Proof that Uncharted can exist without Nathan Drake.
Bloodborne lends heavily from its forebears, but transforms the combat into a fast-paced dance of death. It rewards aggression rather than hanging back and waiting for opportunities to present themselves. While some technical, design, and pacing issues mar parts of the experience, Bloodborne is the freshest playing entry in a genre that has very narrow gameplay constraints.
Games are at their best when they subvert expectations, or challenge longstanding norms. While Everybody's Gone to the Rapture mostly accomplishes this by questioning traditional videogame storylines, it stumbles, and falls back on the very thing it's critiquing. That, however, doesn't detract from the overall worth of the human experiences that underpin it.
Still one of the most charming, innovative RPGs of last generation, despite the rough edges.
An inscrutable black box, covered in punk-rock graffiti and splattered in blood.
Realises the potential of its predecessor.
Ambitious design elevates it, creating one of the most unique survival horror experiences out there.
If you're returning to Dark Souls II, you'll either come away pleased that you're on the same page as the designers, or annoyed by the seemingly perfunctory remix of enemy and item placement. On the other hand, brand new players may find Scholar of the First Sin to be an ideal, more guided tour of the world of Drangleic.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is an enjoyable action-puzzler. It effortlessly presents combat and puzzle encounters to the player, without inundating or starving them of one or the other. Just make sure you bring some friends along for the ride.
The culmination of changes in Advanced Warfare make it the freshest playing entry in the series, and the largest departure from its norm.
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is currently retailing on PSN for $33.95 (NZ) and is a 4.5GB download.
Uneven UI elements and poor tutorials don't detract from the base action.
Overly familiar Multiplayer, but tells a compelling story.
Frantic, kinetic, and fun multiplayer – when removed from its context.
MachineGames have, again, gone beyond the scope of what most people would come to expect from a game with the Wolfenstein tag on it.
The PC port of Dead Rising 3 manages to bring the core experience over well. The combat is still visceral, insane, and funny. The sheer quantity on offer here is impressive, but don't come to this version if you're looking for something new. Also, make sure to bring a controller.
Cutesy and colourful, Life Goes On takes a core concept from most games, flips it, and embeds it in an environment with reciprocating elements. The result is an engaging puzzle platformer that delights more than it frustrates. The ending credits sequence is also one of the most charming things I've seen this year.
A journey of pros and cons, but it's one worth taking.
The driving in GRID Autosport is fantastic, and certainly more in-line with Codemaster's (and the fan's) vision of what their series should be. While the singleplayer A.I. detracts from the overall experience, and the lack of personality is disappointing, these are all just minor issues that orbit a game with a solid foundation.
Destiny: Rise of Iron isn’t the hardest hitting expansion. That isn’t due to the content being poor – what’s there is solid, even if there isn’t a lot of it. It just doesn’t reimagine some of the core concepts the way that The Taken King did, which puts it at a severe disadvantage when comparing it. But if you don’t mind interfacing with Destiny’s familiar grinding elements because you appreciate the shooting, and you have a team of like-minded players to tackle the new raid, then Rise of Iron is an acceptable footnote to the sci-fi FPS.