Despite TRON RUN/r's relatively simple running nature, there's a fair amount to like here. There's a slight control issue with control when riding a lightcycle that you'll need to get used to, and we're confused as to why you'd be riding in the brightest game world ever when the movies almost entirely take place at night or in dark arenas, but those things can be overlooked. What we can't get past are the money-gouging tactics that end up detracting from the experience, the botched launch, and the missing season pass content.
With DiRT Rally, Codemasters have thrown the conventional way of looking at the sport of rallying in videogames out of the window and done it with such aplomb that the end product is all but irresistible. It could be said that the learning curve could do with being flattened just a little. We say that the harder the climb is, the greater the feeling of success is when you finally put in that perfect run, but it's understandable that not all players will feel that way in an age where going into a menu is considered to be achievement-worthy. For our money, this is easily the best rally game ever released. Not only that, it's transcended the scope of that admittedly small genre and is surprisingly close to the top of the general racing game category, too.
Active Soccer 2 DX has its moments as it tries to recreate football games of old. However, even if it did that perfectly, that's all it would be doing since there's no attempt at innovation or anything that would push the genre forward. It's more or less a carbon copy of Sensible World of Soccer that doesn't play as well, has no online features whatsoever, has a wretched frontend and which features a comparatively large amount of bugs and oversights. It's also three times the price of the practically identical mobile version. Pass.
Casey Powell Lacrosse 16 won't be a game for everybody. Of course it won't. But as well as giving fans of the sport a good deal of fun, it might convert a few non-lacrosse fans who are looking for a change from the usual multi-million dollar soccer/hockey/gridiron/basketball titles that are sent out onto the playing surface every year, as well. As an almost full-price title, things had to be pretty much on point here and though it isn't perfect, the development team have done well to provide a game that does the sport proud.
Trackmania Turbo is a triumph. It nods back to console racers of yesteryear, provides speed, action, addictive gameplay, more than a few "wow!" moments and beyond the bundled 200 campaign courses, provides a potentially endless supply of content in the form of a robust track creation system. Should you clear the solo mode, you can take your car out into online play and you'll find a whole new world of fun and enjoyable events that all work flawlessly. Every corner has been rounded off and every surface has been polished here, and that's much to the developer's credit. Excellent stuff.
Blast 'Em Bunnies is a strange one. Don't get us wrong, there are the makings of a good game here. Undoubtedly, it's a solidly-made product and the development team clearly have a good deal of talent. Sadly, there are also hints to suggest that they've misjudged this and were banking on it becoming a runaway success like Fruit Ninja or even Angry Birds. It won't. Whatever the original concept was has been distilled down to "player shoots bunnies lots and then does it again" and as such, it just isn't fun enough for the repeated plays that led to the levels of addiction that propelled those games into the stratosphere.
Action Henk is enjoyable and challenging, of that there is no doubt. It isn't going to win any awards for visuals – despite looking good enough to get the job done – and we'd like to have seen the comedy brand placement from the initial playroom area be used more in the levels themselves. With that said, neither of these things is going to interrupt your entertainment and the enjoyment and exquisite frustration that the game provides is more than enough for it to get our recommendation. Good stuff.
Relatively very minor gripes aside, Rocket League is a genuinely new type of game that provides addictive, enjoyable, skill-based fun that doesn't prevent new players from joining the fray and which never threatens to become dull. Even folks who aren't necessarily excited by football, sports in general, or cars will find something to love here and for many, it'll become their new favourite pastime. This is absolutely superb and will keep you entertained for many, many hours.
This War of Mine: The Little Ones is a fantastically atmospheric, emotional, and compelling game that constantly makes you doubt what you're doing, in a way that feels entirely natural as part of the experience. You have to weigh up every decision in order to keep your crew safe from harm and that coupled with the strong desire to play through just one more raid to see how things turn out, means that you're more than likely to get your money's worth here. Great stuff.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles features a generally solid game engine, nice storyline, and is for all intents and purposes a decent proposition. However, it's constantly prevented from shining by some dire level design and so many instant deaths that if you counted them, would probably see you reaching triple digits by the time you complete the game for the first time. There's some enjoyment to be had here, but it's frequently punctuated by massive bouts of frustration. If you want to try the series, you should grab China, since it remains the best of the three.
