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[MagicWithEarvin]

Grand Theft Auto V is the cover story with an 18-page spread, which is being covered here.

Features:
25 Years of Maxis
2012 Holiday Buying Guide
Far Cry 3

Interview:
David Helgason

Previews:
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
SimCity
Remember Me
Lost Planet 3
Guardians of Middle-Earth
Grid 2
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
Star Citizen
Neverwinter
Tales of Xillia
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
Until Dawn

Reviews:
Assassin's Creed III - 9.5/10 (Game of the Month)
WWE '13 - 9/10
Need For Speed: Most Wanted - 9/10
Skylanders Giants - 8/10
NBA 2K13 - 8.75/10
Hitman: Absolution - 8.75/10
The Walking Dead Episode 4 - 8.25/10
Karateka - 8/10
Retro City Rampage - 7/10
Zero Escape - Virtue's Last Reward - 8.75/10
Dishonored - 8.75/10
007 Legends - 4/10
Halo 4 - 9.25/10
Forza Horizon - 8.5/10
LittleBigPlanet Karting - 8/10
The Unfinished Swan - 8/10
Torchlight II - 9.25/10
Elemental: Fallen Enchantress - 8.25/10
Paper Mario: Sticker Star - 8.75/10
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask - 8/10
Code of Princess - 7.5/10

Let me know if you'd like a snippet from an interview, review or preview.

 

[Kenka]

Only good games or...?

Well, if you forget 007.

 

[GaimeGuy]

Sticker Star > The Thousand Year Door confirmed.

 

[pushneim]

Only good games or...?

Well, if you forget 007.

Are you suggesting every review was Doritos'ed? Also GTA cover looks cool

 

[Speevy]

More like Sticker BORE amirite game informer

 

[Kerub]

Amnesia preview! :-O

 

[wsippel]

David Helgason? That interview could be interesting.

 

[Byronic Hero]

Kinda want a physical copy, when can I expect it to be on news stands (or gamestops)?

 

[codhand]

Karateka score is good.

I remember the good old days when game informer panned PM:TTYD

 

[Takao]

gosh darn 007 breaking the 7-10 scale

 

[legbone]

Karateka score is good.

i'm very surprised by this. i liked the demo but figured it would get hammered by reviewers. this is game informer though, so who knows.

 

[Barack Lesnar]

Any chance someone can post the + and - summary for hitman, thanks.

 

[Massa]

I guess they're still looking for their Vita chargers there at Game Informer.

 

[TheNatural]

Like every game in GI anymore is between an 8 and 9.5. No shocker there. To sum up reviews nowadays: if you know what you like, and you want more of it, go buy it.

 

[Pooya]

Hitman: Absolution - 8.75/10

What does it say? pro/con

 

[Barack Lesnar]

I'm just a bit worried about Himan. An 8.75 for Hitman from GI isn't too hot... that's like an IGN 7.5-8.0 or an Edge 6.

 

[anothercreativename]

AC3 scored higher than Halo 4? I haven't played either but just from what I have seen it should be the other way around.

 

[2+2=5]

What about yaiba: ninja gaiden z?

 

[Pandemic]

Hitman got a pretty good score.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

Any chance someone can post the + and - summary for hitman, thanks.

Hitman: Absolution

Concept
Improve on Hitman's core strengths and boost replayability with the new contracts mode

Graphics
The environments are gorgeous and packed with NPCs with only the occasional minor slowdown

Sound
The voice acting is solid (if a little maniacal at times) and the soundtrack is top notch

Playability
Agent 47 has never been deadlier thanks to the refined and simplified control scheme

Entertainment
Hitman fans will be in heaven, though Absolution may still be too slow for more trigger-happy-gamers

Replay Value
Moderately High

Despite all of Absolution's improvements, Hitman still isn't for everyone. The pace remains slower and more methodical than most action games, and you'll find yourself reloading checkpoints countless times, in part because they are frustratingly tied to physical locations. If you take a different approach than what the developer had in mind, you may miss them completely. Attaining the rank of Silent Assassin still requires patience, skill, and more than a little trial and error. But while Hitman is slower than most games, it's also smarter. Devising a strategy to your advantage, and leaving before anyone knows you're there are the hallmarks of a perfect hit, and Absolution proves Agent 47 is still the gaming's premier hitman.

 

[pushneim]

AC3 scored higher than Halo 4? I haven't played either but just from what I have seen it should be the other way around.

I think you are forgetting that reviews are the opinions of (usually) a single person. You can't compare reviews the way you are attempting to.

 

[Jackpot]

That's one saturated 8 range they have there.

 

[Bladenic]

Tales of Xillia preview? Wanna read.

 

[Pooya]

Hitman: Absolution

snip

Despite all of Absolution's improvements, Hitman still isn't for everyone. The pace remains slower and more methodical than most action games, and you'll find yourself reloading checkpoints countless times, in part because they are frustratingly tied to physical locations. If you take a different approach than what the developer had in mind, you may miss them completely. Attaining the rank of Silent Assassin still requires patience, skill, and more than a little trial and error. But while Hitman is slower than most games, it's also smarter. Devising a strategy to your advantage, and leaving before anyone knows you're there are the hallmarks of a perfect hit, and Absolution proves Agent 47 is still the gaming's premier hitman.

