135

Issue 134 was priced at £5 and was released in May 2013.

Discuss
Metal Gear Solid V: Kojima's bizarre revolution - 4 pages (10-13)
 * How Hideo Kojima is reinventing the Metal Gear franchise, perhaps for the final time.

Avalanche Studios: Surviving the next gen - 2 pages (14-15)
 * We caught up with Avalanche to discuss the shift to mobile experiences and their commitment to open world games

Ron Gilbert remembers LucasArts - 2 pages (16-17)
 * In a special editorial, one of the founding fathers of adventure gaming, Ron Gilbert, reflects on his time at the Monkey Island studio.

Reader Reactions: Disney shuts down LucasArts - 1 page (18)

Oculus Rift: The Verdict - 2 pages (20-21)
 * Is it the future of videogames or just an expensive peripheral? games™ takes a closer look at Oculus Rift.

Trending: This generation is ending with a whimper. Is it our fault? - Ryan King - 1 page (22)

Big Picture: Infinite Crisis - 1 page (23)
 * Batman goes MOBA in Warner Bros' latest foray into the nascent genre.

Game Dev Story: Birth of a BitSummit - James Mielke - 1 page (24)

Features
Combat Evolved - 8 pages (26-33)
 * DiCE has unveiled its bold vision for the future of Battlefield, but can it succeed on both single and multiplayer fronts? We spoke to the developer to find out. (Battlefield 4)

Why I love...
 * Ultima Online, Kip Katsarelis (Maxis) - 2 pages (34-35)
 * Super Castlevania IV, David Cox (Konami) - 2 pages (56-57)
 * Um Jammer Lammy, Tom Vian (SFB Games) - 2 pages (124-125)

GTA V: The beast of America - 8 pages (58-65)
 * With four months to go until release, we've finally seen Grand Theft Auto V in action. If you thought the current generation had hit its limits, Rockstar is planning to show you otherwise.

Dark Souls II by the hardcore for the hardcore - 6 pages (66-71)
 * Too easy? A focus on bringing in new gamers? Worry not. From Software wants you to die, die and die again - we've seen Dark Souls II in action, as co-director Yui Tanimura talks us through the hardcore-centric sequel.

In conversation with... Peter Molyneux & Ian Livingstone - 7 pages (72-78)
 * Two of Britain's most eminent videogame luminaries examine the state of the today's turbulent industry.

The Future Noir of Cyberpunk 2077 - 7 pages (80-86)
 * A key part of the eighties sci-fi boom, seminal role-playing board game Cyberpunk helped define the fundamentals of future noir. games™ discusses the series' conception with its esteemed creator Mike Pondsmith and the upcoming next generation RPG with The Witcher studio, CD Projekt Red.

This is not a game: Rise of the ARG - 6 pages (88-93)
 * The alternate reality game took the early 21st Century by storm, harnessing a brave, new online world to create an innovative strand of storytelling. Now the dust has long since settled, can the ARG still live on as more than just a publicity tool and help shape the future of the videogaming medium? We head down the rabbit hole with the original puupetmasters to find out...

Previews
The Evil Within - 2 pages (36-37)

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 - 2 pages (38-39)

The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot (PC) - 2 pages (40-41)

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes - 2 pages (42-43)

FIFA 14 - 2 pages (44-45)

Company of Heroes 2 (PC) - 2 pages (46-47)

Tales of Xillia (PS3) - 2 pages (48-49)

Flashback (360,PS3) - 1 page (50)

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 2 - 1 page (51)

MotoGP 13, Yoshi's Island 3DS - 1 page (52)

Showcase - 2 pages (54-55)

Retro
Behind the Scenes - The Space Quest saga - 6 pages (128-133)

Best Boss: God of War (PS2) - 2 pages (134-135)

Conversion Catastrophe: Ghostbusters (NES) - 2 pages (136-137)

Game Changers: Tetris - 4 pages (138-141)

Collector's Corner - Jack Bros. (Virtual Boy) - 2 pages (142-143)

The Demake Factor - 6 pages (144-149)


 * Converting modern games to old computers - a retro demake - requires real dedication. games™ talks to the programmers with the demake factor, and the creators whose games inspired them.

Essentials
10 franchises that died before they started - 2 pages (150-151)

The Vault - 2 pages (152-153)

MMO Worlds
The Elder Scrolls Online - 2 pages (156-157)

WildStar - 2 pages (158-159)

Guild Chat: Ned Coker (CCP Games) (160)

Other Credits
Features Editor
 * David Scarborough

Staff Writer
 * Josh West

Senior Art Editor
 * Greg Whitaker

Assistant Designer
 * Perry Wardell-Wicks

Sub Editor
 * Rebecca Richards

Photographer
 * James Sheppard

Head of Publishing
 * Aaron Asadi

Head of Design
 * Ross Andrews

Contributors
 * Luke Albiges, Peter Allison, Adam Barnes, Ben Biggs, Dan Collins, David Crookes, Jon Denton, Gareth Dutton, Marcus Feint, Andrew Fisher, Dan Griliopoulos, Grant Howitt, Stuart Hunt, Darran Jones, Ryan King, David Lynch, Chris McMahon, James Mielke, Emily Morganti, Chris Schilling, Kevin Scully, Will Shum, Perry Wardell-Wicks, Jonathan Wells, Stephen Williams, Rob Zwetsloot