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.
When all is said and done, the handful of people sitting in the middle of the Venn diagram marked "doesn't own a PC" and "wants a hardcore train simulation" still deserve a game that isn't buggy, runs well, respects their time as a user, and one that provides more for their money than this one does. On the upside, the trains are so detailed here that if anything happens to the driver on my local route during my commute, I'm pretty confident that I could take over and nobody would be late for work. I can't promise strudel, though.
A Double Dragon for the current generation could have been a great thing, but this semi-revisiting of the franchise's heyday falls way short of the mark.
Those expecting any sort of gameplay at all in exchange for their money are out of luck with Hatsune Miku: VR Future. It’s most assuredly one for the vocaloid’s superfans and even they may be disappointed, given the fleeting nature of the experience.
Harmonix Music VR is a half-hearted compilation of four tech demos that are interesting for less than a minute apiece. With so many other things to try on PSVR for a similar price, you’ll feel short-changed if you waste your money on this.
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.
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.
Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 is a promising and somewhat ambitious concept that's plagued with some monstrous game-breaking technical issues, inconsistent AI and some downright curious design choices. Some of it can doubtless be patched but as it stands, this is far from a finished product.
But that feeling only lasts until you're accelerating out of the final corner like you've done sixty times without issue in this event and your bike decides for no reason at all to rear up like freakin' Seabiscuit, throwing you to the ground an inch from the finishing line. At that point, the promising feeling drips away, and you start to think that given this is the 15th racing game Milestone has released on PS4 in four years, we could be in for a real treat when they slow down and actually finish one.
As you progress to faster ships, the weaponry becomes less of a problem, since the design of the tracks doesn't make for an enjoyable time anyway and you'll be spending all your energy just trying to avoid walls.
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.
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.
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.
Some will take solace in the somewhat simplistic gameplay and be hooked on its psychedelic charms as there is the occasional high point to be found, but repetition and poor choices in terms of the control scheme will undoubtedly get in the way of that for most.
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.
Spectra is a missed opportunity that doesn't offer nearly enough variation to keep players enticed for very long.
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.
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.
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.
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.