Life is Strange's momentum could do with a little shove for the next episode, but once again I find myself eager for more. At times the episode treads water, but the optional discoverable details turn out to be important aspects that make the exploring worthwhile. It's just a shame that we have to wait six weeks (at least) for more.
Against all the odds, it's the single player campaign that's proved to be Battlefield: Hardline's biggest selling point. Trying to play through as a 'good cop' by arresting baddies instead of filling them with lead is very rewarding. But the gunplay is as fun as ever if you want to play that way too. The multiplayer feels scaled down due to the smaller maps and the heist and assassination missions generally favour the defenders too much. Hotwire's car chases are essential though and will hopefully become a series regular.
Ride is one of the best bike racing games in years and is much more appealing than the dry offerings of Moto GP or SBK. The bikes are fantastically detailed and there are enough handling options to appeal to any race fan. Moving most events to new road circuits was a great idea too for those of you bored with the Moto GP calendar.
From Software's title has blown away the competition this generation and is Sony's first true classic on the PS4. I'd urge non-Souls fans to try it too as I really wasn't expecting to enjoy Bloodborne this much.
Fans of old school shooters will enjoy Tower of Guns for its classic approach to firing from the hip and strafing through borderline bullet hell stages. The randomly generated rooms and enemies repeat themselves sooner than we'd like and the frame-rate goes to hell in the really busy rooms. There are some tasty guns to be found though and it's a lot of fun in small bursts.
While it sounds great on paper, the execution varies throughout and for every moment of triumph, there are many more instances of frustration and exasperation. You'll need extraordinary patience to see this one through to the end thanks to the sparse save points and insta-death attacks. There's an intriguing plot buried amongst all the rough edges though and the visuals are excellent throughout. Fingers crossed Osome take another whack at a noir survival horror adventure hybrid as it's bursting with potential.
Consider Mortal Kombat X your first essential fighting game of the new generation of consoles. It's best enjoyed with local friends thanks to the easily memorised combos and buckets of gory X-Ray moves and finishers. The story and lengthy Tower options will pad out the single-player experience, but the online match ups are reserved for the more hardcore player.
There are so many questions left for Life is Strange to answer, and with only two episodes left, it's going to need to hit the ground running next time. You're looking at two to three hours of game time in this episode depending on how many extra details you want to dig out. The mystery of Rachel is getting clearer though and there's another gobsmacking finale.
At £10-£13 for a six hour campaign and additional challenge maps, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is an absolute steal. The stealth options aren't quite as reliable as last time, but the core shooting experience is incredibly fun with meaty weapons, a ramped up pace and enjoyably over-the-top characters.
While the decidedly average combat and alarming number of technical gremlins are disappointing for a title that's been in development for so long, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is still a must-buy title for genre fans. The Northern Kingdoms is vast and beautiful setting, packed with unique adventures and touching tales that you'll find away from the beats of the main story. A title to truly lose yourself in.
Lego Jurassic World has clearly been rushed through to release alongside the new movie, and as such is riddled with bugs and glitches -more so than any other licensed Lego game. There are plenty of grin-inducing moments for fans of these incredible movies though and as such Lego Jurassic World is still worth a look if you love the films enough to forgive the defects in its DNA.
Rocksteady and Batman is a combination we'll sorely miss. Their trilogy ends on a high though, with a refinement of their excellent Freeflow combat and Predator modes. The Batmobile is a somewhat mixed experience, but its heart is in the right place. Our much-awaited tour of the city of Gotham was a gorgeous sight to behold and an unforgettable goodbye.
The controls and the way they unpredictably unleash the wrong moves at the worst possible time really disrupt Tembo's platforming gameplay. Pair this with a no-mercy difficulty and you have a frustrating mess that could have been so much more.
While admittedly good-looking, there's not much here for anyone that played the game five years ago. For newcomers, especially those without a PS3, Kratos's bloodthirsty pursuit of vengeance is a titan of the action genre. You may want to wait until the price is right though.
An overlong episode, but one bookended with some terrific scenes. The impacts of the tiniest details via time travel are explored and the continuing plot strands about the underbelly of Arcadia Bay take their darkest forms yet. There's a lot riding on the season finale though.
One of the most relaxing games I've played in ages. Submerged is a game happy to let the player explore, with minimal challenge making for an experience that focuses on player exploration and stopping to enjoy the view. The story of the children and the desolate world around them slowly becomes clearer, leaving just enough room for the player's personal interpretation.
This could have been much better if it had made a few more modern day concessions like random loot drops and a proper XP system. Still, if you're a retro gamer who fancies a change to Diablo III, it's undeniably fun for an evening session while you catch up with friends or even with randomers online.
The repetitive missions grate all too soon and the bloated levelling makes little difference. The random chunks of story lack consistency and will only be understood by hardcore fans of the show, who deserve a better narrative than this. But when played in short bursts or with people online, there's an easy-going yet empowering flow to the action that makes it hard to put down.
This interactive horror movie is heaps of fun and packed with moments that'll have you and anyone watching jumping out of their skin. Being able to kill off characters you don't like is more fun than you'll want to admit. You'll definitely want to play it more than once too to put the cast through hell again and again.
Surviving in a real post-apocalyptic wasteland would be a miserable existence. Mad Max nails that feeling of just wanting to crawl under a rock wait for the end. It's a miserably dull grind, occasionally made bearable by the vehicular carnage once you've suffered through the first half.