TrustedReviews
HomepageTrustedReviews's Reviews
DICE has put together a superlative campaign experience. The decision to create a mini-series following multiple soldiers is brilliant, and something that other games should follow in the future, as there wasn’t a single moment of filler.
Brilliant in hour-long doses, Shadow Warrior 2 doesn't have the depth or variety in its core gameplay to hold your interest for hours at a time. The procedurally generated levels affect the flow and pacing of the missions, while all those ultra-violent battles become samey after a while.
Rez Infinite is the best game on PlayStation VR right now. It is simply the perfect example of what virtual reality can bring to traditional games that you know and love. To the VR naysayers, hold this game into their face and tell them to shut it. It looks and sounds gorgeous, plays brilliantly and for just £24.99 is an absolute must-buy.
While it doesn’t have the fun trapping gimmicks of Trap Team or the vehicles of Superchargers, Skylanders: Imaginators wins where it matters most: gameplay. The mix of combat, platforming, puzzle-solving and character progression has never been stronger than in the latest game, and the ability to create and upgrade your own Skylander actively plays into this, making it the most addictive Skylanders yet. As always you’ll inevitably end up splashing out on extra crystals and figures to make the most of the game, but this year it’s worth it. While we’d like a few more racing tracks this is arguably the best game in the series.
Gears Of War 4 does everything required to bring the franchise roadie-running into 2016 without losing what made it so good to begin with. One of the best games on the Xbox One.
It won’t do much for those crying out for a proper Mario adventure on Wii U, but Paper Mario: Color Splash is a lively cocktail of Mario, RPG and papercraft puzzle-solving with funny dialogue and a surreal, self-aware sense of humour. It won’t be for everyone, but it’s a great game for those who get its lovable oddball vibe.
Arkham VR is simply a must-buy for any Batman fan picking up PSVR. Rocksteady has proven itself time and again as the perfect creator of Batman games, and extending its brilliance into VR with such aplomb should be applauded.
It feels like PlayStation VR Worlds has two very good games buried within it that have been stripped back to demos. Rather than being amazing, indulgent main courses, they’re bite-sized chunks thrown into a pick-and-mix.
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a good on-rails virtual reality shooter. At times the scares can feel cheap, and the fact that it uses the same scare over and over again means you’ll either get bored or annoyed by it.
Mafia 3 is the biggest disappointment of the year. It's a game with masses of potential, but unfortunately that potential is wasted on by-the-numbers open-world game design. [OpenCritic note: This review scores Mafia 3 at 2/5 stars. Because Kirk McKeand has already published other scored reviews for Mafia 3, the score has not been recorded]
The PS4 version isn’t quite the definitive edition, but the smoother frame rate and more responsive gameplay makes a great Tomb Raider even greater. The new Blood Ties mode is an interesting adventure that gives us time to go deeper into Lara’s back story, while the Lara’s Nightmare mode is a fun, fast-paced action challenge. Throw in the other extras and the enhanced, co-op friendly Endurance mode and you have a package to make the wait worthwhile. Sometimes being the second-best adventure of the year is more than good enough.
Eternal Crusade is trying to do a lot and be a lot of things to Warhammer 40,000 fans. There's an obvious love of the universe and some real thinking behind the more melee-focused combat style of the game but, right now, it isn't really working. The gameplay needs more polish, better balancing and more finesse and the same goes for the presentation. If or when it gets that it could be a contender, particularly if you love the franchise, but until that happens you might want to stick to something else.
The Painted World of Ariendel has a bleak beauty that’s begging to be explored, but it’s all over far too quickly. Drilled down to its basic components, this DLC is one great boss fight, some decent items and a PvP arena. Unfortunately, if you don’t care about battling other players online then you're unlikely to get much out of this.
This isn’t the smartest, most exciting or most imaginative 2D platformer you’ll find on the 3DS. In fact, Sega seems hell-bent on hobbling its chances with a selection of tedious or frustrating mini-games.
FIFA 17 is another strong entry in the iconic series, and one that looks to lay the groundwork for future titles by switching to a new engine. The hyper-realistic graphics are great, with facial expressions finally helping players look more than mannequins.
Love Destiny? Rise of Iron gives you more to love, with a strong, if short, campaign, new quest lines, challenges and gear to collect, a great new Strike, two entertaining remixes and a brand new Raid. The Plaguelands is a large and intriguing new region to explore, and the new crucible maps and modes mean there’s something for more competitive Guardians to chew on.
If nothing else, then, the game manages to impress with the sheer level of detail it provides. You could spend months trying to work through the career mode, not even touching MyGM or MyTeam, and feel as though you got your money's worth.
Factor in the layers of car fan service, the immense detail at every level, and Forza Horizon 3 is the complete package.
The Collection’s biggest missed opportunity is that it doesn’t do much to win over players who have poured dozens of hours into these three games.
Once you get out on the pitch, this is the best game of football ever made. It’s the most technically savvy, intelligent and free-flowing experience I’ve ever had on a digital pitch. I just hope that the online experience – an enormous flaw last year – holds up so that this experience can be excellent across the board.