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(THE WORLD'S #1 VIDEO GAME MAGAZINE

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BUNGIE REVEALS THE STAGGERING SCOPE OF

DESTINY

14 PAGES OF EXCLUSIVE DETAILS

AVAILABLE AT

POWER TO THE PLAYERS

PERFORMANCE DESIGNED PRODUCTS ®

ARSENAL...

AVAILABLE FOR

Customizable with 6

AND Upgraded with SmartTrack" for programmable functions. superior targeting and control -————— P kx Move your most Important actions from the buttons to © Smarttiack Your Fingertips 62013 Performance Designed Products, LLC. Permormance Designed Products, PDR. Smartrack and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Products LLC. 02013 Electronic Arts Inc. Bartieheld, Datel 4 and the DICE logo are trademarks of EA Digtal EN "osos CEB. EA and the EA logo are trademarks of Becton Arts к. Al other ademas are property of their respective owner. PlayStation 3 and PS3 are =

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PRISMATIC UNIVERSAL WIRELESS HEADSETS

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STUDIO TUNED ACOUSTICS EXTREME COMFORT

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-— е © © “© © YOU CHOOSE THE COLOR

PRISMATIC DOLBY 5.1 DIGITAL COMPATIBLE WITH PLAYSTATION® 4

ANDY McNAMARA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF andy@gameinformer.com

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visit gameinformer.com daily for the latest and greatest, and follow Ggameinformer on Twitter

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Read my column or comment on this letter at gameinformer.com/mag or follow @6! AndyMc

ТҺе Тїе-ВгеаКег

е dedicated a lot of space in this issue

W to telling you which game is better than the other, and which system does this

functionality better than the other. In fact, we

spend a lot of time here in the office telling

each other what is or isn’t good. Defending

a position that we believe in is what makes

us good at debate, and by extension in my

opinion, good game journalists.

We are critics by nature (and job description), and the banter is how we sharpen our proverb- ial pencils. With the launch of Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the holiday game rush, and the looming Top 50 Games of 2013 feature that we will tackle next issue, we have had our fair share of opinions bouncing back and forth around the office.

But at the end of the day, myself and every other gamer out there knows what type of player they are. | know what I want from my games. | know what | want from a system. Attimes there are innovations that show me something that | didn't know | wanted, but those times are rare.

We are who we thought we were.

Some will say that by giving the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 the same grade we took the easy way out. Perhaps we did. But don't think for a second we reached these verdicts without navigating a minefield of discussion and judgment amongst the editors here at Game Informer and in our own heads.

Ultimately, it's hard to say what is right or wrong. I know what type of gamer | am, you know what type of gamer you are. Perhaps you value the Xbox achievements system and love what Kinect brings to your games and your home entertainment. Perhaps you love the extra little hardware punch the PlayStation 4 has to offer, o value its stable of exclusive games over those offered by its competitors. Maybe you are going to stick with your Wii U or trusty PC.

These are the final pieces to the puzzle. They are the questions that only you can answer because only you...know you. We аге merely here to guide you to the answer that only you can find.

Enjoy the issue.

Cheers,

»

Destiny

After leaving Microsoft and Halo behind, Bungie decided to wander into the treacherous waters of the multi-console release with Destiny. It's a huge game in a fully realized science-fiction universe with innovative multiplayer backed by a proven developer - and we've played it. by Matt Miller

OPTIONS,

34 The Art Of Endings MES] Old And Shiny: Cross-Generation Ports regulars 6 Feedback 10 Connect 68 Previews 80 Reviews 100 Game Over

This month readers wonder why preferring the Wii U labels them a Nintendo fan- boy, and not a fan of video games. Readers also thank us for our cautionary tale about colleges with video game curriculum, and tell us about their experiences in Grand Theft Auto V.

Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are in the wild, and we're ready to unleash our hard- ware reviews. We also take a look back while stepping forward, to compare the current and previous genera- tions, and examine the art of the video game ending.

