We fought through the overall unpolished finish of the product, and we were glad that we did so, but this really isn't how anyone can reasonably have expected the game to have turned out.
While this review of The Legend of Korra reads like a laundry list of problems, there are times when the game is genuinely enjoyable and shows masses of promise. Those times are all too rare however, and you're less likely to be cracking a smile than you are to be cursing at a game engine that feels cheap, rushed, unpolished, and simply not good enough to compete.
It's this sort of cynicism that prevents Skylanders: Trap Team from getting close to a perfect score. No, you didn't misread that. The game itself is THAT good. Everything that the game does, it does with style.
Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved is a game of highs and lows. The highs are extreme, and while the lows are less so, they are still indeed lows. You'll see the credits roll in single player mode within a few short hours and while there are still plenty of mixes to unlock once that happens, for a few reasons it's tough to see where the replay value will come from outside of the odd multiplayer battle. It's a very, very cool ride while it lasts, though.
Whether your favourite is Stunt Car Racer, Out Run, Ridge Racer, Burnout, Project Gotham Racing, Blur, any Need for Speed game, Gran Turismo, or good old Metropolis Street Racer, there's something for you here. In terms of excitement, fun, style, and a sheer wealth of things to do, Forza Horizon 2 can stand proudly up against any of the games in that list, despite the trifling imperfections that we've noted.
A game without a goalkeeper slip-up is still a much better game than you'd find anywhere last year, but those slip-ups happen too often for our liking. Still a fantastic game for football fans, but probably not one that those prone to tantrums should play.
All in all, Kickbeat is an entertaining diversion for a rainy day, but it isn't what you would call an essential purchase.
NHL 15 plays a great – if somewhat atmosphere-free – game of hockey, but the sheer amount of modes missing from the package as a whole mean that unless you become obsessed with Ultimate Team or enjoy playing severely limited career modes, there's very little to actually do.
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is a tough game to score, make no mistake. Fans of the series will chastise us for rating it so low, and that's probably fair. If you're a fan, you'll enjoy it due to the sheer amount of characters on hand from all of the Warriors universes, and that over-the-top hack and slash gameplay that you already like. If you're not already deeply involved with any of the franchises though, you're going to find a game that is inescapably fun at times and that shows an awful lot of promise, but which is ultimately let down by some poor design decisions and some somewhat dodgy AI.
There's no doubt that Metro Redux represents real value for money. Neither game is perfect and Metro 2033 does show signs of aging, despite the improvements, but that doesn't mean that it isn't an entirely playable game which serves as a sort of hors d'oeuvre to Last Light's main course.
To assign a score to The Golf Club is tough. On one hand, you have a practically unlimited sandbox in which to enjoy the development team's genuinely revolutionary approach to a sport that has been simulated the same way a thousand times over. On the other, you have a game that has some quite disturbing graphical issues and that is in dire need of a stability patch.
The five hours or so of gameplay that you'll get from a single playthrough are rewarding and memorable, with that fantastic storyline backing up some great puzzling action. Some may find themselves frustrated when bugs occur, but we think most will be forgiving of them once the end credits roll. As a package, we're sure that Valiant Hearts is something that you'll never forget. And you should indeed never forget.
Sixty Second Shooter Prime is a fun distraction for a bargain price, and does a great lot of things very well indeed. It just lacks that little bit of polish that sets the great games apart from the good. The adrenaline rush provided by the default sixty second mode is good, but a little more of a nod to those who want more than a quick hit wouldn't have gone amiss.
The package as a whole is good enough to not be an embarrassment, but there are far too many times where the interface gets in the way of the entertainment that the generally passable gameplay provides.
Titanfall is a genuine improvement on the standard multiplayer FPS fare that we've come to expect. By turning the game's campaign mode into a series of well-balanced multiplayer matches, Respawn ease you into the gameplay slowly. Once you've ploughed through those 18 rounds though, you'll realise that you're unashamedly hooked.
Avoid at all costs.
Addictive, beautifully designed, and containing more single-player content than you could shake a stick at, Peggle 2 is a fine, fine game. Considering it can be yours for less than £10, we just don't see how anyone could pass it up. Superb.
Powerstar Golf is a game that's unpolished in places, but also superbly fun and dangerously addictive at times. Mastering the game will take a fair amount of time, and there's no doubt in our minds that what you get is easily worth the asking price. Well worth a spin.
Rayman has made it to the same level as Mario and the rest of the elite. With Rayman Legends, it sometimes feels like he's building a new platform above them, so he can stand alone as the one true king.