Edge Issue 249

This magazine is dated January 2013 and priced at £5.00.

Knowledge
Wii U is here - 4 pages (14-17)
 * The next generation begins, but will a second screen be enough to save Nintendo?

Spell binding - 2 pages (18-19)
 * The magic behind Sony's new Wonderbook: Book of Spells and its JK Rowling-penned debut story.

Head Case - 1 page (20)
 * The toy figure that plays games

Bulletin mode - 2 pages (22-23)
 * The year-long developer jam that aims to turn news into games, Game The News

Soundbytes; Arcade Watch - Winter X Games: SnoCross- 1 page (24)

My Favourite Game - Jonathan Coulton - 2 pages (26-27)
 * The nerdcore songsmith discusses how Portal changed his life, iOS gaming and Mario's most eccentric outing.

Dispatches
Dialogue (Letters) - 2 pages (31-32)

Trigger Happy - Steven Poole - 1 page (34)
 * Will Self's outsider's view of gaming is though-provoking, despite the common misconceptions.

Level Head - Leigh Alexander - 1 page (36)
 * Personalities are slowly becoming a bigger part of the industry and that might just be good for it.

You're Playing It Wrong - Brian Howe - 1 page (38)
 * This issue, our resident historian presents a brief history of the retro videogame remake trend.

Hype
Round-Up - 2 pages (60-61)

Features
Fresh Blood - 10 pages (62-71)
 * Dark Souls II heralds a change in leadership and elevates the series' creative and technical aspirations. We visit the game's birthplace to discover what new adventures lie in store.

Born Again - 8 pages (72-79)
 * The developers behind the current wave of reboots tell us about the graft and nous that go into reviving a classic.

Edge Awards 2012 - 8 pages (80-87)

Reviews
Post Script

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - 1 page (93)


 * The black art of perks and loadouts

Far Cry 3 - 1 page (97)


 * Interview: Jeffrey Yohalem, lead writer

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale - 1 page (100)


 * Uniting universes

Create
People: Mark Long - 2 pages (118-119)
 * How the research labs of the Cold War inspired a life in games.

Places: Minus World - 2 pages (120-121)
 * The famous glitch level that helped games capture our imagination.

Things: Magikarp - 2 pages (122-123)
 * The most useless-seeming monster in the Pokeverse hides an awesome secret.

Studio Profile: Ubisoft Singapore - 4 pages (124-127)
 * The developer behind Assassin's Creed III naval sequences on working at the edges of technology and business models.

The Making of... Velocity - 4 pages (128-131)
 * The tumultuous journey of one small developer, and one Mini that would go on to be a huge success.

The Art of... Spec Ops: The Line - 4 pages (132-135)
 * How Yager found its Heart Of Darkness in Dubai.

What Games Are - Tadhg Kelly - 1 page (136)
 * The importance of staying relevant.

In The Click Of It - Clint Hocking - 1 page (138)
 * The FPS waveform

The Possibility Space - Randy Smith - 1 page (140)
 * Discouraging discovery

Word Play - James Leach - 1 page (142)
 * Game writing like a boss.

Other Credits
Senior Art Editor
 * Mark Wynne

Features Editor
 * Jason Killingsworth

Online Editor
 * Nathan Brown

Writer
 * Ben Maxwell

Production Editor
 * Matt Clapham

Art Editor
 * Andrew Hind

Deputy Art Editor
 * Phil Haycraft

iPad Assistant
 * Helen Wilson

Editorial Contributors
 * Leigh Alexander, Taylor Cocke, Martin Davies, Nathan Ditum, Christian Donlan, Damien Hall, Duncan Harris, Andrew Hayward, Clint Hocking, Brian Howe, Phil Iwaniuk, Tadhg Kelly, James Leach, Rich McCormick, Craig Owens, Simon Parkin, Steven Poole, Chris Schilling, Tom Senior, Randy Smith, David Valjalo, David Wolinsky

Art Contributors
 * Martin Davies, Andy McGregor, Alvin Weetman