Telegraph's Reviews
Monster Hunter Generations is the pinnacle of a great series
The Devil's Daughter is an enjoyable thriller. Albeit one that doesn't always know its strengths.
While it results in brevity, there isn’t an ounce of fat here. Inside is a game to be devoured in one or two sittings, then, but its impact will be something to savour.
The major difference between this prequel and the cult 2008 original, is that the City of Glass is open-world. It initially seems counter-intuitive for a game about tight design and linear running lines to throw itself open, but DICE makes it work. Firstly because Glass isn't much like the bustling open-worlds you might be used to. Its rooftops are sparse with people, its architecture a gleaming minimalism splashed with vivid, communicative colour that guides your way.
In Blood and Wine, things are quite different. Rather than a war ravaged wasteland, or an archipelago on the brink of civil war, famed monster hunter Geralt of Rivia travels to the southern region of Toussaint - a gorgeous unspoilt stretch of countryside. It truly is a wonderful place to be, lush with colour and an ever present orange sun that bathes the landscape in a warm glow. Its vineyards - famed world-over for their iconic wines - dot the landscape, while its beautiful capital of Beauclair sits visible from almost every point in the land, perched atop an elven ruin on a huge hill. After visiting Toussaint, the rest of the Witcher’s world feels unnecessarily depressing - you won’t want to leave.
Blizzard has made all the right noises about being committed to building on Overwatch, providing new heroes, maps and gametypes for free across the game's lifespan. With a tremendously successful start, there is no reason to believe this is a promise that won't be followed through on.
In Doom's first moments you break free from metal restraints with your bare hands before smashing a demon's head in against the edge of a stone table.
Still, IO’s confident direction with this new Hitman is fantastic. As a sleepy dose of Mediterranean murder, Sapienza is inventive and complex, and delivers a level of replayability that should finally shush naysayers of its newfound episodic structure.
Signed-up members of the Uncharted club will allow themselves a smirk as Drake quips "hey, this isn't my first lost city, y'know?", but Naughty Dog --now one of the most respected developers in the world-- are careful not to leave newcomers behind. All you need to enjoy the yarn is here: set up by a script written with warmth, humour and confidence; delivered by a skilled and willing cast.
[T]his is when Star Fox Zero is at its best: a thrilling, fleeting and flawed joyride.
After enjoying almost a year of Early Access on PC, the final release is now available on PS4 and Xbox One, complete with a few dozen of history's most iconic cars from over 50-years of rally, a smattering of tracks from some of the world's most beautiful point-to-point hotspots. It's an impressive return to form; an intense, hardcore recreation of rally with an emphasis on careful trial and error rather than race and rewind.
Ratchet & Clank stands on its own merits, never relying on fond memories of the 2002 PlayStation 2 original beyond knowing gags. You might be tired of being asked to buy the same game twice, or perhaps you've been burned before by a low-quality movie tie-in, but don't let that put you off, as this is one of the best console exclusives this generation.
From the start, Dark Souls 3 feels incredibly familiar. The game's premise hasn't changed and the recurring series motifs are present and correct: ruined castle ramparts, red dragons breathing fire over a bridge, perseverance in the face of adversity. However one crucial thing differentiates Dark Souls 3 from the rest: almost everything from a design standpoint is flipped on its head.
It would be easy, and not without justification, to suggest glazing over the narrative chutzpah and just enjoy the game. But Quantum Break's narrative and gameplay have a habit of bumping into each other. This is a game with plenty of good ideas. Too many, perhaps, with none given the room to flourish in what is a lavish, clumsy but often entertaining cacophony.
This exploration of Volterra and its practices by first-time Italian developer LKA is a gruelling, uneven but ultimately worthwhile trek through the peeling corridors of an all too real place. The story follows Renee, a young woman who was committed at Volterra shortly before World War II, as she returns to the hospital's abandoned husk decades later. While Renee herself is a fictional creation, her experiences are a patchwork of real-life patients pieced together from director Luca Dalco's extensive research. You are tacitly cast as a voice inside Renee's head, whom she talks to and questions as you explore the hospital, trying to piece together and make sense of her experience.
This collapse caused various factions of armed looters, rioters, murderers and thieves to pop up all over the city - along with stray dogs and scurrying rats - patrolling the snowy, litter-filled streets and killing indiscriminately, taking whatever they want. Fortunately, the government had set up an armed militia of cover-hugging sleeper cell agents, and they're sent in to restore order by... patrolling the streets and killing indiscriminately, taking whatever they want.
A devilishly delightful return to form
There are speed runs, challenges and endless survival modes to add longevity, but it takes a special kind of game to provide such a lean playtime with such self-assured verve. That is Superhot all over: stylish, confident and perfectly formed.
As you may have gathered, it is all thoroughly enjoyable.
I firmly believe that Street Fighter V will become the finest fight game ever. The basis is too strong for it to fail. It is too important to Capcom for them to let it slip. The prize is too big. But belief, however strong, is a shaky basis on which to unconditionally recommend a game. It is why this review remains scoreless.