FEATURES
Hitman Absolution
IO Interactive’s new game has upset many of the series’ hardcore fans. We talk to the developer about how much has actually changed.

PlayStation Vita
With the arrival of the PS Vita only weeks away, we look ahead to the launch line-up and beyond for Sony’s latest handheld.

Darksiders II
Vigil Games opens its crypt to games™ to talk about how it is expanding the Darksiders universe for an unusual videogame sequel.

Originality Is Dead
We investigate the risk taken by developers creating new intellectual properties, and talk to some of this generation’s winners and losers.

The Greatest Games Machine Of All Time
games™ collaborates with you, the reader, to determine which are the best computers and consoles to ever be released.

REVIEWS
The definitive verdicts on the biggest games, including…
SoulCalibur V
Resident Evil Revelations
Infinity Blade II
Minecraft
Serious Sam: BFE
Darkstar
Assassin’s Creed Recollection
Afterfall: Insanity
Super Pokémon Rumble
Trine 2
The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North
Corpse Party
James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy
Boom Street

PREVIEWS
The gaming future laid bare, with first looks and updates on…
Ridge Racer Unbounded
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Binary Domain
Dirt Showdown
Mass Effect 3
Skullgirls
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Lollipop Chainsaw
and many, many more…

RETRO
Behind The Scenes
With Dizzy: Prince Of The Yolkfolk making a recent comeback on iOS, we speak to everyone involved in both the original version and the remake.

History Of Games: 1987
We remember the year of the Amiga 500, the PC Engine, Maniac Mansion and Phantasy Star.

Virtual Console Greats
As the sun sets on the Wii’s virtual console, we run down the most essential games on the service.

Issue 118 is available now from all good newsagents or online from the Imagine Shop.

Related posts:

1. games™ Issue 117

FEATURES
Metal Gear: A Complete History
With Rising due in 2012, games™ looks back at the series so far with recollections and opinions from the people behind the classic stealth action franchise.

[Since the mag went to press, the reannouncement of Metal Gear Rising as Revengeance has meant that some of the information in this feature is now slightly out of date. For the most up-to-date details on Raiden's return, please check out our full preview of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.]

Brendan McNamara
We talk to the L.A. Noire head honcho about his past, present and future.

Soulcalibur V
We speak with Project Soul and CyberConnect2 about the features and changes that will make this the definitive weapon-based fighter.

Blizzard Entertainment
We squint through the storm to discover why 2012 could be Blizzard’s biggest year yet.

DmC Devil May Cry
Ninja Theory and Capcom talk us through Dante’s polarising new look.

2011: A Retrospective
It’s been an important year for videogames, so we chart the highs and lows of the last twelve months and pick out the defining moments.

REVIEWS
The definitive verdicts on the biggest games, including…
Mario Kart 7
Need For Speed: The Run
Kirby’s Adventure Wii
Jurassic Park: The Game
Doctor Lautrec And The Forgotten Knights
PixelJunk Sidescroller
Kinect: Disneyland Adventures
Professor Layton And The Spectre’s Call
The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Sky
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games

PREVIEWS
The gaming future laid bare, with first looks and updates on…
The Secret World
Rainbow 6 Patriots
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
The Last Story
Heroes Of Ruin
Unit 13
NeverDead
Retro City Rampage
Spec Ops: The Line
Persona 4: The Ultimate In Mayonaka Arena
and many, many more…

RETRO
Behind The Scenes
We talk to Jon Hare and the team from Sensible Software about how the label was formed and look at the highs and lows of the Amiga years.

History Of Games: 1986
A look back at the year of Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble and the NES.

GameGadget
Blaze is hoping its new handheld will do for retro gaming what iTunes did for music. We find out how…

Issue 117 is available now from all good newsagents or online from the Imagine Shop.

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1. games™ Issue 111
2. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance preview
3. games™ Issue 118

FEATURES
2012 Special
The biggest and most exciting games of next year come under the microscope.

Naughty Dog
We get the studio behind Uncharted to sit down for a chat about its past, present, future.

