An instantly likeable game hiding a brutal edge that demands mastery. Balance is concerning, but partially mitigated by an extensive roster.
Despite a multi-player mode that's difficult to love and a pretty atrocious story, Call of Duty Advanced Warfare pleasantly surprised. It adds enough to the core of the game – the infantry action and gun-play – that the campaign never felt like a chore and none of the set pieces and vehicles outstayed their welcome. A new engine and new ideas breath new life into a series that was in serious danger of turning stale.
With a driving model that feels unique MotoGP 14 is the (almost) lone two-wheeler in a sea of car games and it does its sport proud. If what you care about is high-speed, precision driving and the tension of catastrophe lying in wait, then MotoGP 14 could just be your favourite new racing game.
Xenonauts is a faithful modernization of a classic. It retains the features that made X-COM such a tense and memorable game, with base invasions and a gigantic open-ended campaign of depth and freedom. If Firaxis' revamped take on the series felt a little too directed and linear for you, then Xenonauts is likely to delight. By removing the fat and giving us a non-headache inducing UI, the games strengths are allowed to shine through and they remained undimmed by the passage of time.
Wildstar may not do anything especially new, but it does things well, a distinction that means it has truly earned itself the lazy moniker of 'WoW in space'.
A vast galaxy, a varied tech-tree, and a million and one decisions to make or automate. Distant Worlds: Universe is perhaps the finest 4x Space game in a generation, certainly since Galactic Civilizations 2. It's a challenging and complex game packed with features that allows you to choose just how you want to play it, while accommodating a wide variety of play-styles and strategies.
Cloudbuilt is a pretty game with a strong incentive to replay. If your primary interest is in a story, it's probably not for you. If you're more intrigued by jetpacks, rocket boosts, wall-running and the thrill of flying off a ramp as you make your way to levels end as fast as you ruddy well can, Cloudbuilt is heartily recommended.
It veers between a showcase for ambitious design and an exercise in endurance as you grapple with the controls and wince at the obvious problems, willing the game to live up to its fantastic premise. But it never quite does.
At the moment Loadout provides a diverting break from other titles on the market like the aforementioned Team Fortress 2 but it's difficult to see people choosing it over more polished rivals in the long-term. Annihilation mode could change that if Loadout finds a player-base willing to forgive a few flaws and buy into its silly yet appealing sense of humour.
Despite the flaws and interruptions of the story and presentation, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a superior title. Platinum Game's genius for creating thrilling action games and simple to learn, yet difficult to master combat systems is in full effect here. If you're a fan of the Metal Gear franchise you should consider Revengeance an essential purchase. Otherwise it will depend on your tolerance for cod-philosophy and hilarious(ly bad) voice acting.
It serves to highlight that at it's core Deadliest Warrior is still about the spectacle and the thrill of the carnage - and that aspect still feels leaps and bounds above the combat of other melee-FPS orientated games (I'm looking at you War of the Roses). The increase in class variety is welcome and each combatant has a certain novelty value, but Deadliest Warrior perhaps doesn't bring enough to the table to fully elevate itself above Medieval Warfare.