Pool Nation FX is hugely disappointing
There's no doubt that Tower of Guns will be a game that you either love or hate. An interesting take on the FPS genre, the game feels like a cross between a more traditional shooter and a gameshow. It lacks polish in places and desperately wants for more game modes or something to extend the amount of provided game time beyond beating your best score or run, but there's potential here that the developers could – and should - build on in the future.
There's the essence of a good game in here - make no mistake about it - but it really is very, very hard to see it with all the problems in the way. We'd like to think that the development team at Milestone is working on patches for the game, but whether that's the case or not with their next attempt – MotoGP 15 – being released in only two months, remains to be seen.
We Are Doomed makes a good attempt at being a compelling and addictive twin-stick shooter, getting a lot of things right along the way. There are some problems with the basic design though and the very limited amount of modes on offer means that unless you're hooked by beating your own best scores or unlocking the limited (but tough to obtain) number of achievements, it'll be over way, way too soon.
Depending on your point of view, Infinity Runner could be a decent and cheap enough proposition for a quiet Sunday afternoon. Just don't expect it to last you into Sunday evening.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is a fun and enjoyable game that does the franchise justice while taking it into another genre. There are some truly fantastic ideas here, some super-smooth parkour, brain-tingling puzzle challenges and occasional flashes of brilliance when it's time to get down and dirty in combat. Some ideas haven't been explored as thoroughly as we'd have liked, and there are a few rough spots, though. We're looking forward to the next installment.
State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition is the ultimate mixed bag of mixed bags. A fantastic value proposition for fans of the admittedly somewhat buggy original, the package will provide stacks of playing time if you become hooked. The problem is that you may not get the chance, since this apparently "remastered" edition of the game doesn't seem to have had any real work done to it outside of the visuals, which remain incredibly sub-standard in terms of performance.
There's scope here for a good game were a bit more work put in, but the smart money says that you'll be way more frustrated with Project Root's patently unfair gameplay than you are impressed by it.
Project CARS is not for the faint of heart. It undoubtedly has the ability to grab players and take them on an outstanding tour of Simply Mad's racing world, and does look absolutely stunning at times. However, the game is ultimately frustrating with a controller and features more than its fair share of bugs. With a wheel, it's a more rewarding proposition.
Ultratron is a slick twin-stick shooter with some great and novel ideas at its core. The initially laid out challenge is a pretty simple one, meaning that some players will ultimately be left wanting. Achievement hunters and score hunters will absolutely relish what's in front of them, however.
Your mileage may vary depending on how much the story grabs you, but most will find that the asking price here is too high for what you get.
Mega Coin Squad is a superbly entertaining title. Not everyone will be down with the speedrunning single-player style which sees you completing the admittedly short game multiple times with different characters, but there's fun to be had even for those that oppose the style the most. With multiple players, the game really shines and if you're looking for some fun and competitive action with your friends locally, this is right on the money.
The final product that's on offer here is confused, confusing, guilty of not providing a smooth on ramp for new players, and also of not providing enough to keep veterans playing after the initial novelty of the new features – some of which are broken - has died down. Initially the game is engaging enough but the problems start to show through very, very quickly.
Beach Buggy Racing is a decent attempt at bringing a kart racer to the Xbox One. It runs into a lot of the same troubles that most of the other karting titles that have been released over the years have done, however. There's little innovation in terms of the courses on offer but it provides good - albeit somewhat throwaway - fun at times. Local multiplayer is what will keep most playing.
Sparkle Unleashed is tremendously addictive and gets the basics of the genre right whilst adding a few changes to the mix. If you liked Zuma – which unfortunately for Sparkle Unleashed now runs on Xbox One via backward compatibility – you'll probably enjoy the challenge this provides, even if there isn't anything majorly groundbreaking going on.
We're not exactly seeing what the wait was for when it comes to F1 2015. The game is clearly rushed, riddled with bugs and lacking in some relatively basic features. You might spend enough time on track to watch that achievement for spending 10 hours in your car just reset itself and never pop (again, due to a bug) and have a fair amount of fun while you do so, but there's a more likely chance that you'll run into so many issues that you just don't bother turning up for the next race.
Spectra is a missed opportunity that doesn't offer nearly enough variation to keep players enticed for very long.
Tachyon Project is a twin-stick shooter with a few major differences that affect things in a positive way. Enjoyable and thrilling while it lasts but also all too short and a shade too easy for those with any sort of skill in the genre, it's one that will surely hit the spot to while away an afternoon. Just don't expect it to last all that much longer than that.
There's definitely a feeling that there could have been more to it, but Beyond Eyes is an important game that is undeniably superb.
Outside of the game-ending glitches and the poorly designed collection mission that we've mentioned, the experience is tension-filled and easily right up there with the best survival horror titles available today. The problem is that there's a very good chance that you'll give up after your umpteenth unfair death way before reaching the closing credits.