SSX
games™ wraps up warm for a behind-the-scenes look at the game set to revive an entire genre.

From The Ground Up
Is nostalgia all it used to be? We investigate the current trend for remakes, reboots and rebirths.

REVIEWS
The definitive verdicts on the biggest games, including…
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Battlefield 3
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Batman: Arkham City
Dance Central 2
Shinobi
Kinect Sports: Season Two
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Saints Row: The Third
Rayman Origins
Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
Kirby Mass Attack
Sonic Generations
Real Steel
The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn
Raving Rabbids: Alive & Kicking
The King Of Fighters XIII
Disney Universe

PREVIEWS
The gaming future laid bare, with first looks and updates on…
Dragon’s Dogma
The Darkness II
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Max Payne 3
Prototype 2
Risen 2: Dark Waters
Hitman: Absolution
and many, many more…

RETRO
Behind The Scenes
A fond reflection on Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver – one of Crystal Dynamics’ finest works.

History Of Games: 1985
The year everyone’s favourite plumber was given his own adventure comes under the spotlight.

Backtracking
Think Metroid invented a genre? Think again. We dig out forerunners and peers with the same idea.

Issue 116 is available now from all good newsagents or online from the Imagine Shop.

Related posts:

1. games™ Issue 111

FEATURES
Halo 4
As 343 Industries prepares to begin a new Halo trilogy, we talk to Frank O’Connor and Dan Ayoub about Master Chief’s past, present and future…

Level-5
games™ looks at the continued rise of one of Japan’s most successful videogame developers of all time.

Pocket Wars
It’s a 3DS versus Vita title fight – who will win? We weigh in both contenders toe-to-toe.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
We speak to the team about the new features being added to the RPG sequel.

REVIEWS
The definitive verdicts on the biggest games, including…
The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Super Mario 3D Land
Forza Motorsport 4
Rage
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
Burnout Crash!
WRC2 – FIA World Rally Championship 2
Trackmania 2: Canyon
The Cursed Crusade
The Gunstringer
Renegade Ops
Bloodrayne: Betrayal
X-Men: Destiny
Skydrift
DoDonPachi Resurrection
LeedMees
Worms Crazy Golf
Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monster
FIFA 12 (online)

PREVIEWS
The gaming future laid bare, with first looks and updates on…
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Syndicate
Resident Evil Revelations
Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
Dragon Quest X: Rise Of The Five Tribes Online
Sine Mora
Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy
Saints Row: The Third
Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Rayman Origins
Street Fighter X Tekken
and many more…

RETRO
Behind The Scenes: Police Quest
We talk to former police officer Jim Walls about the development of Sierra On-Line’s groundbreaking Police Quest series

Sonic Generations
We look at how Sega’s new Sonic game is drawing inspiration from his past adventures.

Happy Birthday Link!
Games industry luminaries look back and decide on their favourite Legend Of Zelda games.

Issue 115 is available now from all good newsagents or online from the Imagine Shop.

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1. games™ Issue 107
2. games™ Issue 108
3. gamesTM Issue 110
4. games™ Issue 111
5. games™ Issue 113

FEATURES
From Software
As Dark Souls arrives in shops, we profile its creator, and one of the unsung heroes of the last two decades of development.

Fight For The Future
gamesTM meets with the development stars of the fighting game world to look at the current state of the genre and where it is headed.

Amanita Design
With Samarost 3 on the way, we speak to the Machinarium creator and see what it’s been up to for the last two years.

Board Stupid
Board games and videogames already owe each other a lot. We look at a few ways they can work together in the future.

Mass Effect 3
gamesTM talks to BioWare’s Ray Muzyka about what we can expect from Shepard’s return.