We get our hands on Infamous: Second Son for the first time, learn more about Kingdom Hearts Ill and Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, and find out what Blizzard has planned for the future of WoW and its franchise mash-up multiplayer game, Heroes of the Storm.

We've got our first Xbox One and PlayStation 4 reviews with Knack, Killzone: Shadowfall, Resogun, Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse: Son of Rome, and Killer Instinct. Don't worry though - we didn't forget about Super Mario 3D World, BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea, or Tearaway.

It's a new year, and that means resolutions. We take a look at some of the biggest video game companies in the industry and offer them potential resolutions that are sure to make fans happy.

contents 3

games index

BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea — Episode 1. .

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.

Conception Il: Children of the Seven Stars

Contrast

Crimson Dragon .... Dead Rising 3 . Deadfall Adventures . Destiny .

Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze

Dragon Ball 7: Battle of Z....

EverQuest Next Landmark. . . Forza Motorsport 5 . . Heroes of the Storm . Lego Marvel Super Heroes . .

Infamous: Second Son .....

d Killer Instinct. . Opinion: Much Ado About Launches

Killzone: Shadow Fall Kingdom Hearts Il

Knack

Lococycle

Mario Party: Island Storm. . . NBA 2K14

NBA Live 14. . . гатта Need For Speed: Rivals . . Path of Exile .

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare

Powerstar Golf

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy...

Project Spark. .

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus

Resogun Ryse: Son of Rome ... Shadowrun: Dragonfall Super Mario 3D World . Super Motherload Tearaway.

The Stanley Parable . .

Killzone: Shadow Fall World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor .

4 contents

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Bom a slave, Adewale found freedom as a pirate aboard the Jackdaw, where he became Edward Kenway's second-in-command. Now, 15 years later, Adewale has become a trained Assassin. Forced to face his past, Adewale sets out to free slaves and bring death to their captors.

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© 2013 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin's Creed, Black Flag, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or ter cot Tha “PS Fani loo and "PS3" are адет trademarks and “PS4” isa trademark of Sony Computer Entertzinment ie. = UBISOFT

6

Contact Us

P

Grand Theft Auto V is the game on everyone's mind, as readers discuss what lived up to the hype and what didn't. Fans also share their excitement for The Order: 1886, question a classic, and praise Game Infarcer's ability to predict the future.

Getting Things In Order After reading your cover story on The Order: 1886, I'm now more excited than ever to get my hands on the game. The concept of the knights protecting humanity from the beastly half-breeds is very intriguing to me. Being a fan of alternate history sci-fi, I'll have a joyous time exploring 19th century London, blasting half- breeds with a slew of interesting weaponry. Kudos to the people at Ready At Dawn for crafting what looks to be a gorgeous master- piece. I'm hoping this game will make me love the PS4 just as much as Resistance: Fall of Man made me love the PS3 many years ago. Zack Bachman Kirksville, MO

Thank you for the excellent cover story for The Order: 1886. From the interesting alternate history to the crazy-but-intriguing weapons that the knights utilize, The Order sounds amazing and has my complete attention. | also want to commend the GI staff on the recent video interview with members of Ready At Dawn. The interview and cover story both have me excited for what looks to be a very promising new game for the PS4.

Jonathan Moore

via email

Ready At Dawn's first original IP has gamers taking notice of both the developer and the possibilities of next-gen gaming. To learn more about The Order: 1886 and Ready at Dawn, check out our exclusive bonus coverage at gameinformer.com/ theorder. To see if the PlayStation 4 is all it's cracked up to be, check out our hard-

feedback@gameinformercom ware review on page 10.

