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Infinifactory certainly has the building blocks of something great, as it's uber-satisfying piecing together your own production line and watching it all work as intended. Sadly, while there's real satisfaction to be gleaned from craftily concocting your own creative solutions, the cumbersome controls and occasionally unintelligible explanations mean that this game has ultimately failed to pass our rigorous quality assurance test.
Get used to the clumsy controls and The Banner Saga is a great role-playing ride right the way through to its conclusion. Meaningful player choice and engaging storytelling are broken up perfectly by bouts of enjoyable strategic combat, which creates a wonderfully paced experience that's very hard to put down. This is a banner that we want to see soaring well into the future.
Aside from the setting, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India doesn't make much of an effort to distance itself from its side-scrolling predecessor. While its stealth system works well and its combat feels good, it's just more of the same. The dialogue is dull, the art style doesn't look good at all, and the game just doesn't have much appeal. It's certainly not bad, it's just so bang average that you'll have seen it all before.
Nuclear Throne is one of the greatest rogue-like games that we have ever played: the gunplay is very satisfying, the characters and their creative abilities are wonderfully wacky, and the entire experience has so much variety that it becomes very addictive. If you are a fan of rogue-likes or simply want an outstanding game to play, then we suggest that you let Vlambeer's latest rule over your PlayStation lands, 'cause it's definitely ruling over ours.
The fourth and penultimate episode of Telltale's first season of Minecraft: Story Mode has yet again failed to impress.
Hardware: Rivals is slow and safe – it's a far-cry from the high-octane vehicle eviscerator that we'd anticipated. Its slightest of similarities to Rocket League may have hurt it, but even if Psyonix's excellent on-wheels outing didn't exist, this would still be a pretty darn tedious title. It's a shame because it's not hard to imagine a faster iteration of the exact same game being ten times more satisfying, but ultimately Hardware's only real rival is its squandered potential.
We extend our sympathies toward Frozenbyte since Trine 3's weaknesses are due to unforeseen costs that exceeded its budget, but this doesn't alter the reality of the game's state. While it may surpass expectations as a picturesque fairy tale come to life with a lovely score and promising tale, your childlike wonder will fade and be cut short due to abrupt closure, trite puzzle-solving, and dumbed-down gameplay that spells a fumble for this middling entry.
This is a game clearly made for long-standing fans, and made by a passionate team that strived to recreate the gameplay experience of the original on modern hardware. In that sense, Amplitude is a total success. The way that the game draws you in with its psychedelic visuals, how your brain switches off and your fingers become one with your DualShock, the satisfying way that the tracks disintegrate when you clear them – it's all here. If you can forgive the game's problems, you're left with a very solid rhythm game, and an experience that's as fresh today as it was 13 years ago.
After the dreadful Dead Kings, Ubisoft has proven that it can make decent DLC with Assassin's Creed Syndicate's Jack the Ripper add-on pack. The new fear system is a novel addition here, while the whole campaign has a compelling, creepy vibe. The story missions are strong, and we appreciate the developer's decision to lead with an aging Evie Frye. If the expansion's titular serial killer famously came from hell, then this content is very much heaven sent.
Primal Carnage: Extinction feels like a great concept which has just not had enough "shine" put into the end product. Basic menus and average production values could be forgiven if the gameplay was killer, but dinosaurs deserve to be more badass and exciting than this. So while there is some dino fun to be had here, this is a game that will likely be left on the virtual shelf and left to turn extinct.
Zotrix is a decent if unambitious twin-stick shooter with smooth, fluid controls that are well suited to pick up and play sessions. A steep difficulty curve means that you will need patience, while the awful UI makes it a challenge to navigate the title's menus. We'd recommend this if you're desperate for an arcade-inspired blaster, but otherwise leave it in a galaxy far, far away.
Fat Princess Adventures won't be winning any awards for originality, but as a casual co-op game to play over the holiday, it's a solid choice. The combat is shallow, but fun nonetheless, and the game makes it easy to switch classes and items to keep things interesting. It's made the transition to hack-'n'-slash surprisingly well, and while there are many hoping for the traditional multiplayer to make a comeback, this spin-off holds its own as a family friendly action game – so long as you turn the gore off.
Among the Sleep has some incredible ideas, but its execution is simply not strong enough to stir you from your slumber. The game squanders its impressive opening by spending too much time in generic environments, and the puzzles lack the imagination needed to keep you awake. The narrative goes to some nightmarish places, but it ends all too abruptly, and technical issues apply the sleeping cap to an already mixed release.
There was a pretty big question mark about how stable Rainbow Six: Siege's online performance would be after a pretty disastrous open beta, and news of microtransactions in the final product also contributed to a general aura of bad feeling that's overshadowed its release. Should you decide to give it a chance, though, you'll realise that a lot of these concerns were unfounded, and Ubisoft has actually delivered a thoroughly enjoyable tactical shooter that feels like an antidote for anyone fatigued by the breakneck run-'n'-gun in other multiplayer titles. While its slow deliberate pace won't be for everyone, if you're looking for shooter that's trying something different, then the impressive destructibility and intense close-quarters battles will almost certainly bring the house down.
From each individual line of dialogue to every jagged texture, Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair is so bad that it's actually pretty bloody good. A game that knows exactly what it's doing and sticks wholeheartedly to its stupidity, it's a refreshing experience that's bolstered by an admittedly addictive gameplay loop. Whether alone or with friends, it proves to be an accessible hoot that packs plenty of fun – provided that you leave your brains at the door.
Despite the technical problems – which need to be sorted out quickly, really – we've had a terrifying amount of fun with Just Cause 3. The freedom enabled by this game is second to none, and the island of Medici offers plenty of opportunities for creativity – or, of course, explosions. The campaign may have some low points, but attacking bases and liberating towns is some of the best fun that you'll find on the PS4 this year.
Beyond: Two Souls is strange game that isn't quite sure what it wants to be. There are moments where the title pushes boundaries and attempts things that most developers wouldn't even care to try, but the plotting is uneven and the more touching sequences are undone by prolonged periods of outright idiocy. Ellen Page is excellent throughout and the presentation is staggering on the PS4 – it's just best to know what you're getting into before venturing headfirst into the Infraworld.
Episode Three of Minecraft: Story Mode marks what can easily be considered the high point of the season – but it's still not great. Coming hot off the trail of one of Telltale's worst episodes has certainly helped make this release far easier to like, but its own accomplishments should not be sold short. This episode is a light, fun romp, and its consistently goofy tone helps to craft the series' identity at long last.
Kromaia Ω is a frantic and fun 3D shoot-'em-up, with a focus on arcade action and presented in a vibrant, though sometimes hard to read, aesthetic. With only four levels in which to unleash bullet hell, the game can get repetitive fairly quickly, but each area is massive, with secrets and puzzles sprinkled in to help keep things interesting. A unique, enjoyable game that could have done with just a dash more substance to go with all that style.
Orsinium won't win back any lapsed players with its familiar content, but for those still invested in The Elder Scrolls Online, it provides an interesting new land that's full of dangerous enemies and lengthy questlines. It's perhaps a shame that the expansion doesn't try to tweak or evolve the existing formula, but with so much to see and do, Wrothgar is still a tempting holiday destination for those with an itch for adventure.