YACHT CLUB GAMES

With Shovel Knight finally finished, its maker turns its hand to publishing, and more

HIGH LIFE

How an indie superteam built a dizzying cyberpunk city with the help of Xbox Series X, and positioned itself at the pinnacle of the next generation

HOTSHOT RACING

Ten years later, the arcade racer is finally reborn

Crysis

Remembering the benchmark for sandbox shooters laid out in Crytek’s strong suit

A MONSTER'S EXPEDITION

An open-world puzzler with a journey to savour

USTWO GAMES

The Monument Valley maker on the benefits of putting platforms and people first

WORLD OF HORROR

A chilling compendium of creepy chronicles

VALVE TIME

As Half-Life returns at last, we take a rare step inside one of the industry’s most secretive companies

Star Wars: Republic Commando

How a prequel spin-off redeemed itself by rejecting all things Jedi

Signal boost

As the infrastructure for 5G rolls out, the experts weigh in on its pros, cons and next-gen potential

NEW WORLD

Amazon’s game-making toolkit delivers an MMO unlike any you’ve played before

Intelligent design

How an R&D team at Google is using world-leading AI research to create and support the game devs of the future

FUSER

Harmonix ditches the peripherals for a crowd-pleaser of a comeback

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE

The devil’s in the detail for Square Enix’s reimagining

BALDUR'S GATE III

Larian consummates its long love affair with D&D

Zombie Army 4: Dead War

Developer/publisher Rebellion Developments Format PC, PS4 (tested), Xbox One Release Out now

The Sims 4

Developer Maxis Publisher EA Format PC, PS4, Xbox One Release 2014

VALENTINE'S DAY

Capcom’s latest remake revives the thrill of the chase

THE MAKING OF. . . ARISE: A SIMPLE STORY

How a midlife crisis spawned a spellbinding debut game

OUTRIDERS

People Can Fly gears up for its first post-Epic release

SOLID CLOUDS

The Icelandic studio putting itself on the map with a genre bending MMORTS

NIOH 2

A messy return to Team Ninja’s beguiling Sengoku Soulslike

Journey To The Savage Planet

Developer Typhoon Studios Publisher 505 Games Format PC (tested), PS4, Xbox One Release Out now

COLLECTED WORKS YU SUZUKI

The veteran developer reflects on his pioneering arcade games, the challenges of crowdfunding and the completion of Shenmue III

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Lauded on release, the passage of time reveals a curious lack of character

The Making Of... Observation

How Alien met 2001: the untold story of No Code’s stellar sci-fi

VOXEL POPULI

How the heirs to Minecraft’s throne are building Hytale, a next-generation blockgame that gives the power to the people

ZOMBIE ARMY 4: DEAD WAR

A surprisingly lively undead shooter

STUDIO PROFILE - INKLE

The 80 Days developer on burnout and reinvention

THE ROOM VR:A DARK MATTER

Get inside Fireproof Games’ puzzle boxes like never before