There are plenty of improvements that will keep franchise fans happy and the playing time provided by Alex Hunter’s story is almost worth the asking price alone, but the visual evolution has come at a bit of a cost to FIFA’s gameplay.
NASCAR Heat Evolution is the only dedicated NASCAR show in town on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but it’s sadly beaten in terms of depth and realism by games that were released over a decade ago.
There’s no doubt that some will be hooked and will find ways around the bigger problems but while Warband promises a lot and is truly ambitious in scope, this console version falls well before the battle is over.
While the upgrades made outside of the match this year are barely worthy of the name, the improved action on PES 2017's pitches is more than enough to warrant the asking price. Superb stuff, indeed.
Some nice gameplay additions and a great look mean that you shouldn’t underestimate the refreshed addictive powers of Pac-Man.
Those that haven’t played Jotun before are in for a real treat.
A few players will absolutely adore Genso Rondo, of that there’s no doubt. For most though, this is an interesting concept that falls short on quality.
While it isn’t without fault, Hatsune Miku's western PlayStation 4 debut is addictive, compelling, and plenty of fun.
Team 17 have done a good job of breathing a bit of new life into the franchise with Worms WMD and while it isn’t perfect, it’s a good way to reignite some old friendly rivalries with a pal or two.
Even with some obvious issues, F1 2016 keeps you racing right up until the checkered flag.
It isn’t perfect by any means, but Slain: Back from Hell is a far more worthy challenger than it was when it was initially launched.
Neon Chrome is an admirable blend of genres that provides a stiff challenge and potentially massive amounts of playing time. There a feeling of repetition to be found for sure and the need to die, die, and die again won't be for everyone. Those with the mettle though, will find a fun and enjoyable shooter that has the potential to be both strangely compelling and unrelentingly addictive.
Dangerous Golf is a bit of a letdown. There may be patches along the way that improve things, but as it stands, the game doesn't do justice to the premise and is ultimately frustrating and disappointing as a result. The addiction factor is in full effect relatively early on, but the number of problems it displays will soon put paid to that for most players.
Dead Island: Definitive Collection is great value if you're a fan of the games, given that it's the only way you can play them on Xbox One. Players that fit that description shouldn't be expecting any major gameplay changes though since they're very thin on the ground, outside of an unlockable "one punch" mode which was available on PC as a mod for the first game. Even at a budget price, players new to the franchise can safely avoid the set as there's much better gameplay to be found elsewhere, such as in the likes of the Metro: Last Light or even Techland's own Dying Light, both of which outshine Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide in almost every area.
Doom is a big, loud, visceral experience that not only impresses visually with a silky-smooth framerate and detailed texture work, but which reaches into your soul and jacks up your heartrate as it does so. Some would say that things are a little bland in terms of plot, but playing Doom for the story would be like watching a baseball match because you're a fan of diamonds. The multiplayer is playable but a little less so than you'd expect, but that's more than made up for by the campaign. It's fast, fun, violent, addictive, and highly recommended.
Not A Hero is an enjoyable 2D shooter that will provide a decent challenge to the majority of gamers. There are failings to be found here and there, but they're relatively rare and the comedic presentation generally provides enough coverage to paper over those cracks. It probably isn't a game that you'll blast through in a single sitting and it certainly won't be for everybody, but Not A Hero is definitely a good deal of fun.
Super Night Riders undoubtedly started out as a good idea. 80s and 90s racing games were cool, of that there is no doubt. But when you compare the visuals here to what's on display in upcoming projects such as 90s Super GT or Racing Apex – which aren't even finished yet - and then throw in super-repetitive gameplay and framerate issues, it all runs out of fuel rather quickly.
Grand Prix Rock N Racing is an interesting proposition, but it tries every possible way to make you fail and you can tell that most of the time, it isn't doing it on purpose. Poor handling, archaic AI, no online play and a distinct lack of depth even in the game's Championship mode means that this is one that got stuck on the grid.
Coffin Dodgers is a classic example of a good idea backed up by poor execution. The gameplay feels dated before it starts as it doesn't progress things from the karting pretenders that have come before, and the visuals sort of fittingly feel like they're from an older generation. The premise has lashings of potential and there's a chuckle or two to be found, but the game is far too easy and brief for single players. Multiplayer is limited to offline play only and is as enjoyable as in every other non-Mario and non-Crash Bandicoot-based kart game, which is to say that it won't be one that you'll be trotting out at your gaming parties for very long.
There are many words that could be used to describe SUPERHOT. Cool, addictive, stylish, fun, enjoyable…take your pick. What the development team have done is take a game mechanic that sounds like an excellent idea on paper and turned it into something special by fleshing out a game around it that does it justice and then layering on different ways of playing in the post-game. It flat out tells you to say this but we'd be saying it anyway: SUPERHOT is one of the most innovative shooters that we've played in years. Absolutely essential.