Higher Learning | want to thank you for the article, “How Not To Become A Game Developer" (issue 247). In 2006, | pursued a programming degree at a prestigious four-year university in Illinois. The program was for a Bachelor of Applied Science, specifically Game Simulation and Programming. We were the first class of the new program. In other words, we were the guinea pigs. | completed the program in 2009, but had no luck finding a job. Companies were looking for candidates with three-plus years experience, and | felt unqualified for the other prerequisites, which included knowl- edge of the Unreal engine and Microsoft SQL server, both of which | didn’t have a chance to use in school. | have since switched careers and am now working at a hospital as a surgi- cal technician. | am very happy with my job, but have always wondered what my other career would've been like if | had been more prepared. | wish | could've read your article back in high school! | would've researched the program more and had better questions. for my admissions representative. | can only hope that other people, particularly students, read this article. | guarantee that they will save a lot of time, money, and stress!

Richard Reyes

via email

Reading Brian Albert's “How Not to Become а Game Developer” article was like turning to a chapter in my personal history book. Two years prior to Brian, I had the exact same experience in Westwood's Game Design and Development “program.” It infuriates me that to this day that "school" is allowed to continue with its business model. The recruiters do a

fantastic job of preying on prospective stu- dents, especially those who feel there are во few options that will get them into the gaming industry. That the Westwood institution calls itself a university is a sham, and | am so glad to finally see the word get out there publicly. Right now | am a junior at a local, non-profit university where | am majoring in English and writing, and can safely say | have a much more solid grasp on design and development, and a far better portfolio than what came out of my three years at Westwood. Oh, and at a third of the cost too.

Tara Campbell

via email

Unfortunately, we received a number of letters empathizing with Brian's experi- ence. Just because you've chosen to pursue your dream career doesn't mean you should do it with your head in the clouds. Setting realistic expectations, asking tough questions to admissions officers, and formulating a solid backup plan can all help minimize the risk of trying to land a job in the video games industry.

Disney Infinity might be the most cynical prod- uct I've seen in my three decades of gaming.

I understand GI gave the game a high score, зо | am likely to be dismissed ог mocked in your pages for my strong distaste of it, but | bristled with disbelief when I read your preview for the Toy Story expansion in issue 246. Any parent not reading the fine print will buy the game for their youngster and open it up to play an adventure in the Toy Story universe with Woody and Buzz...only to find that Woody is sold separately?! Where does this end?

Will we get a Lion King set with just Pumbaa? Maybe a Little Mermaid expansion where Ariel is confined to the ocean unless you buy her human legs to enable the on-land portions? By purchasing this, we're telling game creators that this is acceptable. If we're going to stand pat for things like this, we can never make horse armor jokes again.

“I friended Ben Reeves on my 360, and | think he un-friended me or something. Can you tell him to re-friend me?”

Unfortunately Ben doesn’t believe in re-friending.

“What are some points | can make to my mom that proves that GTA V isn't just a 'car- jacking murder game’ as she calls it?”

How about “you can also do drugs and sleep with prosti- tutes in the game"?

Justin Cooper “Why does Dan always wear San Marcos, TX a t-shirt of some crappy ‘70s rock band?" You're not the only one who's turned ariel lae Ow

off by Disney Infinity's business model, Justin. Many gamers and critics alike have decried how the series (along with Skylanders) panders to children with pricey action figures. Ultimately, however, Disney Infinity presents players with the same purchasing decision they have to make for every game; if you don't enjoy Every single on T it enough to justify the more expensive 1

price tag, then don't buy it.

formal attire. It's kind of his version of a tuxedo t-shirt, only not as classy.

*| would like to start off by saying: How dare you sir!”

“To put more than just new games put old ones to”

Are lives in video games obsolete? Why or why not?

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Left) Shadowrun creator Jordan Weisman recently showed off Harebrained ‘Schemes’ new board game/video game hybrid, Golem Arcana, to Tim and Miller. Read Miller's preview at gameinformer.com.

Right) Kim didn't just dress up as a hockey player for this year's Halloween — she played the part by beating up Jason, who we think was supposed to be dressed as Michael Jackson from Thriller.

