Another pre-rendered teaser that told us very little, beyond letting us know
a new game in an existing series is currently in development. Still, the presence
of a zombie stag snacking on a wolf before shrieking at a crossbow-wielding
survivor surely means undead animals will be a new threat, while the wintry
forest setting suggests we’ll be spending more time away from cities. Could
that mean fewer idiotic NPCs getting us into trouble? Will Undead Labs get the
opportunity to make the MMO it’s been hinting at for some time? Given the
studio is now officially part of the Microsoft family, it should finally have the
resources to do justice to what remains a strong conceit. At the very least, we’re
hoping it launches in a less putrid state than its predecessor – the buggiest,
most unfinished day-one release from a major format holder in living memory.
The eighth Forza Motorsport is on its way to Xbox Series X, sans numeral, but
you might have to wait a while. This ‘series reimagining’ is unlikely to surface
until at least next year, though bypassing any need for smart delivery to Xbox
One will allow Turn 10 to fine-tune its racing sim for optimal next-gen
performance. The game will run at 60fps in 4K, and ray tracing is being added
to the Forzatech engine. Natural, dynamic lighting and reflections will result in
beautifully shiny cars and highly detailed track surfaces – which should benefit
future Forza Horizon games too. Xbox Series X’s Dynamic Latency Input,
meanwhile, which means lower controller latency, provides another advantage
to Turn 10’s more serious racing sim being next-gen only. Reducing input lag is
critical when cars are moving at 200mph, and timing and precision are everything.STATE OF DECAY 3 FORZA MOTORSPORT
Developer Undead Labs Publisher Xbox Game Studios
Release TBADeveloper Turn 10 Studios Publisher Xbox Game Studios
Release TBA3D platformers are a rare breed these days, so after putting
one on our cover, we weren’t expecting another to emerge –
and at this rate, this one may even be with us sooner. The
Square Enix logo made us think of Kingdom Hearts, but Yuji
Naka’s latest owes more to Nights Into Dreams, not least since
its director Naoto Ohshima is on board as art director. His
influence is obvious in the top-hatted Balan, who whisks our
protagonist off to fantastical worlds on a flying locomotive.
The triumphant feel of composer Ryo Yamazaki’s main
theme gives us Super Mario Galaxy vibes, which is fitting for
a game that looks to have a similar degree of imagination.You’ll walk on air, leap between floating water spheres, and
don more than 80 costumes, each giving you different abilities.
The Super Streamer outfit lets you shoot water from your
arms, while as a spider you can navigate cobwebs, and when
cosplaying as a yeti you’ll freeze enemies in blocks of ice.
Others appear to be inspired by rival platformers: Whirling
Wolf looks like a Crash Bandicoot wannabe, Cephalopainter
looks like a knock-off Splatoon character, and we glimpse
a speedy Sega-baiting blue creature. Here’s hoping Naka’s game
is more than the sum of its influences, but a concentrated
dose of whimsy seems like just the ticket right now.BALAN WONDERWORLD
Developer Balan Company Publisher Square Enix Release Spring