097REVIEW
LAST MONTH
ON PS PLUSIf November’s Plus lineup is anything to
go by, it would seem that Sony, like us,
just couldn’t get enough of the spooky
season. The month’s two headline acts
really fit the bill, offering spine-chilling
scares on one hand and mischievous
mythologicalmonstersontheother.If you played Outlast
after seeing it in our
horror countdown in
issue #168, you could
have dived into the sequel, Outlast II,
with a PS Plus subscription. Trading the
first game’s hospital setting for a hike
into the mountains, in it two investigative
journalists got on the wrong side of a
fanatical cult. Equipped with only your
high-tech camera’s night vision mode
and a directional microphone, your one
defence was avoidance. But that didn’t
mean this was a slow-paced stealth
game that saw you picking your way
through the darkness; there was (all too
little) stamina to manage and plenty of
running for your life.
As these winter nights get longer
and longer, we’ll completely understand
if Outlast II wasn’t your first choice to
unwind with in the evening. While last
month’s second helping at least gave you
a weapon,it wasn’tquitea relaxingjaunt
intotheJapanesecountrysideeither.
Nioh featured
soulslike swordplay
(plus plenty of
different weapon-
play besides) and a historical-adjacent
story lavishly embellished with Japanese
mythology and crazy demon designs.
Team Ninja’s slasher added new
wrinkles to the winning Souls formula
in the shape of the stance system and
small spirits hidden throughout the
levels that were able to offer you their
blessings, making things just a little bit
easier. All of this and its blonde-haired,
Irish samurai protagonist certainly
marked it out from the crowd. As we
await the release of the, this remained a
voyage well worth making. Both games
are available till 3 December.@KoeniginKatzePLANTS VS ZOMBIES:
BATTLE FOR
NEIGHBORVILLE
Willit leafyouwantingmore?
H
owfarthePlantsVs
Zombiesfranchisehas
come.Whatstarted
outasa waytopass
timeonmobilehasgrown
intoa differentbeast,evolving
froma humbletowerdefence
gameintooneofthemost
robust,kid-friendlyonline
shootersaround.Thesameis
trueforPopCap’sthreequel,
whichsmartlymarchescloser
toDestiny-fication.Story-wise,it centresonthe
continuedwarbetween
flesh-eatersandshrubs,
presentingyouwitha healthy
suiteofPvPandPvEmodesto
jumpinto.Themainchange
thistimeis thatallis accessed
viatheeponymoustown,which
servesasyourcentralhub.This
updatesalmostweeklywith
fresheventsanditems,asany
goodlive-servicegameshould.
PopularPvPmodeslike
GardenOpsandTurfTakeover
returnandareperfectfor
testingyourcombatability
againstothers,butthebest
actionis foundinthenew
openzones.Travellingtothese
willseeyouundertakevarious
quests,roamingthemapin
searchofbossestofight,
bountiestocollect,andpuzzles
tosolve.Youcanexperience
everythinginthecompanyof
threefriends,andtheareasINFO FORMATPUB ELECTRONIC ARTS PS4 ETA OUT NOW DEV POPCAP VANCOUVER@ItsMeAaronPVERDICTKICK GRASSplay out differently depending
on whether you enter them as
plants or zombies.TREE FOR ALL
Almost every action earns you
the coins and XP you need to
unlock more customisation
options and upgrades. Opened
a chest? Have some coins.
Finished a bounty? Here’s some
more. Battle For Neighborville
does a great job of rewarding
you, making revisiting open
zones like Town Center or
Mount Steep in order to
upgrade all 20 classes alluring.
While there isn’t one
microtransaction in sight
when we play during the
six-week beta period, EA has
been open about premium
currency arriving eventually.
This is a shame considering
how well-paced earning XP
and coins currently feels. Only
time will tell if letting players
speed up their progression
spoils the experience. Until
that time, however, Battle For
Neighborville is a bold step
in the right direction for EA’s
gaudy online shooter.Oozing with things to do and
inventive classes to do them
with, it elevates the act of
shooting plants and zombies to
fresh heights. Aaron Potter