‘continued on page 8

CANDID PHOTOS FROM THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY

feedback 7

I'm a normal 13-year-old Texan kid suffering from video game grounding fatigue. While re-reading last year's Game Infarcer in issue 228, | found your parody entitled "Nintendo 2DS?" It joked how the 3D sliders didn't work on 3DS handhelds, but no one noticed. As | read it, | glanced up at the TV, and right then the new “Nintendo 205" commer- cial came on. | was amazed. You guys know the future! Were you actually thinking about Nintendo developing a two-dimensional 3DS, or was Darth Clark just being a dark time-machine wizard? Blake Hensley Arlington, TX

Nintendo abandoning the 3D effect of its latest me ox

handheld and renaming it the 2DS is only the i jamers, t reade: e latest example of Game Infarcer's soothsaying

abilities. The parody section also prophesized

the Wii U (Le. WiiDS), Team Ninja taking over

the Metroid series, and Nintendo's since-can-

celed Vitality Sensor - though we envisioned it

more as a pillow accessory. It just goes to show

you that the truth is stranger than fiction - at

least when Nintendo is concerned.

1 bought The Orange Box a few weeks back, s Јаши T loi mainly to play Half-Life 2. I was six when it origi- i 3 fi nally came out, so | wasn't able to play it then.

| thought now was the perfect time to buy it. | : н as g 3 Б played through the main дате, both episodes, d y is v sion o

and Lost Coast. Yes, they were good games, and | И 2 >

п muuuuuu enjoyed them. However, | don't see why Half-Life 2

LLELLELELEL is fawned over by so many people. l'm not bashing n3 um : a the game in any way; | liked it very much. But what

m32% GTAV Love is so incredible about it, that it is spoken about as

Wars meon the "Citizen Kane" of video games?

Excitement ye j 8% "Shut Up And Play" Р Editorial Praise The love for Half-Life 2 has ballooned to mythi- j m16% Next-Gen Questions cal heights over the years, partly due to fans’ s ken gamers - 1з Core Пара incessant yearning for a sequel. However, ' ome ant

you have to remember that the game you still enjoyed today was originally released in 2004. Back then, Half-Life 2 was nothing short of ы $ negam; revolutionary, introducing players to a higher b assi le that allov caliber of storytelling, pacing, and gameplay

than they had seen before. It may seem some-

what run-of-the-mill now, but most trendsetters Е ^ wes do after being copied by other developers for almost a decade.

Horror Stories

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During this month's cover story trip, Bryan and Miller met with Bungie co-founder Jason Jones. (Right) Miller also interviewed Destiny's composer, Marty O'Donnell. Watch the interview on gameinformer.com,

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1 1 Maz Duford Considering he's using a rhino as his chair and using bananas for his bets, we're guessing DK is the guy no one wants to ‘show up for poker night

iit out tt fx «cena own ret re. Pome che yos sac a on. Dae eco ie PO c aie ire амі consi sone. ‘Send to: Game informer Reader Art Contest | 724 First Street North, 3rd Foor | Mpls, MN 55401 or Email to: ReaderArt@gameinforme

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(Left) Meet the creative minds behind Ready At Dawn: Marc Turndorf, Andrea Pessino, Ru Weerasuriya, Garret Foster,

and Dana Jan. (Right) Game Informer reader and all-around nice guy Zach Pligge (being photo-bombed by former intern Jack Gardner) spearheaded

GI's participation in the Extra

Life marathon this year, helping us raise over $16,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network. Great job, Zach!

feedback 9

NOTABLES

27

28

afterwords: the stanley parable

game hijackings: when а game is more than a Spiritual successor top ten new yorks

the art of endings

gamer: the man with the most games

opinion: much ado about launches

The Next Generation Is Now

\ Game Informer reviews the The PlayStation 4'and Xbox One have been

Xbox One and PlayStation 4 © the minds of gamers since before the systems were even officially introduced, but

questions still remain. How well does Kinect 2.0 work? Is it easy to share videos on the PS4? We test both units and explore and examine their positives and negatives.

