Mick Fraser's Reviews
A completely insane concept, ScreamRide is a decent coaster sim combined with a brilliant physics game and a complex yet engaging level designer.
An aesthetically-pleasing but decidedly empty puzzle game, Pneuma scratches an itch but fails to excite
A more robust offering than last time, and a more essential addition this time around, The Bright Lord is a solid way to top off Shadow of Mordor's Season Pass.
A stunning action game that relies on story and performance over padding and tacked-on game modes, The Order: 1886 will nonetheless divide gamers with its short run time and reliance on cinematic dazzle.
Like Left 4 Dead before it, Evolve is a game that feels slightly under-nourished at times, but which takes the crummy old co-op FPS wheel and totally re-invents it.
Dying Light keeps the best bits of Dead Island, forgets to get rid of the bad, but makes up for it with awesome parkour and a tense day/night dynamic.
A disappointing add-on to a game already losing its lustre. House of Wolves needs to be better than this, or Bungie may find themselves in trouble.
An improvement on The Guardian of Light but no revolution, The Temple of Osiris is another solid adventure worthy of the illustrious Croft name.
This enhanced edition of Grand Theft Auto V seems determined to make you forget it was ever last gen - and it will probably succeed, too.
A charming little sandbox adventure that you make yourself.
A solid, old-school RPG that loses its way occasionally, but still delivers a vast, engaging adventure - and a compelling reason to return to Thedas.
It's still fun and unique, but for a definitive edition, it's still lacking polished.
A new IP from Deck 13 and City Interactive that doesn't hold your hand, but won't slap it for failure either.
An unambitious party game that can't quite live up to the potential of its unusual premise
A challenging, well-designed stealth game only let down by irritating combat and a lack of visual flair.
Definitive Edition is not quite an essential purchase – especially if you already played and finished the original release – but it's definitely worth picking up if you're hankering after the kind of open world criminal action that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Dark, compelling, and occasionally unflinchingly brutal, Shadow of Mordor is Lord of the Rings for grown-ups. It's not just a good game based on an established franchise, but a fantastic game in its own right and one that deserves to be judged purely by its own merits, and not by what has come before.
Hardcore strategy RPG fans may find a decent experience here. In fact, it may simply be the case that Natural Doctrine's blend of punishing difficulty and simple presentation don't gel with everyone. One thing that is certain is that Natural Doctrine us not designed for the casual crowd, and unless you're prepared to invest time and energy into learning its systems inside out – and then are still prepared to try and try again when you do know what you're doing – you'd be advised to away from this one.
Although CastleStorm seemed right at home on the Vita, it fits the PS4 very well, too. The bright visuals pop and sing thanks to the increased power and the game runs as smooth as butter at all times. Addictive and entertaining, CastleStorm's mix of fairytale whimsy and challenging strategy – as well as its mishmash of play styles – makes it a solid and enticing prospect whatever the platform.
But it's not that game right now. Destiny is a confident, solid, sometimes stunningly beautiful shooter with RPG mechanics that add longevity and depth, and the beginnings of what could be an incredible online universe. But it feels like the tip of the glacier, and I'm not sure it's a good thing to be more excited about what a game might one day be, than what it actually is.