PC Gamer Issue 247

This magazine was dated Christmas 2012 and priced at £5.99.

Monitor
Play for free this Xmas - Tom Senior - 1⅔ pages (8-9)
 * The booming free-to-play scene challenges this year's yuletide blockbusters.

Special Effect - Richard Cobbett - 1 page (10)
 * The charity that's fighting top open up gaming to everybody.

Valve's Greenlight gets the green light - ⅔ page (11)
 * Valve Greenlight has indie developers fighting for space on Steam

The Spy - 1 page (12)

Face Off: Should gaming technology stop advancing - 1 page (14)
 * Richard Cobbett vs Tom Francis

Special Report - Building the future: games and architecture - Rick Lane - 2 pages (20-21)
 * How games are inspiring the next generation of real-world architects.

Previews
Aliens: Colonial Marines - Matt Lees - 2 pages (22-23)

Total War: Rome II - Chris Thursten - 2 pages (24-25)

Rift: Storm Legion - Phil Savage - 2 pages (26-27)

ShootMania Storm - Cara Ellison - 1 pages (28)

Company of Heroes 2 - Craig Lager - 2 pages (30-31)

Gone Home - Tom Francis - 1 page (32)

Cube World - Phil Savage - 1 page (34)

Star Citizen - Tyler Wilde - 2 pages (36-37)

Features
Dream On - Rich McCormick - 6 pages (40-45)
 * Take to the skies to see Firefall's ambitious open world in its full glory.

The Camo Club - Tim Stone - 4 pages (48-51)
 * Ten military sims that are answering the call of duty.

The PC Gamer guide to Windows 8 - David Murphy & Nathan Brown - 6 pages (54-59)
 * Microsoft are trying to re-invent the operating system, but is it good news for gamers?

The PC Gamer Interview: Dennaton Games - Tom Francis - 2 pages (60-61)
 * Jonaton 'Cactus' Soderstrom and his new accomplice Dennis Wedin talk to us about Hotline Miami.

Link the Past - Owen Hill - 4 pages (62-65)
 * How Uplink went from idea to reality, and in the process forged one of the UK's best indie studios.

Letters - 2 pages (70-71)

Reviews
Re-Releases

The Hard Stuff
Buyer's Advice: Processors - Dave James - 5 pages (113-117)
 * Pick the right CPU for you and your PC.

On Test Reviews - Dave James - 2 pages (118-119)
 * The very best in PC gaming hardware.

Intel release a new chip off the new block - 1 page (124)
 * The fourth generation of Intel's Core architecture, code-named Haswell, is already in the eager hands of game developers.

Extra Life
XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Tom Francis - 1⅓ pages (126-127)

War of the Roses - TJ Hafer - ⅔ page (127)

FIFA 13 - Graham Smith - 1 page (128)

Dishonored - Chris Thursten - ½ page (129)

Cortex Command - Tim Stone - ½ page (129)

Top 10 Downloads (Free games stuff from the web) - 4 pages (130-133)

Update: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords - Richard Cobbett - 2 pages (134-135)

How to... Defeat the alien menace in XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Tom Hatfield - 2 pages (136-137)

Reinstall: Wing Commander II - Richard Cobbett - 2 pages (138-139)

Diary: An illusionist in Skyrim: Part 5 - Tom Francis - 4 pages (140-143)

Other Credits
Associate Editor
 * Rich McCormick

Production Editor
 * Tony Ellis

Section Editor
 * Tom Francis

Web Editor
 * Marsh Davies

Art Editor
 * Tom Strike, Julian Dace

News Editor
 * Tom Senior

Video Editor
 * Chris Thursten

Contributors
 * Tim Stone, Richard Cobbett, Dave James, Phil Savage, David Lyttleton, Rose Brandle, Evan Lahti, Jon Blyth, TJ Hafer, Andy McGregor, Duncan Harris, Cara Ellison, Duncan Geere, Craig Lager, Craig Owens, Matt Lees, Rick Lane, Tom Sykes, Chris Schilling, Tom Hatfield, David Valjalo, James Archer, Michael Grimm, Owen Hill, Tyler Wilde, David Murphy, Nathan Edwards