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.
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.
There's a lack of ambition on show here with the graphics and the story, but the combat is the best seen in a Spider-Man game thanks to some snappy controls and a responsive counter-system. The web-swinging could have been better, but Spider-Man is still by far the best gaming character to get around New York with.
With a dull campaign that likes to stab you in the eye with difficulty spikes, the online team survival mode just about saves this latest tie-in effort from being a complete write-off. But you'll probably have to be a (slightly nuts) hardcore fan to pay full whack for it. It's ok, I don't think Michael Bay makes any money on this one.
The Last Tinker is more for the younger gamers out there thanks to the simplified control scheme and almost obscenely bright and garish visual design. The automated platforming is supported by a robust combat system that allows for some quickfire tactical depth when choosing which powers to use on larger groups of enemies; although by the time you have them all the game is pretty much over.
The fact that DriveClub is still mostly a wreck for ALL of its online functions is frankly embarrassing and the lack of a large public beta was remarkably short-sighted. Once you've wrangled the handling model, there's a solid driving game underneath it all with fun tracks to tear down at terrifying speeds as you zoom through the incredibly detailed environments. But if the netcode isn't fixed soon, this'll be an abandoned rusty roadside wreck by Christmas.
Visually astounding throughout. Graphics fans will adore every grimy nook and cranny of the Victorian London setting. Sadly though, the game around it is crushingly average. The shooting sections are fun enough but far too few and far between, and much of the game is spent watching cutscenes or being forced to walk through one, so much so that it rarely feels like you're 'playing' the game at all.
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.
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.
As a whole series, Life is Strange has been an intriguing and emotional experience. The rewind mechanic is an intelligent inclusion to the interactive drama genre and gives the impression of having significant control over the narrative. That said, there's certainly an argument that player choices have all been leading to a singular binary decision which somewhat softens the finale's emotional punch.
This is one of the best Lego games in years and the toy-to-life interactions are fantastically handled via inventive uses for the docking station and the three characters. Not being able to tick off all the usual in-game collectibles without paying a fortune for extra characters is a poorly judged slap in the face for fans of the series though.
Long load times, sluggish frame-rate and awful shooting would usually be the end of an action game. Just Cause 3 just about gets away with it though thanks to the hugely open approach to carnage with the likes of grappling hooks, parachutes, wingsuits, rocket launchers, infinite C4, tanks, choppers and the freedom to do whatever you want with them.
A solid multiplayer shooter that ticks all those nostalgic boxes for fans of the original trilogy. The graphics and audio design are excellent throughout and the net code has performed without fault. However, the lack of a proper offline mode and small number of multiplayer maps is frustrating given the opportunistic Season Pass content on the horizon.
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.
A surprisingly active take on the sniper genre means you can't camp in one spot for long, but that turns out to be a good thing as you're forced to rethink your positions throughout a stage. Some dodgy mechanics for the close range weapons and online issues should have been fixed before launch, but the MP is being patched. Worth a shot for any sniping fans out there.
Never Alone manages to overcome its technical hiccups with an enchanting setting supported with a pair of adorable characters and some interesting cultural insights into the Iñupiat community. The basic puzzle/platforming gameplay is family-friendly and works even better when played in co-op.
An enjoyable indie platformer with some nostalgic adventuring thrown in for good measure. The humour gets old real quick, but the neat visuals make up for it in style.
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.
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.