With issues peppering its campaign as well as its multiplayer, Battleborn's fusion of first-person shooter and MOBA is far from a complete success. A lengthy list of complaints comes perilously close to overshadowing proceedings, so it's fortunate that its engaging upgrade system and varied roster of characters end up being the true stars keeping you invested in the multiplayer.
In a genre that's traditionally concerned more with open combat, Invisible, Inc.'s stealth focus is a revelation. Chock full of smart game design, you're gifted plenty of options in how you approach your mission, and despite having so many tools at your disposal, it remains satisfyingly challenging, without ever crossing over into being unfair. While the roguelike progression could potentially be a downside for some, the high level of customisation around the difficulty settings will swiftly rob you of this complaint. Simply put, if you have even a passing interest in turn-based strategy games, you shouldn't let this exceptional title sneak under your radar.
Games based on movies have a pretty poor reputation on the quality front, however Ratchet & Clank emanates class in so many aspects that even referring to it as a movie tie-in sells it short. If you've never had the pleasure of enjoying this series' brand of third-person blasting before, then this is the perfect chance to see just why the property has remained popular for over a decade. Meanwhile, if you're already a fan, then this remake is a truly worthy entry in the franchise, and while it doesn't do anything particularly new of note, it's a greatest hits compilation so compelling that you won't want to skip it.
Any enjoyment to be found in The Division could easily have been smothered by its tremendously dull side content. Fortunately, it's saved from some all too familiar open world bloat by not only the high stake thrills of the Dark Zone but its top notch story missions. When added to a wealth of other positives – like its loot system and detailed open world – this entertaining action RPG manages to muster more than enough antibodies to overcome what thankfully turns out to be a mild case of the Ubisofts.
Despite some new additions – and a brand new setting in a largely untapped historical era – if you dig under the surface of Far Cry Primal, you'll find a remarkably well preserved edition of Far Cry 4 entombed within. As a result, if you were hoping for more of a revolution to the formula, or didn't particularly enjoy the hunting mechanics in past games, then you're best off steering clear of this title. Of course, if you're merely looking to jump back into the familiar Far Cry gameplay loop in a captivating open world, then there's still plenty of fun to be had. And at the end of the day, who on Earth doesn't want to ride around on a bear?
Dying Light: The Following is DLC done right, offering new content for the Dying Light faithful while changing things up more than enough so that it doesn't just feel like the reanimated corpse of the base game. Ultimately, it's the inclusion of the off-road buggy that turns out to be its smartest addition, which coupled with its challenging new setting more than overcomes any of the all too familiar shortcomings.
Rebel Galaxy is a streamlined take on the space sim that while nowhere near as complex as its PC peers still has enough going on to keep you more than entertained. It's a real shame then that despite its enjoyable ship-to-ship combat, interesting setting, and fantastic soundtrack, it ultimately ends up being tarnished by a repetitive grind that needlessly pads out its length.
There was a pretty big question mark about how stable Rainbow Six: Siege's online performance would be after a pretty disastrous open beta, and news of microtransactions in the final product also contributed to a general aura of bad feeling that's overshadowed its release. Should you decide to give it a chance, though, you'll realise that a lot of these concerns were unfounded, and Ubisoft has actually delivered a thoroughly enjoyable tactical shooter that feels like an antidote for anyone fatigued by the breakneck run-'n'-gun in other multiplayer titles. While its slow deliberate pace won't be for everyone, if you're looking for shooter that's trying something different, then the impressive destructibility and intense close-quarters battles will almost certainly bring the house down.
Star Wars Battlefront is a good Star Wars game, but an average multiplayer shooter. If you have any love for a galaxy far, far away, you'll get a real kick out of the taking part in its fun, large scale battles, and your reverence for the source material may even be enough to keep you coming back despite its shortcomings. If, on the other hand, you're after the next big shooter to keep you occupied longer term, the limited weaponry and simplified customisation mean that this isn't the game that you're looking for.
With its action taking place on a playing field, the scope and structure of Blood Bowl 2 initially feels smaller in scale than you tend to expect from most turn-based strategy games. After a few hours though – with its board game roots exposed – you'll find that there's actually plenty of depth to be explored. While the abundance of random dice rolls will put some people off, if you're the sort of person who relishes the unexpected, then there's a good chance – 70 per cent according to the God of Dice – that its bizarre setting and chaotic action will make it worth a punt.
Packed full of the charm and character that you'd expect from the series, Persona 4 Dancing All Night is a thoroughly entertaining rhythm game that could warm even the coldest heart. With an understandably focused choice of music, a large part of the enjoyment you'll get from this title will rest on how much you like its particular brand of upbeat audio, which admittedly won't be to everyone's taste. If, however, you're a Persona 4 fan – who also owns a Vita – then this is undoubtedly for you, and while it may not be the best example of the rhythm genre out there, it certainly has the most personality.
As you wander the desert on the lookout for pieces of scrap, your enjoyment will feel like it's on a downward trajectory the longer that you play. As a result, you'll try to spend as much time as you can racing across its beautifully realised wasteland, while avoiding anything that pulls you from behind the wheel.
Improved visuals and a few more quests just aren't enough to turn the tide of opinion on this wreck, and with other RPGs since its initial release raising the bar even higher than before, it would have been better if – unlike the game's hero – this title had stayed dead.
Abyss Odyssey: Extended Dream Edition successfully manages to merge a fighting game with a roguelike RPG to offer an experience that feels both familiar and unique. With an unexpected setting and art style, as well as some clever concessions around its difficulty to make the penalty for death a bit more palatable to the average player, it ensures that your descent into the darkness is enjoyable. If you can get past the fact that the combat only really comes into its own a few hours in, you may just find yourself disappearing into its depths for bit longer than you might have expected.
[I]f you skipped this game last generation or have been going straight since its last outing, it's well worth turning to a life of crime and stealing away this shooter for your PS4.
Nom Nom Galaxy has an odd premise that's been blended into a surprisingly interesting sandbox experience. While some of the gameplay ingredients don't necessarily work that well together – with the combat in particular leaving a bitter aftertaste – you'll at least be able to cleanse your palate with another draft of its fun base building and resource management, and that'll keep you coming back for more servings.
There's no school like old-school, and Ziggurat serves as a reminder that there's still fun to be had in 2015 with what's essentially an 'arena' shooter. Whether the shooting is good enough to stand on its own without the rest of the package is up for debate, however the smartly implemented Roguelite trappings, as well as the well pitched difficulty, help to cast a spell that'll have you heading back into Ziggurat time and time again.
Tower of Guns proves to be a fun diversion that unfortunately falters in a couple of key areas. While it at least manages to keep its Roguelite membership by randomly generating a decent amount of enjoyable content, the relatively gentle difficulty ends up diluting the impact of its perma-death quite a bit. This ends up robbing the experience of any strong sense of accomplishment, so when you best the tower for the first time, it'll feel more like a damp squib than a twenty-one gun salute.
In the current gaming landscape where the re-master, at least for now, appears to be here to stay, nothing released to date offers the sheer breadth of content found in Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. While those with no love for the franchise will, unsurprisingly, find nothing for them here, it does – as a result of the visual upgrades – provide a handsome jumping on point for newcomers, as well as a great way for the Borderlands faithful to catch up on anything that they might have missed.
Valley of the Yetis feels like a medley of Far Cry 4's greatest hits, and while none of the missions stray particularly far from the established formula, you'll still have fun scavenging for weapons and building your defences, which at least makes up for the disappointing Yetis.