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Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment could afford to be a little more welcoming to newcomers with its opening hours, but get through the initial confusion and you'll find a charming RPG that boasts an enjoyable battle system. Meanwhile, a solid supporting cast prop up a middling story, and some great dungeon crawling moments will keep you coming back for more. Despite several unnecessarily daft design choices, jumping into the shoes of Kirito can be a lot of fun, and for the game's budget price, it's easy to recommend to anyone who's up for a spot of anime adventure.
Goat Simulator's nauseating stupidity has a certain je ne sais quoi, we suppose. You won't be feeding from this particular trough for all that long, but if you're willing to splurge on a headache-inducing afternoon of idiotic entertainment, then – incredibly – there are worse options out there. This isn't baaaad, but it's not the Greatest of all Time either.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist is the ultimate version of arguably one of the best card duelling games on the planet. Essentially a virtual version of the real thing, it probably won't entice those who don't like the franchise, but for die-hard fans and interested newcomers, this is a game that offers unlimited hours of battling fun. If you've ever enjoyed Yu-Gi-Oh!, you owe it to yourself to give this a chance.
With perfectly weighted physics that feel nice on the thumbs, tactical combat that allows you to deal with any situation in a number of ways, and a soundtrack that's catchy and euphoric, Galak-Z is one helluva ride. Though the framerate can detract from the experience at times, it makes up for its one notable shortcoming with charm, nostalgia, and by bombarding you with joy.
While by no means unimpressive – fighting game enthusiasts should have plenty of fun with the game, especially when played with friends – Skullgirls often feels like the wrapping is in danger of out-pricing the gift.
The title's biggest downfall, then, is not any one single thing, but rather its overwhelming ambition. And in the grand scheme of things, perhaps that's not the worst problem to have. Indeed, despite its admittedly frequent rough patches, it's very hard to not admire the way this humble indie game so earnestly reaches for the stars.
As a standalone outing, King's Quest - Chaper I: A Knight to Remember isn't bad at all, even if does fall at some disappointingly low hurdles. With aid from the game's charming cast of characters, alongside its inspired visual and audio design, though, fans of the genre will surely have a pleasant trip – albeit an occasionally arduous one.
This is supposedly the first of multiple chapters to this story, and if the writing stays as strong throughout then it's going to be a tale well worth exploring, but hopefully the next title will reduce the difficulty a tad.
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive has all the components of an addictive, satisfying beat-'em-up, but it just doesn't harmonise them as well as it should. Its overly complex battle system clashes with its bustling moment-to-moment gameplay, and the result is an often frustrating fighter with a deceivingly steep learning curve. That said, there's no denying that there's still fun to be had with this great looking brawler, especially if you join forces with a couple of capable players.
It's not often that you can say a previous iteration in a sports franchise is significantly better than the newest and prettiest, but for EA Sports Rory McIlroy PGA Tour that is very much the case. The graphical upgrades and gameplay tweaks don't make up for the massive lack of depth and sacked features, meaning that this outing is very much below the property's usual par.
Episode four of DONTNOD's Life Is Strange continues the exceptional level of quality that episode three delivered. It even goes so far as to surpass what came before in a variety of ways.
Velocibox is simple and addictive, but it's just too darn difficult most of the time. This release demands such precision that we weren't able to see as much of it as we'd have liked – despite our absolute best efforts. With a fairer difficulty curve this could have been a decent timewaster; instead, we'd recommend it to masochists only.
The culmination of a decade's worth of iteration, Metanet's latest is a success in every sense. It's super stylish, feels excellent to play, and has that tough-but-fair balance just right. There may only be a few modes, but within them lie a vast number of levels, and when you're done, you can browse for even more created by players. This certainly won't be a game for everyone, as some people may find it too difficult and possibly a little obtuse. However, for those who like a hard-as-nails platformer and want a fresh compelling experience, you can't do much better than N++.
Q.U.B.E Director's Cut does very, very well for a game in a genre perfected by Portal, and while it's not quite at that calibre, it's a polished, complex, and enjoyable puzzler that has replayability, too. The story is deep, the mechanics are well thought out, and the graphics are simple – the ending is the only real downer in this game of many high points. A must for any indie or puzzle game fan.
The Swindle is a solid game, but it's a swag bag short of our full recommendation. As a title to play over a weekend – or between other games with more substance – it can't really be knocked, but don't expect to be feeling light fingered forever. This is a cunning con, a solid swizz – but it's been robbed of crime of the century status.
Onechanbara Z2: Chaos is essentially Devil May Cry on what feels like a budget of about £20, which is funny, since you can buy the far superior Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition on the PS4 for that same amount of money. To be fair, though, Z2 Chaos does have its fun moments, and it's kept afloat by a decent combat system that has a lot to offer once you've got a handle on the controls. It's not a totally brain dead release, but it's hard to recommend when it's launching on a console that already boasts several better action games.
In simple terms, Hatoful Boyfriend is an infectiously bizarre dating simulator about choosing a partner from a particularly fanciful flock of pigeons. But when all the birds come home to roost, your enjoyment of this comical curio is almost entirely dependent on your ability to truck with its utterly insane premise. Indeed, if you don't take umbrage with a bit of pigeon-on-human romance, you're likely to be taken on a riotous and remarkable romp.
The penultimate episode of Game of Thrones is a bit of a mess. While there's a lot of meat in this instalment, it still ends up tasting a bit bland. Between oddly behaving characters, technical issues, and poor plotting, this feels like Telltale's least inspired release in some time.
Journey remains one of the most cohesive titles to grace PlayStation. A sumptuous art style and a stunning soundtrack fuse to create an experience that's flawless from start to finish. Its story never utters a word, yet it has more to say than most scripts, and its handling of social interaction eschews tradition in favour of eye-opening anonymous bonding. Enhanced visuals and a silky smooth framerate made possible courtesy of the PS4's power make this the definitive edition of the release, and put simply, Journey is still one of the greatest games ever made.
Tembo the Badass Elephant is made even more frustrating by the fact that it doesn't flat out suck. There's a solid sidescroller in here, but Game Freak's taken it in the wrong direction. This should have been an adventure all about momentum, but it does everything within its power to pump the brakes. Give this wide load a wide berth – it's made itself irrelephant.