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PES 2015: Pro Evolution Soccer is yet another step in the right direction for Konami – even if it's again let down by its lack of licensing and complicated online options. Its simulation play is better than ever, and it leads to much more satisfying victories than in EA Sports' alternative. There's room for polish and improvement, of course – but this is still a great game.
Framerate fluctuations render Tetris Ultimate almost unplayable, and while these issues only seem to occur when online, disconnecting tends to strip the title of much of its appeal. Assuming that it's eventually patched, there's a no-frills version of an all-time favourite here – but while the multiplayer is well integrated, the overall experience is far too ordinary to really recommend.
On a fundamental level, The Dark Below fails to justify its expensive price point for anyone who isn't a hardcore Destiny fan. While the story missions are enjoyable and the Strikes are some of the best, there just isn't enough new content here to reinvigorate Bungie's project for more than a few hours at most.
Secret Ponchos feels like a glimpse of what could go on to be a great game. Its comic book art style looks good, and the actual game plays well – but the slim roster of characters and stages mean that you'll quickly burn through what's on offer. With only alternative costumes available to buy at launch, the hope is that more content will be added further down the line. For now, though, unless you're already a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you're better off hanging up your six shooters.
Rollers of the Realm strives for true innovation by fusing the pinball and RPG genres. There are some clever spins on traditional pinball gameplay, and it's bizarre yet fascinating to see how a story, characters, and RPG stats and abilities are interwoven with this. It's unfortunate, then, that irritating design faults and questionable ball physics significantly mire the ideas at work. It's certainly an unexpected journey, but it's wrought with joys and pains that you should take into consideration, whether you're a pinball connoisseur or not.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is a decent game, especially with friends – but it'll never surprise you. The basic mechanics work well, but you'll struggle to shake off the feeling that they could have been utilised so much more effectively. With no plot and no great rewards, you'll be playing just for the sake of getting to the end, which won't be enough to hold everybody's attention through to its premature conclusion.
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham feels like a step back for the sub-series. A lazy story, as well as a lack of open world content, prevents this from building upon the broad shoulders of its PlayStation 3 predecessor – even if it does have stunning visuals and some neat minigames.
With stunning presentation, and a clever core mechanic, Teslagrad does a lot to impress. Unfortunately, its occasionally unwieldy controls, inconsistent difficulty, and needlessly challenging boss fights mar the experience. However, if you can look past these infidelities, you'll find an incredibly unique and often satisfying puzzle platformer.
This is not necessarily an experience for everyone, but the light-hearted stripping mechanic makes it an enjoyable romp all the same, and a worthy addition to your PS4 library if you haven't played it already.
Game of Thrones: Episode 1 - Iron from Ice is certainly not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it hits nowhere near as hard as it maybe should have. Bits and pieces show promise for future episodes – particularly the conclusion – but all of the pieces are not yet in place. With more playable characters and an extra episode in this season, there's definitely potential here – it's just not been realised so far.
Despite great advances in graphical fidelity and core gameplay, there's not enough here to make up for WWE 2K15's stripped back features, teensy roster, and mind numbing My Career mode. The series' PS4 debut is very much a case of one step forward, two steps back – and while it lays the groundwork for a great game, 2K Sports has a lot of work to do to unlock it.
Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 1 – Zer0 Sum is quite possibly the strongest debut episode in Telltale Games' storied history. It combines a frantic pace with some genuinely funny dialogue, and offers more than enough fresh gameplay systems to make it stand out from the rest of the studio's output. Short of not being a fan of the Borderlands franchise, this an incredibly impressive outing – and the fact that it's not riddled with bugs is just the icing on the cake.
For a game named Tennis in the Face, this curious new indie from Finnish outfit 10tons is delightfully inoffensive. Outside of its outlandish energy drink-inspired storyline, this is a straightforward arcade game which revels in the base appeal of hitting people with balls. Lively presentation belies comatose gameplay, but its simplicity serves as a solid palette cleanser between longer gaming rallies.
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions marks a triumphant PlayStation debut for an already popular property – and a solid start for the resurrected Sierra label. Offering a wealth of content as well as endless replayability, this game is a real winner. While the introduction of 3D stages doesn't change the franchise's core formula as much as you may expect, it still manages to breathe new life into a solid starting point – and even minor presentation and difficulty niggles can't sully this shapely treat.
It comes as no surprise that Grand Theft Auto V on the PS4 is the same great game that millions of us have already played, but thoughtful additions, both big and small, mean that it's easily the definitive edition of Rockstar's stellar creation. Los Santos feels more alive than ever, and whether you're a frequent visitor or not, we'd recommend booking a seat on the next-gen flight if you haven't already.
Set aside a good few weeks of your life, because the Inquisition takes no prisoners when it comes to your free time. An RPG that manages to successfully tie an engrossing, engaging narrative to a vast, explorable world, BioWare's fantasy epic is one of the studio's greatest achievements. With superb writing and rewarding gameplay, Dragon Age: Inquisition offers just about everything that you could want from a genre that's been sorely missed on the PS4.
While Far Cry 4 doesn't feel like a major upgrade over its predecessor – except on the graphical front – the series still manages to retain its crown as the finest open world first-person shooter. The introduction of player choice to the narrative is great, but the lack of an interesting story makes this addition feel like a step forward followed by a step back. It's fortunate, then, that the game's negatives are eclipsed by its sublime sandbox gameplay.
With a string of new tools on offer, creator curators will have a blast exploring all of the possibilities available here – and while you'll certainly need dedication to get the best out of them, the lazy among you will more than get your fill via the output of more industrious players over time.
As a platformer, Never Alone is solid, but not exactly revolutionary. It's the cultural aspects that go hand-in-hand with this release that make it so special, then. With incredible art and audio, as well as a compelling narrative, this is an interesting indie that deserves your attention. And while there are a few niggles that prevent it from reaching its full potential, you shouldn't let them stand in the way of your opportunity to meet up with the Iñupiaq.
It's the repetitiveness that really hurts Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops – there's just not a lot else to see beyond the first few missions. There are some good ideas here – the squad system being the real highlight – but relatively easy gameplay and flawed AI let it down. Worse still, at the time of writing, this series is free on mobile platforms, meaning that even with cross-buy, it's a purchase that's somewhat hard to justify.