The DC license lacks the star quality of its Marvel rival, but the refined elements of Lego Batman 3 ensure this is an improved sequel, despite the removal of an open world to explore. As ever though, this is best enjoyed in co-op if your sanity can take a bit of taunting from the camera.
A slight stumble here and the The Wolf Among Us has beaten the Walking Dead Season 2 at its own game. Traditional gameplay is stripped down to the bare minimum in favour of choices. Some of these are fantastic in their unforgiving nature and the journey you'll take Clem on is full of drama and heart-break. The new cast are a miserable bunch of bickering bores though that will make you pine for the fallen friends of Season 1.
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 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.
Tearaway Unfolded has found a new home on the PS4 and contains plenty of new ways to use the DualShock 4 for unique in-game interactions. It's still worth owning if you've played the Vita version too. Difficulty is nicely balanced for players of all abilities and there are lots of collectibles for completionists to find.
The addition of online co-op gives the campaign mode a great boost. There are some irritating connectivity issues in co-op and zombies though. The competitive multiplayer is much smoother and reliably packed with maps, modes and a dizzying array of unlocks. You'll struggle to find a shooter with more value than this year's Call of Duty.
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.
I finished the episode with most of the hidden items under my belt in just over four hours, which in addition to the three hours of Episode 1, feels like a fair return for the season pass' asking price. The gameplay and AI feels stripped down, but this is all about tying up the loose ends. As we've come to expect with every Bioshock game, the final revelations are nothing short of breathtaking and every shot from last few minutes is framed so beautifully that you'll want it on your wall. Irrational Games, you will be missed.
Screw you guys, I'm going home to play my kickass South Park game. Read the full review for once you lazy sods!
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.
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.
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.
Child of Light proves that cheap downloadable RPGs can be done right after all. Visually enchanting and featuring a clever twist on classic turn-based combat, this puts many full-sized RPGs to shame. Even with painful rhyming dialogue and generic story, you'll find yourself hooked to the end.
Valiant Hearts is a breakthrough title that attempts to show the gamer the impact the First World War had on regular people. Instead of being given a bag of guns, you're simply tasked with surviving by getting through each area so you can get the protagonists home. This is the game that proves war games don't have to be all about mowing down waves of enemies and the emphasis on the characters and atmosphere outshines the basic puzzling and item gathering.
Dodgy pricing aside, there's a lot to enjoy in this remake that is remarkably faithful to the original, while implementing new features that actively improve the experience. The game's as challenging as ever, but it's hard to resist trying to save every modoken from the clutches of the glukkons. Fingers crossed JAW are working on the second game already.
A fantastic start for what we hope will become a fresh Tolkien franchise. There are some solid (if not borrowed) foundations and the Nemesis surpasses our expectations by providing a fresh experience to enemy design. Improvements next time should see a little more variety added to the combat brawls, but you're going to love taking advantage of an enemy's weaknesses from afar with the rich range of underhanded subterfuge tactics. Well played, Monolith.
So, 2014. Is this the year that the double-jump finally found its regular place in the first person shooter? It's certainly been the 'in thing' this year, as has a general boot up the arse of the FPS genre. How does COD stack up against Destiny and Titanfall though? Ignore the internet trolls, posers and haters, you can enjoy them all. In this reviewer's eyes though, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has been the complete package. A star filled, explosion-packed blockbuster smash of a campaign mode with a set of stellar multiplayer modes where Kill Confirmed and the new ball-based sport, Uplink, are set to become new favourites. Both the campaign and multiplayer owe a huge debt to the exoskeleton, which has proven to be the ultimate catalyst in pushing Call of Duty back to the top this year. Your move, Far Cry 4.
Despite the incredibly frustrating platforming, it's impossible to deny that this really is the Definitive Edition of a classic melee-action title. Newbies can enjoy the slickest version on the market, packed with all the DLC. Returning hardcore fans will find a serious challenge in the extra difficulties and hardcore modifiers. All that fuss over a haircut seems pretty stupid now.
This final episode was shorter than we were expecting and leaves more questions than answers. Some bad habits crept back in too as the horror atmosphere from earlier in the season has been replaced with backs-to-the-wall action. As an overall package though, the episodic take on Resident Evil has been a success. At half the price of a regular game release, the value for money is excellent. A nine-hour campaign, co-op options and a deep Raid mode make this an essential buy for Resident Evil fans.
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.