REVIEWS
The definitive verdicts on the biggest games, including…
Dark Souls
Resistance 3
Dead Island
Gears Of War 3
Rise Of Nightmares
FIFA 12
Nuclear Dawn
Bleach: Soul Resurreccion
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Bodycount
Crimson Alliance
Aliens: Infestation
Toy Soldiers: Cold War
Quarrel
Dead Rising 2: Off The Record
PES 2012
NHL 12
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2
Rock Of Ages
The Baconing
Street Fighter III:3rd Stike Online Edition (Online)
Driver: San Francisco (Online)

PREVIEWS
The gaming future laid bare, with first looks and updates on…
Borderlands 2
Soul Calibur V
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2
The Witness
Resistance: Burning Skies
DmC Devil May Cry
Dust 514
and many more…

RETRO
Behind The Scenes: Postal
We talk to Running With Scissors’ Vince Desi about the trials and tribulations of the controversial Postal.

History Of Games: 1984
Our regular feature charts the rise of gaming, one year at a time. This year: home computers take over.

Aftershocks
id’s Tim Willits remembers the creation of Quake.

Issue 114 is available now from all good newsagents or online from the Imagine Shop.

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FEATURES
Modern Warfare 3
With the new Call Of Duty just over the horizon, games™ visits the studio of Sledgehammer Games and talks to the develpoment team.

Binary Domain
We meet Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi to discuss morality, science fiction and cover shooters, and how they all fit into Binary Domain.

WayForward
With 120 games in its portfolio, WayForward could be the most accomplished developer you’ve never heard of. We meet Voldi Way, the studio’s founder.

Unlikely Stories
Did you know Alfred Hitchcock invented videogames? Well, he did. Kind of. Read exactly how he did that, along with ten other tall tales.

Burnout Crash!
After having to keep our mouths shut about it for an entire year, we finally pull the dust cloth from Criterion’s top-down downloadable spin-off Burnout Crash! and ask the developers all about it.

Halo Anniversary
games™ talks to 343 Studios about the future of Microsoft’s most successful exclusive franchise, and asks what we might expect from Saber’s Combat Evolved remake.

REVIEWS
The definitive verdicts on the biggest games, including…
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Call Of Juarez: The Cartel
Bastion
Catherine
Xenoblade Chronicles
Ms. ‘Splosion Man
El Shaddai: Ascension Of The Metatron
Dream Trigger 3D
Groove Coaster
Driver: San Francisco
Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
The King Of Fighters-i
Captain America: Super Soldier

PREVIEWS
The gaming future laid bare, with first looks and updates on…
Rage
The Secret World
Need For Speed The Run
Dark Souls
Trackmania 2: Canyon
Diablo III
Dead Rising 2: Off The Record
Lollipop Chainsaw
Dishonored
The King Of Fighters XIII
Silent Hill: Downpour
NeverDead
and many more…

RETRO
Behind The Scenes: Theme Hospital
We talk to former members of the Bullfrog team about high temperatures and low spirits during the development of Theme Hospital.

History Of Games: 1983
Our regular feature charts the rise of gaming, one year at a time. This year: Dirk dares.

25 Years Of Famitsu
A look at the esteemed Japanese magazine’s history.

Issue 113 is available now from all good newsagents or online from the Imagine Shop.

Related posts:

1. games™ Issue 107
2. games™ Issue 108
3. games™ Issue 111
4. games™ Issue 115

FEATURES
Forza Motorsport 4
It’s coming, it looks utterly phenomenal, and it’s got Kinect support as well as Jeremy Clarkson. Is there anything Forza 4 can’t do?

Kinect: The Future
We look at what Kinect has achieved so far, and ask the industry where it should go next.

XCOM
After a year of solid development after its announcement, 2K Marin takes us inside its reboot of the strategy classic.

Minecraft
It’s one of the most successful videogames on the market, and it’s not even out of beta. We examine the world-building charm of Minecraft.

Paul Cuisset
The Flashback creator is returning to games with the downloadable survival horror title Amy. Here, he talks to games™ to reflect on his career.

