God is a Geek
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Tiny Brains may not appear to the most sophisticated game for a next-gen console, but it just about does enough to earn its place in the early stages of the PS4's life-cycle. It may be too short, but it attempts to make up for that with a decent variety of extra modes and a very well implemented group dynamic. A decent little puzzler with a good sense of humour and, more importantly, a sense of its own identity, Tiny Brains is worth picking up and blasting through over a weekend or two, but without friends you'll only be getting half the package.
Gomo does have some real charm in its simple yet appealing visuals and its strange sense of humour, but it is seriously lacking in the gameplay department. It is far too short and even the most inexperienced point and click gamers won't take more than a couple of hours to complete the game. After that there is nothing to really come back to, and neither the puzzles nor the plot are interesting enough to warrant a second play-through. You can see Gomo's indie roots clearly, and maybe it would have found its place better in its original flash-based format.
Utterly brutal, The Walking Dead is back with multiple bangs.
The visuals are a mess and the atmosphere is flat and generates no excitement. The game modes are generally the standard affair but the gameplay makes them un-enjoyable. Perhaps the only remotely redeeming feature of the game is the net, but let's face it: you don't buy a basketball game because of the net physics, do you? NBA Live 14 is a bad game that is not worthy of your time and money – if you really want a basketball game on the Xbox One or PS4, there is a much, much better alternative.
Edge has a lot to give you. You can pick it up and whizz through a few levels at your leisure and just enjoy the blocky, bleepy wonderfulness of it all. Or you can focus on becoming a master of the flashy balancing trickery, eking every last drop out of it, keeping your best times as low as they can possibly be, not missing one damn prism.
The fact that Lococycle was intended to be an Xbox 360 game to begin with is quite clear, as it does nothing to take advantage of the new power that the Xbox One affords it. Despite a mixed bag of launch titles on the console, this is by far the biggest disappointment, as Twisted Pixel have delighted us so much in the past.
If you want a game to show off your brand new console then NBA 2K14 is the one to get. Visually the game is stunning, and at times can be mistaken for an actual game of basketball. Everything has received a visual makeover and it sure looks impressive. The gameplay is as solid as ever and is great fun, whilst still being a first class simulation of the sport. The game modes on offer result in a lot of variety and will certainly not leave you wanting more.
It's hard to recommend the Ultimate Edition if you already have the original release on Xbox 360 or PS3, because if the DLC appeals to you, you've probably already purchased it anyway. If you don't own the game already, but do own a PS4, then you'd be daft not to pick up Injustice: Gods Among Us: it's a terrific fighter that runs incredibly smoothly, whilst retaining that ultra-cool ideal that only a comic book can deliver. Think of this as a "Game of the Year" edition, and you'll be able to make a purchase decision. The reason behind there being no Xbox One version, however, remains a mystery.
Need For Speed: Rivals is a must have for fans of racing games with a friends list full of similar gamers; everyone else should weigh up their options. There's plenty to do, but be prepared for some mild annoyance.
It may no longer be essential, but Trine 2: Complete Story is excellent nonetheless.
Overall, Dead Rising 3 is a lot of fun, with a 13-16 hour campaign enhanced by replayability due to the sheer amount of ways you can approach your time in Los Perdidos. From the very outset there are different play-styles offered up, including co-op if you fancy it: Capcom Vancouver want this to be your experience, and while it does stutter from time to time, this is a game well worth playing, so long as you can stomach the B-movie acting and gore.
It's a shame that some modes haven't made the cut for the next-gen version, but you'll only miss them if you played them a lot. Career Mode and FUT still offer incredibly high value for money, and this is probably the best version of FIFA to date. There's room for improvement, though, especially with defensive AI, but for now, FIFA is still the best football game out there.
You can take a certain hypnotic bliss from simply working along calmly and peacefully, making sure that your park is running as smoothly as it can and improving the conditions for your ever-growing menagerie of creatures. This game was never going to be he bombastic launch title that blows the minds of gamers. Zoo Tycoon is a different pace of game for a different type of player. With the Xbox One Microsoft are looking to create a device that provides all forms of entertainment, for everyone, and a game like Zoo Tycoon certainly shows their commitment to creating a broad base. It may ultimately be a little shallow, but it has bags of charm and there is more than enough on offer here to provide hours of animal magic.
Madden NFL 25 is certainly a good foundation for EA to build upon, but some work needs to be done on the player models, the gameplay visuals and the collision physics before a future Madden title can become a true and realistic simulation.
Fighter Within could have had potential, if more work had gone into the gesture recognition and making the Kinect actions translate into the game world, but as it stands it feels like a lazy game that's been rushed out to hit the Xbox One's launch date. The multiplayer is fun, but a lot of that is due to the fact that you're playing with another person in the same space. Any attempt at online multiplayer would have failed as miserably as the single player campaign, especially as you can't see the look of disappointment on their faces as they fall – yet again – to your flying fists. I can only hope that something else comes along soon to show us what Kinect 2.0 is truly capable of, because if this is it, we're in for another generation of shockingly disappointing movement-controlled video games.
For those wanting to show off their new console, Killzone: Shadow Fall is the game to do it with. A reasonable, lengthy but frustrating single player campaign paves the way for a compelling multiplayer experience the likes of which you've never seen before – visually speaking, anyway. Select easy-mode and you'll have more fun overall, but if Guerrilla are to continue with the Killzone series, they need to come up with some fresh ideas for the set pieces, and try to create a more streamlined difficulty. Otherwise, this is more Killzone, but looking better than ever before – and that's saying something.
If you can disengage your brain and just plough through the endless array of same-faced enemies, you'll enjoy the glorious visuals and well designed audio – but this is a game destined to be forgotten fairly quickly, even if it does help prove the Xbox One has more power than we first thought.
The biggest issue with Knack is that it delivers on a completely different experience than you would expect: a tricky yet rewarding old-school game brought kicking and screaming into a brand new generation was always going to confuse people. But it's a lot of fun, and despite frustration through poor checkpointing, Knack is far from a bad game. In fact, there's potential for this to become a cult favourite among gamers. It looks like a family-friendly game, but this one is aimed at the hardcore players, and when you consider it's a new IP for a new console, that's kind of brave.
It's a shame there are only five levels, but what is here is eye-wateringly good. The indie revolution continues on Sony's PS4, and Housemarque prove their qualities yet again. With the triple-A titles like Killzone: Shadow Fall also launching with the PS4, don't let this one slip you buy: it's addictive and absolutely brilliant.
It’s a brave (geddit?) move on Square-Enix’s part to not stamp Bravely Default with a more popular title, because ironically, Bravely Default is one of the best Final Fantasies in years. Taking the very best of 8/16-bit entries of the series, and bringing them up to date with some beautiful graphics, clever features and engaging gameplay, this is a must for someone looking for a more traditional JRPG. On a system that has been lacking some meaty RPG action, this is a superb combination of old school gameplay with modern day additions that makes for an adventure you don’t want to miss.