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THE 100 GAMES TO PLAY NOW
TEAM PICKS
Oscar Taylor-Kent
Games editorI love when newer
games are on
PS Now, but
when it comes to
collections feeling
complete I’m all
about the classics. I’m not too
bent out of shape that there
are no proper PS1 games on
the service – I know there are
probably technical reasons.
But come on. The only thing
stopping a complete Metal Gear
Solid playthrough via PS Now
is MGS1. It would be fantastic
if we could get easy access to
those gems from the true back
catalogue of PlayStation. While
they’re at it Silent Hill, Vagrant
Story, and Mega Man Legends
wouldn’t go amiss either. I need
to get old school.Batman: Arkham City
An open-worlddJokertour
FORMAT PS3 / YEAR 2011 PUB WARNER BROS
DEV ROCKSTEADY STUDIOS / ISSUE OPM #64
SCORE10/1013
With Arkham Asylum casting a huge shadow,
Rocksteady took Bats off the prison island
and dropped him into an open-district of
Gotham, suitably reappropriated to house
DC’s dirtiest scumbags. Gliding above its streets
produced thrills matched only by some top
performances from Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. An
all-star cast, some great twists, improved boss
battles, tons of collectibles, and the best hand-to-hand
combat ever created make it a masterpiece.Uncharted: Drake’s Deception
Andnowfordesert...
FORMAT PS3 / YEAR 2011 / PUB SONY
DEVNAUGHTY DOG/ISSUEOPM #64/SCORE10/1014
Such is the slim margin between success and
failure at the top that if Uncharted 3 had
been anything other than absolutely stellar, it
would have been deemed an abject failure in
comparison with its prequels. The lofty position it finds
itself in, then, speaks volumes for Naughty Dog’s ability
to consistently better its cinematic pacing, visual
fidelity, and singed-into-the-retinas moments such as
that sandstorm. Or that boat. Or that plane. Hang on- is any of it not standout?
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty
Big Shell, biggerimpact
FORMATPS2/YEAR 2001 /PUBKONAMI/DEVKCEJ/ISSUEOPS2 #17/SCORE10/1015
It’s hard to know if any other game has ever captured the collective imagination of an E3 audience like MGS2 did in- Thanks to the powerful Emotion Engine, Solid Snake and his magnificent mullet came to vivid life in a way no-one
could have imagined. Overhauling the hide-and-seek template laid down in Shadow Moses, KCEJ created fiendishly
smart guard patrols, bold first-person aiming and a tanker that would become PlayStation’s greatest boat... at least
until Uncharted 3. Just don’t mention Raiden, okay? On PS Now, this is the PS3 remaster from the HD Collection.
Uncharted:
Drake’s Fortune
ClassicNate aandswitch
FORMAT PS3 / YEAR 2007
PUB SONY / DEV NAUGHTY DOG
ISSUEOPM #13/SCORE9/1019
Among Thieves perfected
the set-piece spectacle,
but it was this tale of
long-lost treasure on an
island sweating with modern
pirates that laid the foundation for
PS3’s defining series. With
dialogue that snaps and pops like a
well-written sitcom and a winning
lead set in the Indy mould,
PlayStation found its new icon.
Uncharted’s sweltering jungles
are still a star attraction seven
years on, setting screens alight
with brilliantly bright colour. Funny,
fresh, and essential.Metal Gear Solid 4:
Guns Of The Patriots
BigBossbowout
FORMAT PS3 / YEAR 2008
PUB KONAMI / DEV KOJIMA
PRODUCTIONS / ISSUE OPM #19
SCORE10/1018
Who said you can’t teach
an Old Snake new tricks?
Offering the kind of
era-closing fan service
to make most longtime series
stalwarts weep into their hankies,
MGS4 tied together 21 years of
dangling plot strands. The ending
is both hugely cathartic and one of
PlayStation’s best, but the legacy
of its brilliant controls (how fun is
that military roll?) shouldn’t be
forgotten. Less focused than
Snake Eater it may be, but this is
still a supreme stealth offering.Wolfenstein:
The New Order
A worthyyblasst fromtheppast
FORMAT PS4 / YEAR 2014
PUB BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
DEV MACHINEGAMES
ISSUEOPM #35/SCORE9/1017
This reboot is a retro
blast that places an
emphasis on weighty
weapons doing a lot of
damage to the army of Nazis that
stands between BJ Blazkowicz and
the end of the Third Reich. There’s
no multiplayer – this shooter is all
about the story. The cast of oddball
characters brings the narrative to
life, but it’s the gunplay that steals
the headlines, helped by devilish AI
that will use cover. Blending
various mechanics, including
stealth, Wolfenstein: New Order is
one of PS4’s best shooters.God Of War III –
Remastered
Olympushasfallen
FORMAT PS3 / YEAR 2010
PUB SONY / DEV SANTA MONICA
STUDIO / ISSUE OPM #42
SCORE9/1016
Kratos’ first appearance
on PS3 was by far his
grandest, flinging the dial
up to 11. Director Stig
Asmussen and the team at Santa
Monica were careful not to water
down the GOW formula when it
made the jump to seventh gen.
Instead they made the combat
even more intuitive, gave you more
enemies on screen than ever to
eviscerate with your Blades Of
Exile, and offered up a spectacular,
crumbling Olympus. This is the PS4
remaster, which improves its
PS Now appeal.