Amazing Princess Sarah is a good retro platformer, of that there is no doubt. There's also plenty to do, although the nature of the implementation means that some will feel that it crosses the line into repetitiveness. It would have taken longer in development of course, but if the game had 30 levels in play as opposed to five levels repeated six times with slightly different character parameters, the developers would have been onto a surefire winner. As it stands though, Amazing Princess Sarah still has the ability to hook you and is enjoyable enough for the price.
AIPD is a solidly-made twin-stick shooter with some nice ideas. The problem is that it just isn't fleshed out enough. Outside of the shooting action itself, the presentation is lacking to the point of being non-existent and unless you become hooked relatively early on and become determined to beat it on the hardest difficulty or are absolutely dead-set on getting to get to the top of the leaderboards, it isn't going to be on your playlist for long. What's here is great, it's just that there isn't enough of it.
Without a doubt, Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink is a good quality product overall, made by a developer that really seems to know what they're doing when it comes to point and click titles. The deviations from the standard hidden object pathways mix things up nicely and the only real flaws we can find are with the voiceovers and the game's length. It isn't the most difficult game in the world to beat and doesn't stick around long enough, but there's a nice couple of hours of decent entertainment here for those who like to get their brain working.
Level 22: Gary's Misadventures is a fun puzzler that doesn't take itself too seriously. Even with that in mind, the developer has obviously lavished love and attention on the game and produced a product that, while not the longest or most challenging game in the world, is enjoyable enough.
As a package, The Banner Saga is addictive, attractive, compelling, enjoyable, and truly challenging on the higher difficulty level. Some will find fault with the price, given that the Xbox One version is £15.99 and the PC and iOS editions have been available for a third of that in their time, but we say that the price is fair for what you get here. It's been a long wait, but there's nothing like kicking back and overseeing your merry band of fantastically animated fighters trekking across a frozen wasteland on a big-screen TV, or hearing the roaring clank of metal on metal as you fire in a battle-winning series of attacks.
Oxenfree is truly unlike any other experience that you can pick up for the Xbox One right now. While it isn't heavy on gameplay, the narrative and aesthetics really build a superb atmosphere and give a great sense of weight to proceedings. It doesn't necessarily score a direct hit with every story beat and we could definitely live without the crashes. There's also an argument to be made that around four or five hours, the game is a tad short in the grand scheme of things. It feels shorter still when you pick up the controller to make a quick bit of progress late in the evening, then find yourself staring at the rolling credits at 3am with all the lights on because something just doesn't feel right.As we said, Oxenfree is an unsettling game.
If you liked Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, then there's a decent chance that you'll have a good time in India, in spite of the problems outlined above. There's enjoyment to be had, but the main worry is that almost everything new that has been thrown in is flawed to the point of not being a worthy addition. With the Russian entry just around the corner, we're hoping that this is a missed step in the journey, rather than an inevitable and unalterable course.
Super Party Sports: Football isn't a complex game by any means, as it features just the one mode of play. With that said, it's certainly one that will draw you back in from time to time until you've beaten all of the levels. What's here is a decent distraction that's nicely challenging, and even though it's over twice the price of the mobile versions at $4.99 (the iOS edition is $1.99) it remains relatively good value. It's not a game that was ever going to set the world alight and while we wish there was a bit more in the way of variation, it's an enjoyable way to pass a few hours.
Fallout 4 isn't perfect by any means, but the sheer scope of the game as a whole and the incredibly well-structured world means that should you dare to take the plunge, you'll be swimming around in these waters for dozens, if not hundreds of hours. The bugs may threaten to spoil the show, but every time one rears its head and makes you want to stop playing, you'll feel the pangs within the hour to go back and give things another go. Many people will fail to see everything that the wastelands have to offer, but that absolutely shouldn't stop you from trying to take it all in. Just as in life, your journey won't be the same as anybody else's.
It all looks pretty nice and tries very, very desperately to be cool, but the actual game behind the graphics isn't close to being polished enough for a recommendation. The always-online requirement which is apparently only there because you have to be online to be able to share snapshots (seriously, that's the claim) is an absolute abomination but you'll be able to live with it, at least until EA kill the servers in a year or two and you won't be able to play the game anymore. Need for Speed isn't unplayable by any means, but there's a laundry list of things that can – and often do – stop that playing time from being very enjoyable.