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If you aren't overly familiar with some of the immersive sims that are out there right now, you'll be in for a heck of a ride. There are precious few games right now which do what Prey is trying to do, preserving the core single-player FPS experience for those who don't want to just blast everything in sight. I wouldn't say Prey is the thinking man's FPS, but it's certainly got plenty of substance. In the absence of BioShock 3, this is going to be as good as it gets.
With the world awash in new Warhammer games, there's nothing about this latest iteration of what was once the Warhammer 40,000 flagship videogame franchise that we will remember next year.
So as I sit here drinking the last of my fine lager, pondering the meaning of existence, I wholeheartedly recommend you pour yourself a glass of Nier Automata too. PlatinumGames has had many high points throughout its 11-year existence, but never has it delivered something quite as mesmerising as Nier Automata, an action-RPG to be truly savoured.
If you've got the DOOM reboot then I heartily recommend you just go and play its Arcade Mode instead. This was added as a free update back in October last year, and it's everything you want from a score-attack shooter and then some. Failing that, and if you've never played Bulletstorm before, then it's worth a play-through should you spot it at a deep discount further down the line.
Snake Pass is a difficult game to wholeheartedly recommend. It’s simply going to be too frustrating for some, all boiling down to a finger knotting control scheme. Forge ahead with it and you will be rewarded however. Snake Pass is an unashamed blast from the past that also strives to innovate on tried and trusted concepts. Its core concept is fundamentally flawed, stripping the player of control rather than empowering, but Sumo has found a way to use this to its strength.
The tale is the right mixture of occasionally-interactive cutscenes and third-person adventuring to enhance the feeling that you're starring in a big budget space movie that, despite the reams of dialogue, doesn't require you to think too hard in order to keep up.
Adding depth to characters throughout the world is always welcome, and while the concrete plotlines themselves might be a little thin, the new dimensions and allegiances that can affect the unscripted procedural stories are always welcome. Great job as usual, Paradox.
For fans of real-time tactics and stealth games, Shadow Tactics is very nearly without compare. It's that same classic Commandos gameplay wrapped up in an exquisite new shell; still punishing yet not cruel.
Once you understand that, however, I've not got much bad to say. Time will tell if it hits the market with the impact that Planescape: Torment had. I would guess not, just due to the games industry being a different beast these days. But in quality of writing, and in its ability to make you care about characters and force you kicking and screaming to actually think about things like good and evil, and the value of life, Tides of Numenera is every bit on a par with its illustrious ancestor.
If hunting is your bag then theHunter is a game which could very much tick all the right boxes for you. Compared to the competition I’ve experienced this is right there at the top of the pile, and it’s a game which is only going to grow as Expansive Worlds continues to layer it with more content.
A nostalgic blast from the past, anyone who ever used to love Where’s Wally and any books of that type will be thrilled by giving Hidden Folks a go. There are no pressures and no limit to speak of, so it really is one of the more relaxing titles around. The sort of game you just want to sit down and play for a couple of chin stroking hours with a piping hot cup of tea.
So how to conclude? Well, it's another Sniper Elite game. Much like number three, which admittedly took some major steps forward over V2, but the same level of progress is missing. A new climate and a lick of paint have made another game in practically the precise mould of the brilliant Sniper Elite III, so I can't really complain. It's like going back to your favourite restaurant and ordering what you always order. Sure, it's a bloody delight, and there's not much bad to say about it, but perhaps something slightly different (aware as I am that this is vague and ill-defined) might have been nice?
Quern is a must-have game for puzzle enthusiasts. At 25$ this is one game that has a very good dollar per hour of game play ratio. It could also be a great gift for non-gamers who have an interest in puzzles as it's simple to understand the play mechanics and it should run fine on any system.
The stronger Scenarios can't rescue Urban Empire from being disappointingly average however. A few quality of life tweaks here and there could have achieved a great deal in making Urban Empire a more engaging experience. With little noticeable cause and effect you're stuck prodding buttons until you hopefully stumble on solution, which sadly flies in the face of strategy as we know it.
Total War Warhammer gamers, if you're on the fence and haven't already got the DLC yet, wait until you really get the Total Warhammer itch before picking this up. That way you can give it the attention it deserves as it's another expensive DLC. Its certainly worth the cost if you are going to play it properly, as it's fun and probably the biggest upgrade so far.
Ultimately, this is the thing - Sanctus Reach is a cool and fun turn-based 3D wargame that fans of Warhammer 40K will no doubt lap up. I had a lot of fun with it and I'm certainly going to be stepping back into our dark human future for more.
Ultimately, Space Hulk Deathwing is the empty shell of a great game, desperately looking for some substance. It's the perfect game to play for an hour but every moment after this it just gets a little bit more tiresome. The story is gibberish to all but the most ardent of Warhammer 40K fans and ultimately doesn't provide enough variety to propel you through with any certainty. It's Left 4 Dead without the frenetic pace, deep tactics and unpredictable thrills.
However despite all that, I would like to say that the above stated cons can easily be overlooked by those after a rollicking zombie tale. This game actually forced me to pick up Season 1 and get to know The Walking Dead series again. Rest assured, A New Frontier is a brilliant game and continues the never-ending Walker drama, certainly providing enough intrigue to keep me avidly looking out for episode three.
With a fantastically sombre and sinister art style, impeccable sound design and an innovative idea, if I were to have to describe this game on the fly I would say it’s a title somewhere between Papers, Please and The Sims, two games I have thoroughly enjoyed in the past. With the subtle application of moral choices of Papers, Please mixed with the sim management of The Sims I can wholeheartedly recommend Beholder as a quick pick me up this Christmas if you’ve got the rumblies only state intervention will satisfy.
I unfortunately haven’t had a chance to give the online co-operative multiplayer a go for this as Dead Rising 4 is currently online available on the Windows Store and, er, it doesn’t look as if anyone’s really playing it. Ultimately, Dead Rising 4 is the epitome of big, dumb fun. It's as wide as ocean yet as deep as a puddle, yet curiously it's self-deprecatory tone and over-the-top violence means it's a game that rarely gets boring. It's less fine wine, more Bacardi Breezer, and you know exactly whether that makes it the game for you this holiday.