connect 11

W = (e) X О m x

It's been a long journey from the introduction of Xbox One to its launch, but despite all the detours and dead ends, Microsoft's system vision is still largely intact. The hardware ably works as a multi-use console capable of putting gaming and media content at your fingertips. Or, thanks to the Kinect, at the sound of your voice. We spent significant time with the unit and are here to dissect it and give you a guided tour. by Matthew Kato

Note: There may be slight differences to the day-one launch experience depending on the system's update and other unforeseen changes

icrosoft envisions the Xbox One as the center of your home electronics hub, and perhaps as such, the system looks neither like the pure gaming systems of the past nor like a traditional media player. Although at first glance it looks like a relatively plain box, the asymmetry of its matte and glossy finishes gives it a more interesting look.

THE HARDWARE

What's In The Box Tech Specs = 500GB,

® Xbox One CPU» 8 core, 1.15 GHZ plus external hard drive

E ‘AMD custom CPU ‘compatibility after launch

Са Sor AMD 853 MHz 1/0 » 3xUSB3.0

(w/ 2 AA batteries) A/V » HDMI out, HDMI in, Optical Drive » Blu-ray/ digital output (optical), DVD drive Жош

» HDMI (6'6")

P Headset Memory » 8GB DDR 3 Communication » Gigabit

» Power Brick +32MB eSRAM Ethemet, 803.11n

connect 13

THE CONTROLLER

14

he Xbox One controller may be very similar to that of the Xbox 360, but make no mistake about it, it features subtle but important refinements, as well as one big jump forward for video games.

If you close your eyes and only hold the controller, your palms might not perceive much of a difference. However, your fingers would beg to differ. The analog sticks are taller and their tops are not as wide as the 360 controller, but they feel and grip better because the cups are slightly deeper and are comprised of two different materials. The ana- log stick rims are coated in a hard, finely textured plastic that is more tac- tile than the uniform, sometimes slippery construction of the 360 sticks. The new height on the analog sticks makes them feel more responsive, as you don't have to move them as far to reach the edge of their range.

The d-pad has also been replaced wholesale. Now it's clean and simple and even clicks as if to underscore how responsive and functional it is.

The biggest improvement, however, for the Xbox One controller is the triggers. While the triggers for all of Microsoft's controllers have been better than Sony's, the Xbox One takes it a step further. Not content to simply replicate those on the 360, these triggers curve outward slightly more and are wider. The outside edge of the triggers angle outward so the trigger itself is a lot bigger but not obtrusive. Similarly, your fingers rest on more of the bumper buttons’ surface area because the bumpers slope down at a shallower angle than those on the Xbox 360 controller.

The fact that more of your finger is in contact with the trigger is no doubt related to the triggers’ most important feature — rumble. The vi- bration you feel through the triggers gives a big boost to the gameplay experience, In particular, | loved it in Forza Motorsport 5. | could feel the skidding of the car and locking of the brakes (including the pulsing of the anti-lock brake system), all valuable information as | tried to maintain control of the car.

KINECT

icrosoft reversed course to make plugging in the Kinect optional, but the device is unmistakably a key compo- nent of the full Xbox One experience. Not only do its voice commands make navigating easy, the camera allows you to store multiple profiles on one Xbox One. When a friend or family member steps in front of Kinect, it automatically recognizes them and brings up their own customized dashboard. They can even download games they've bought for play on your system if you don't have them on your box.

The camera's ability to recognize different people in the room is impressive, and it can even do so when someone is six feet away. Microsoft advises that you be a minimum of four feet away when using the camera, but we've tried it closer and it still worked, which should make it a feasible option for those with smaller entertainment rooms. The Kinect can also read who is holding the controller, which can be useful for splitscreen games. For instance, Kinect could read which side

UPLOAD ЕТ

he Xbox One lets you record up to five minutes of video and upload it for anyone to see. After using Kinect Voice commands ("Xbox, Record That") the system automatically grabs the last 30 seconds. You can also bring up the Game DVR app and start recording whenever you like.