REVIEWS
The definitive verdicts on the biggest games, including…
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
F.3.A.R.
Red Faction: Armageddon
Solatorobo: Red The Hunter
Trenched
Wii Play Motion
Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3
Ape Escape
The Tiny Bang Story
Major League Baseball 2K11
Puzzle Agent 2
Phantom Breaker
From Dust
Magic: The Gathering – Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2012
Duke Nukem Forever (Online)
White Knight Chronicles II (Online)

PREVIEWS
The gaming future laid bare, with first looks and updates on…
Dead Island
Journey
Super Mario
Starcraft II: Heart Of The Swarm
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Metro: Last Light
The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Battlefield 3
Heroes Of Ruin
Luigi’s Mansion 2
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
Batman: Arkham City
Overstrike
SSX
Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale
Inversion
and many more…

RETRO
Behind The Scenes: Rez
Hot on the heels of Child Of Eden’s release, Tetsuya Mizuguchi looks back on the making of his synaesthesia masterpiece, Rez.

History Of Games: 1982
Join us as we look back at the year that brought us the Commodore 64, the ZX Spectrum and E.T.

The Games Master
We catch up with Dominik Diamond, the man who brought videogames and nob gags into the British mainstream as the host of GamesMaster.

Issue 112 is available now from all good newsagents or online from the Imagine Shop.

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1. games™ Issue 107
2. games™ Issue 108
3. gamesTM Issue 110
4. games™ Issue 111
5. games™ Issue 115

FEATURES
U Turn
We devote a mammoth 12 pages to Nintendo’s new console, interview the company’s top names (including Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai) and detail all the DS, Wii, 3DS and Wii U games heading your way in the year ahead.

Ninja Gaiden 3
Ryu Hayabusa is returning, but the Ninja Gaiden series is changing. We talk to Team Ninja’s Yosuke Hayashi about what he has planned.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Few Final Fantasy games get a direct sequel – should XIII really be one of them? We examine the evidence, and talk it over with the guys behind FFXIII-2.

PixelJunk Sidescroller
We look at the creative career of Dylan Cuthbert’s Q Games, and what is next for the Kyoto-based indie developer.

Silver Dollar Games
Depending on who you ask, Silver Dollar is either the worst developer on the planet or a bastion of Xbox Live Indie genius. games™ finds out which it is…

REVIEWS
The definitive verdicts on the biggest games, including…
Duke Nukem Forever
Hunted: The Demon’s Forge
Shadows Of The Damned
Infamous 2
Dungeon Siege III
Alice: Madness Returns
Jamestown
The 2D Adventures Of Rotating Octopus Character
Earth Defence Force: Insect Armageddon
Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale
White Knight Chronicles 2
The First Templar
Lume
Williams Pinball Classics
Arcana Heart 3
Max And The Magic Marker
A New Beginning
Monster Hunter: Dynamic Hunting
Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (Online)
Dirt 3 (Online)

PREVIEWS
The gaming future laid bare, with first looks and updates on…
Hitman: Absolution
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
BioShock Infinite
Rise Of Nightmares
Soul Calibur V
Forza Motorsport 4
Far Cry 3
Need For Speed: The Run
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Rayman Origins
Darksiders II
Sound Shapes
DmC Devil May Cry
and many more…

RETRO
Retro Review: Ocarina Of Time 3D
With the N64 classic having been released on 3DS, we take the opportunity to re-evaluate Link’s first 3D outing.

Behind The Scenes
Game designer Takashi Tokita recalls the development of Final Fantasy IV, and how it affected his hygeine.

History Of Games: 1981
Our regular feature charts the rise of gaming, one year at a time. This year: it’s all monkey business…

Falcom: Legacy Of Y’s
A comprehensive retrospective of the JRPG franchise.

Issue 111 is available now from all good newsagents or online from the Imagine Shop.

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1. games™ Issue 107
2. games™ Issue 113
3. games™ Issue 115
4. Final Fantasy XIII ‘not a mistake’ says XIII-2 developer
5. games™ Issue 116

FEATURES
Into Uncharted Territory
Ezio returns: older, wiser and with Altaïr on his side. We take an exclusive look at what Ubisoft has in store with Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.

Loot Drop
id alumnus and industry veteran John Romero discusses his new venture, and how he intends to change the face of social gaming.

