You'll need to be a massive Lego game fan to get the most out of this latest tie-in, as it's one of TT's most by the numbers efforts yet. Riddled with technical glitches, samey combat and surprisingly dull replications of the movies' set pieces it's a harder sell than it should be, more so because it's missing the final third until December. As ever though, you may keep coming back to it, as the collectibles are as moreish as ever, despite the increasingly roundabout way of finding everything. Still, I'd rather play this than watch the movies again.
The 2.5D gameplay is a success with the combat and exploration feeling almost as rewarding as the regular console games. However, the galling amount of backtracking and the forced detective mode scanning to highlight weak walls or Batclaw points took the edge off what was otherwise an enjoyable night with the Dark Knight.
The absence of online multiplayer makes this already niche title a hard sell to anyone that doesn't have a bunch of hardcore gamer buddies dropping by often. The quest mode isn't fun when attempted alone either.
Fez isn't as fresh as it was two years ago and is purposefully frustrating by design at times with its pretentious refusal to adhere to a few sensible design decisions. There's a lot of effort required to progress and the game offers little back in return. If it could talk, it would say,"Play me or don't, I'm too cool to care." So you may want to punch it right in its Michael Cera, but the forgiving attitude to failure and the admittedly neat world-rotating to explore every surface to find more cubes may pull you in. Try the demo first though.
Square Enix have finally given us a world packed with quests, slick combat and significant depth in how we equip Lightning for battle. So why have they put all this in such a bland world and under a time limit? This could have been a rich game for us to explore and wrap ourselves in. Instead, we're pushed around and made to feel unwelcome.
Screw you guys, I'm going home to play my kickass South Park game. Read the full review for once you lazy sods!
No discernible graphical improvements between last-gen Rayman Legends and this new version on PS4 and Xbox One make it an odd choice for a re-release. That said, there's not much difference in price and the game itself is still a fantastic platforming experience that should be a part of any gamer's collection.
Despite the transformation from Belmont to Dracula, combat feels is largely the same and buying your combos over again feels like a cheap excuse for not bothering to come up with anything new. Some design choices seem to have disrupted other core elements too; gone are the beautiful crisp visuals and varied fantasy/gothic settings, replaced by stealth sections and modern day concrete. This is not the ending I was expecting for the Lords of Shadow series and it's certainly not the one it deserves.
The single player campaign is an improvement over B3, but the continued presence of a save wiping bug shows poor work from Dice. But yes, multiplayer is why we're all here for Battlefield 4 and it's incredible. Be it in small Squad Deathmatches or huge landscape-shattering vehicle-enhanced open warfare in Conquest, there's no better multiplayer experience on PS4.
11 months on and Tomb Raider has lost none of its initial magic. In fact, it's just walked in and took the crown for the best action game on the PS4 or Xbox One. The new experience-enhancing controller features and voice-commands on the PS4 and the often startlingly-gorgeous visuals do indeed make this the Definitive Edition of one of the all-time greats.
I can only really recommend giving this a go if you're going to be able to get it for free as a former buyer of the Vita version. You'll appreciate the improved controls, but this is still a frustrating experience for the majority of the time. Avoid until the GBP 9.99 / USD 14.99 price tag is slashed in half.
Despite some frustrating complications towards the end, Contrast has been one of the best titles I've played of the PS4's launch lineup. The noir jazz age setting is fantastic and the game's use of shadows and silhouettes for both platforming gameplay and telling the story of a struggling family is unlike anything else I've played. I only wish it lasted that little bit longer.