STAYING IN Special
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TICKET TO RIDE (Days of Wonder, 2004)
IN A NUTSHELL Ever wanted to make the epic journey from Montreal to Vancouver by rail, but can’t spare the time? Do it in this game, but with tiny plastic carriages instead. Great for map-lovers. HOW TO PLAY Each player collects colour cards in order to lay their carriages on specii c routes connecting cities. You get points for every track you lay, and each completed route gets you points too: the longer the route, the more points you get. YOU’VE WON WHEN You’ve got more points than anyone else because you’ve got the longest routes; that’s easy to do in a two-player game but much more challenging when you get to the upper threshold of i ve players. VARIATIONS The original TTR board is based on a map of the USA, but you can also pick up boards for India, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Asia and Europe, where Edinburgh makes an appearance.
FORBIDDEN ISLAND (Gamewright, 2010)
IN A NUTSHELL A Mensa-select cooperative game, where players work together to rescue treasures from a l ooding island. HOW TO PLAY There are a few stages to each turn. The set of beautifully designed tiles and treasures are randomly placed in a grid at the start. Each player gets to move between tiles and has their own special moves to help the rescue effort as l ood levels keep rising. YOU’VE WON WHEN You’ve picked up all four treasures and every player gets to the helipad tile to escape. Cooperation’s the key here: if one of you is left behind, everyone loses. Ideal for getting kids to work together. VARIATIONS Forbidden Desert, where you’re seeking rather than avoiding water. It’s a similar set-up but much harder.
26 THE LIST 16 Oct–13 Nov 2014
Video stars Autumn is traditionally the hottest time for video games. Henry Northmore guides you through the best of this season’s releases
THE EVIL WITHIN The last ever game from Shinji Mikami (the creator of Resident Evil) looks like a fairly generic survival horror, but expect a few twists. Bethesda Softworks, out now. FABLE LEGENDS Sword and sorcery prequel based around a i ve-player system: four heroes, one villain. Microsoft, 16 Oct.
SUNSET OVERDRIVE Open-world shooter that never takes itself seriously, packed with OTT mutant monsters and ridiculous set pieces. Looks like a blast. Microsoft, 31 Oct.
CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE The latest release for the i rst-person shooter juggernaut takes the action into 2054. Activision, 3 Nov. THE CREW Next gen racing game is located in an open world of street racing and criminals. Ubisoft, 11 Nov.
PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2015 Konami have rendered over 1000 real-life players for the latest instalment. Konami, 13 Nov.
WORLD OF WARCRAFT: WARLORDS OF DRAENOR The latest WoW expansion pack is set on the orcs’ homeworld of Draenor. Blizzard, 13 Nov. ASSASSIN’S CREED: UNITY The seventh AC is set in Paris on the eve of the French Revolution. PS4 and Xbox One exclusive, but in an unprecedented move Assassin’s Creed Rogue is released on PS3 and Xbox 360 the same day. Ubisoft, 14 Nov.
FAR CRY 4 More i rst-person action i ghting for freedom in a Himalayas-set civil war. Ubisoft, 18 Nov.
LITTLE BIG PLANET 3 Once,
platforming ruled gaming so it’s nice
to see Sony’s inventive title back for a third time. SCE, 21 Nov.