Prinnies For The World
Have you ever wondered how a madcap strategy-RPG like Nippon Ichi’s Disgaea series gets localised for the West? Wonder no longer…

100 Free Games
gamesTM runs through a selection of awesome free games – some familiar, some not so – that you can play today.

REVIEWS
The definitive verdicts on the biggest games, including…
Child Of Eden
L.A. Noire
Dead Or Alive: Dimensions
Steel Diver
The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings
Brink
SBK 11
The Next Big Thing
Hector: Badge Of Carnage – We Negotiate With Terrorists
Thor: God Of Thunder
Lego Pirates Of The Caribbean
The Fancy Pants Adventure
Dirt 3
Red Faction: Battlegrounds
Strania: The Stella Machina
Nin2-Jump
Darkspore
Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury
Imaginary Range
Shin Magami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable
Pokémon Black/White (Online)

PREVIEWS
The gaming future laid bare, with first looks and updates on…
Mass Effect 3
Starhawk
Tomb Raider
Arcana Heart 3
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Sonic Generations
Driver: San Francisco
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Spider-Man: Edge Of Time
Binary Domain
Ridge Racer Unbounded
Max Payne 3
Infamous 2
Gears Of War 3
Final Fantasy Type-0
Bodycount
Phantasy Star Online 2
FIFA 12
and many more…

RETRO
Behind The Scenes
A look back at how Mie Kumagai and the team at AM3 created the Virtua Tennis series.

History Of Games: 1980
Our regular feature charts the rise of gaming, one year at a time. This year: wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca wacca…

Gotta Catch ‘Em All
We profile three avid video game collectors.

Issue 110 is available now from all good newsagents or online from the Imagine Shop.

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1. games™ Issue 106
2. games™ Issue 107
3. games™ Issue 111
4. gamesTM Issue 112
5. games™ Issue 115

FEATURES
Lockdown
We take an in-depth look at how region-locking is making a comeback, limiting what you play.

Handicapable
With over 30 million disabled people out there, why aren’t games developers doing more to guarantee their custom? games™ investigates…

Breath Of Fire
Capcom lifts the lid on the monster new IP it hopes will take the West by storm; Dragon’s Dogma.

Black Magic
We chat to Obsidian Entertainment CEO Feargus Urquhart about finishing other developers’ legacies, creating new IP and ironing out bugs.

The Better Of Two Evils
With binary choices becoming commonplace, we examine the morality of modern gaming.

Changing Perspective
After being lost in development hell, Fez is finally nearing release. We speak to Polytron’s Phil Fish about his charming pixel-flipping platform puzzler.

REVIEWS
The definitive verdicts on the biggest games, including…
Portal 2
SOCOM: Special Forces
Mortal Kombat
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
Frog Minutes
Islands Of Wakfu
Battle: Los Angeles
Operation Flashpoint: Red River
The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile
Moon Diver
Shield The Beat
Conduit 2
Duke Nukem: Critical Mass
Patapon 3
Virtua Tennis 4
Section 8: Prejudice
Super Monkey Ball 3D
Ghostbusters: Sanctum Of Slime
Swarm
Crysis 2 (Online)

PREVIEWS
The gaming future laid bare, with first looks and updates on…
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
X-Men Destiny
Street Fighter X Tekken
Prototype 2
Dream Trigger 3D
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Dead Rising 2: Off The Record
Dirt 3
Skullgirls
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Amy
Asura’s Wrath
Saints Row: The Third
Prey 2
Sonic Generations
and many more…

RETRO
Behind The Scenes
With an Xbox Live Arcade port on the horizon, we chart the creation of Treasure’s Guardian Heroes.

History Of Games: 1979
Join us as we look back on the final year of the Seventies – a year that was all about the hardware.

Striking Out
We look at how some of the most popular games to emerge from the British 8-bit scene in the 1980s reflected by the fractious political climate of the time.

Issue 109 is available now from all good newsagents or online from the Imagine Shop.

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