Clips can be edited in the Upload Studio app (which requires the Kinect, and it includes some stylistic touches as well, such as recording your own video commentary in a separate screen. While you're watching clips you can also fast forward or rewind.

Video streaming of gameplay using Twitch will be available in the first half of 2014. Until then, you can at least watch videos on the Twitch app.

of the couch each player is on and arrange the screen accordingly.

The voice command recognition is improved from the 360, but still makes some wrong selections at times. In particular | had difficulty using the voice commands in the One Guide locating specific TV stations and remote functions. This makes me wonder how the Kinect is going to pick up peculiar-sounding games and apps. Those looking to grief Xbox One players will have no problem doing so by shouting at the Kinect, “Xbox, turn off? while walking by.

The Kinect can function as a game mic, but it's not very loud, and although you can mute yourself, you cannot mute other party members unless they do it themselves. Instead, the pack-in mono headset is the better way to go. The headset sounds great. Its volume controls are handily located where the unit plugs into your controller, and the mute button lights up when activated. Likewise, there are audio indicators when you toggle the volume up or down.

GAME DVR

connect

15

THE DASHBOARD

he Xbox One interface is not that different from the 360 or

Windows 8. When you first start up the unit, the system walks

you through the initial setup, including signing in to your

existing profile or creating a new one, configuring Kinect, and

updating the system via the mandatory one-time Internet connection. Some steps can be skipped if you like.

The dashboard consists of three areas: Home, Pins, and Store, which you can toggle between with the bumper buttons. Each area has its own Panels within them, and there is content repetition among them. While this may be slightly confusing (the home screen, for instance, shows the content you accessed chronologically), it's easy to find what you want. For instance, the Pins screen is a place where you can post your favorite apps or games for quick selection (available only if you're online). The quickest way to move around the dashboard is by using the Kinect. You can say, "Xbox, Go to..." and name your game or app. You can navigate the dashboard with SmartGlass, but it's not that interesting.

The console's storefront for games, music, TV/movies, and apps has a side-scrolling menu layout with columns of content arranged along similar lines; surfacing new releases, recommendations, top-rated titles, and new releases. It all makes sense, but the repetition can be over- whelming. For example, what's the difference between a game in the ‘Top Games column and a game in the Popular Games column? It will Бе interesting to see how Microsoft surfaces indie titles once that initiative takes off.

The console's separate OSs allows you to resume where you left off in any game or app. This is obviously very helpful when multitasking, and switching between a game and your apps is seamless. There are limits, however. You can't switch between the media streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu Plus and keep your place in a movie you were watching,

for example. Should you ever want to go back to your home screen, pushing the Xbox Guide button on your controller takes you there.

The unit comes with some pretty powerful apps at launch, including Hulu Plus, Netflix, Skype, and Xbox One services like Xbox Fitness and Upload Studio. The latter is how you can edit game clips from the Game DVR. Each of these apps must first be downloaded and installed, and some of them require periodic manual updates. Neither of these actions take much time, but we would prefer automatic updates for all apps. Downloads for larger files like games can be queued while you do other things, and you can start playing games after a certain percentage of it is downloaded. An Xbox Gold-level membership is needed for many Xbox One features such as the Upload Studio, the OneGuide, Skype, Internet Explorer, Game DVR, and apps like NFL, Netflix, Twitch, and Hulu Plus.

One thing you won't find on the dashboard is how much hard drive space you have remaining. While connected systems will have the benefit of Microsoft's cloud storage for game saves, settings, and other smaller bits of system info, the large GB game installs will stil take up space on your hard drive. How much is actually there will be a mystery.

Your existing Live profile is the same, but the Xbox One is a different environ- ment. Your profile uses a large icon (but you can't import your own picture). Inside your profile you can see your friends list (which has expanded from

100 to 1,000), designate your favorite friends, and create a party (with up to 31 people). The Xbox One also introduces followers, who are people who can see what you're doing, but who aren't officially your friends. You can have an unlimited number of followers. In addition, your profile features a timeline feed that shows what your friends are up to. Achievements and clips from the Game DVR are also housed here.