Sounds like they did it right then , I hope you can save manually still like BM and not use any checkpoints.

 

[Sn4ke_911]

Hitman: Absolution

Entertainment
Hitman fans will be in heaven

Welp, that's all i need. Thanks.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

So Paper Mario 3DS is better than Thousand Year Door?

Or do they just assume that's what their audience wants to see?

 

[Raptor]

Any new stuff on Far Cry 3?

 

[Raxus]

How is Assassin's Creed 3 getting so many good reviews. AVOID IT PEOPLE!

 

[Sn4ke_911]

How is Assassin's Creed 3 getting so many good reviews. AVOID IT PEOPLE!

$$$

Let me know if you'd like a snippet from an interview, review or preview.

Anything new/interesting about Metal Gear Rising?

 

[Why would you do that?]

Interested in the 25 Years of Maxis and Sim City preview.

 

[Barack Lesnar]

snip

Thanks, it sounds awesome. The slower and methodical pace is exactly how it should be.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

Tales of Xillia

Xillia also returns with the great action gameplay that earned the series praise in the past. Though Tales of Graves F received kudos for its combat, Xillia shakes things up by meshing aspects from previous entries in the series into a new, more fluid battle system. Combat still operates in real time, but this time it combines aspects from two past games. From Tales of Vesperia, Xillia borrows the technical points (TP) system, in which artes cost points, but regular attacks refill the meter. Additionally, it includes Graces' Combo Chain System, where the total combo is limited by the number of CC points, except now it's called the Assault Counter. These toe systems, while initially appearing contradictory, provide great balance and require careful planning for both attack and defense.

Xillia has plenty of refinements to make the series feel fresh, but still taps into what fans love: burgeoning character bonds. The battle system modifications all feel significantly improved, and the new Lilial Orb system promises new depth for character growth. Xillia hits in 2013, if you're hankering for a new console RPG, it's definitely worth keeping on your radar.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

"You can sneak through this Metal Gear, but why would you?"

Platinum Games' strength is designing visually stunning yet polished combat, and Revengeance is no exception. Raiden glides across the battlefield, slicing through platoons of enemies with electrified combos. Players can slow down the action with a mechanic called Blade Time, which allows them to use the right analog stick to direct sword swings with lethal precision.

With its refreshing take on stealth and stylish action, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance should provide a little of something for everyone when it releases on February 19.

 

[FoneBone]

So Paper Mario 3DS is better than Thousand Year Door?

Or do they just assume that's what their audience wants to see?

Come on, it's been eight years now... how much of their staff from then is even still around?

 

[Sn4ke_911]

Thanks earvcunanan.

 

[PhantomOfTheKnight]

No Liberation. Hmmm.....

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Come on, it's been eight years now... how much of their staff from then is even still around?

I only get to make this joke whenever a new Paper Mario comes out. It's not my fault Intelligent Systems is so slow about this!

 

[The Mana Legend]

The guy on the right better be voiced by Bruce Fucking Willis.

 

[Ken Masters]

Only good games or...?

Well, if you forget 007.

I see you haven't been properly introduced to GI's 8-10 scale for hyped games

 

[Derrick01]

How can you give a game that runs as bad as AC3 does, has as many horrible design choices and bugs, and has as phoned in of a main story as it does a 9.5 and be able to face another human being again?

 

[Floex]

That WWE game got a 9/10? Bullshit. I know it's an opinion and all but these games have been awful all through this gen.

 

[eznark]

Only good games or...?

Well, if you forget 007.

GI 7 = 2

 

[Pranay]

Check out the new Game Informer to meet a new character from The Last of Us. See the world premiere at VGAs on Dec 7.

 

[Pranay]

Check out the new Game Informer to meet a new character from The Last of Us. See the world premiere at VGAs on Dec 7.

Can anyone check out and tell ? :|

 

[LemonGremlin]

How can you give a game that runs as bad as AC3 does, has as many horrible design choices and bugs, and has as phoned in of a main story as it does a 9.5 and be able to face another human being again?

Absolutely, that review is a fucking disgrace.

 

[chickdigger802]

That cover does seem... pretty plain? don't know.

Dudes just look like dudes.

 

[Snuggles]

Can anyone check out and tell ? :|

You do it.

 

[Squire]

Well, I see Ubisoft's check cleared.

How can you give a game that runs as bad as AC3 does, has as many horrible design choices and bugs, and has as phoned in of a main story as it does a 9.5 and be able to face another human being again?

For once... I agree with you!

 

[Pranay]

You do it.

Only if i had a internation CC to buy magzines :|

 

[Cyberia]

Earvcunanan, could you clear this up for me?

Geoff Keighley ‏@geoffkeighley

Check out the new Game Informer to meet a new character from The Last of Us. See the world premiere at VGAs on Dec 7. @PlayStation

 

[ArjanN]

Previews:
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z

Anything actually new about this game in this?