Achievements take another step with Xbox One. Not only can developers create new ones on the fly, but the system also presents challenges related to in-game activities. These are separate from achievements (but are accessible by selecting your profile’s achievements) and instead of contributing to your gamerscore, they reward you with in-game items. The achievements from your 360 сапу over, and you can click on a game or арр to see how much progress you have left.

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Snap An App

‘Those who like to multitask can snap selected ‘games and apps to the right-hand side of their screen. Apps vary in their functionality once they are shrunk down and snapped to your screen, and the sound from both windows is automatically played simultaneously. Some websites, for instance, scale better than others, and its usefulness is limited. It can be handy to keep a game guide available or the game DVR options, but it’s too small to use it to watch TV in a meaningful way. Some Xbox One functions, like watching a Blu-ray movie, can't be snapped. Navigating within the

Snap window can be annoying depending on the app or website you're using. We hope Microsoft eventually allows users the ability to resize the Snap window or move it.

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The connected online functionality of the Xbox One gives it enor- ‘mous flexibility, but in terms of launch, it also means that some features of the box will be added later. The sky's the limit, but ‘Microsoft has also specifically mentioned a few amenities of the system that are planned, but just aren't ready on day one.

Ability To Use An External USB Hard Drive » The Xbox One does not allow the installation of a new intemal hard drive, but users will eventually be able to add extemal storage via one of its USB 3.0 ports. Any external hard drive can store the same data the internal HDD can, such as game downloads and installations. Microsoft has not announced when it plans to green light this functionality.

‘Third-Party Headsets » The Xbox One comes with a wired, mono headset, but if you want to use an existing one ~ or even Turtle Beach's officially sanctioned Xbox One headsets — you have to wait until sometime in early 2014 for Microsoft to release an adapter that makes this possible.

Using Your Real Name » Given that the friends list cap has gone up to 1,000, you could be forgiven for not remember who each Gamertag associates too. Unfortunately, at launch you won't be able to see or search friends’ real names.

Digital Game Gifting/Loaning » When asked about the possibility of allowing gamers to gift digital titles to friends, Larry Hyrb, director of programming for Xbox Live, told an audience on Reddit, "Great.

feature we'd like to add in someday, but won't be there at launch.”

IDGXbox » Microsoft and the Xbox 360 came under fire for its stance towards indie games, including its pricing and release Policies. The company originally required that all indie develop- ers find a publisher to get on Xbox One, but since has relented and set up the self-publishing ID@Xbox program. Unfortunately, it's such a late addition that gamers won't see the fruits of the program until after launch.

Game DVR Video Sharing To Facebook And YouTube » Right now the videos you create can only be shared across Xbox Live, but Microsoft says it plans to extend this coverage to the two major social networks.

10 Percent More GPU » Eurogamer reports that the console saves 10 percent of its GPU's graphical power for Kinect and other apps. Reportedly this extra horsepower will be made available to dev- elopers at some point without compromising functionality.

Sound Selection For Snap » Microsoft senior director of product management Albert Penello told us the company is working to allow players to choose their sound source when using a main window and a snapped app.

Returning To Games Mid-Save After Powering Down » This is also something that Penello told us is on the post-launch wish list.

‘Twitch Game Broadcasting » Coming in the first half of 2014.

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TELEVISION

icrosoft markets the Xbox One as a total home enter-

tainment device, but don't be fooled by its simple abil-

ity to capture a signal from your cable or satellite box

without having to change the input on your TV. While

it integrates watching TV into the console, it doesn't record like a DVR, and even though it can broadcast what's on your DVR, this requires the use of your normal remote (and of course the cable box itself) – thus making the Xbox One something less than a total home device.

Setting up your TV and cable/satellite box with the Xbox One is easy. Going through a few guided menus allows you to access your local pro- gramming guide (online connection required), which the Xbox One then visualizes as the One Guide. The console even tries to find the IR codes for your remotes so you can access some = but not all — of the remotes’ features via the Xbox One. For instance, you can link your TV, Xbox One, audio setup, and cable box so they all turn off together when you say, “Xbox Off.” However, the console doesn't replicate all the commands of a universal or standard DVR remote, meaning you have to keep that handy if you want to access your DVR or streaming options from the cable box. We had varying luck getting Kinect to recognize our channel changing commands.

Regardless of the Xbox One's limited TV features, it makes good on its promise to allow you to transition from game playing or other tasks into watching TV seamlessly, and the One Guide also lets you pick your favor- ite channels and pin media apps like Netflix and Hulu Plus to the Guide as channels. These apps are accessible elsewhere in the dashboard, but being able to arrange them with your other TV content is smart.

he Xbox One makes its case for being an all-purpose total

home entertainment console, but comes up short. The TV

integration is useful, but its inability to totally supplant your

cable box or even access its DVR shows makes the system

less than crucial. Regardless, the Xbox One's multitasking without missing a beat is impressive. Being able to pause your game, check something online or on TV, and then resume play without a hitch is addictive. Kinect's ability to read body structure has gaming capa- bilities that outstrip its still uneven voice recognition. Despite Microsoft's reversal of some of its earlier policies, the Xbox One

is clearly at its best when it's used as it was originally 3 intended — online and with the Kinect. The console | ГО D

П gets better as more features are added ма updates, oA

but it's still a highly proficient machine on day one.

THE FINAL GRADE

connec 37.

ч = 9 E x o А n.

Once the upstart challenger to Nintendo's throne, Sony is now an en- during player in the console market. It's now on its fourth generation of PlayStation hardware, a testament to the strength of the brand. However, this console launch feels more critical than perhaps any other in Sony's history. With Microsoft's Xbox One also coming to market, it can't afford to repeat the sluggish start that PlayStation 3 had. The company's PR and marketing momentum has been strong in the months leading up to launch. Even better, the PlayStation 4 looks to be the best-designed and most complete system the company has ever brought to market. How good is it? Read on to find out. by Matt Helgeson

Note: There may be slight differences to the day-one launch experience depending on the system's update and other unforeseen changes

THE HARDWARE

[^ twasn't hard to guess that the PlayStation 4 was going to be some sort of black rectangle. While not

daring, the unit itself is attractive, sleek, and surprisingly small. The flat design allows it to fit along- side your other entertainment components more easily. While it's a bit plain looking, the slanted front and back panels and the mix of matte and glossy plastic on the unit give it a modern, streamlined

» PlayStation 4 console

® DualShock 4 controller (rechargeable)

» HDMI(6)

» Mono earpiece headset

» Power Cord » Quick Start Guide

з» Vouchers for one month of PlayStation Plus and Music Unlimited.

» $10 PlayStation Store credit

Tech Specs CPU » 8-core AMD 86-64 Jaguar CPU

GPU» 1.84 Teraflops AMD Radeon Graphics Core Next Engine GPU Optical Drive » 6X Blu-ray, 8X DVD optical drive

Memory » 8GB GDDRS RAM

Î look. Our only real concern about the core hardware is the 500GB hard drive, which only gives you around 380GB of usable space. With some games clocking in at over 40GB and all the mandatory installs, it's going to fill up fast – something that will limit Sony's push towards digital distribution.

Storage » 500GB hard drive (upgradable)

Мо» 2 xUSB 3.0

A/V » HDMI out, digital output (optical), Ethernet port (10BASE-T, 1OOBASE-TX, 1000ВАЅЕ-Т) Communication » Integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi wireless Internet, Bluetooth 2.1

mt

OPTIONS

THE CONTROLLER

[^

20

hough it shares the same name as its predecessors, the DualShock 4 represents a large step forward in Sony's con- troller design. The original three iterations of the controller made slight variations on a similar form factor, this time around Sony made more radical changes. By and large, it's a tremendous improvement over the DualShock 3.