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Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is clocking in at about £10 on the PSN store, which makes sense. It has the feel of a highly polished game that can kill 30 minutes or so at a time rather than instigate hours of play. If that’s what you’re looking for then you’re in luck, friend; here be a game that is both simple and immersive for short periods of time, to divert your brain away from real issues and solely into ‘where the fuck is the fruit oh no there’s a ghost train EAT IT YES HA!’. If you’re after a happy dose of nostalgia and an engaging half hour then this is the power pill for you.
A sadly barebones “up-res” re release that’s lacking the polish of Capcoms recent Resident Evil remasters and even their Mega Man collection. The games are no less fun, however the second is far and away the best. It’s just a shame that there’s not enough effort gone into this for fans and collectors, and the lack of the Case Zero and West download chapters as well as the fragmented release make the set feel incomplete.
Overall, RunGunJumpGun plays the role of the franticly enjoyable 2D scroller well. Narrative is non-existing ultimately, but weirdly cool in that Hotline Miami kind of way, where blithering randomness manages to feel like expertly deployed story-telling. The parts where the game excels is in the way it forces you to multi-task forward thinking and twitch reaction and if you make it through a passage there’s a huge feeling of reward for your pain-staking perseverance. It won’t be everyone’s bag, but you won’t want to let its simplicity beat you – human nature dictates that.
Hue is a very fun platformer puzzle game that draws you in, especially with its simple melody playing throughout. The graphic style is very simple but engaging enough to keep you entertained and there are several interactions which I also found amusing. However I have found very little replay value which is a shame. There are collectibles as I mentioned for the completionists but the game offers nothing new on a second playthrough. This being said, Hue is a wonderful little title that I will remember due to its simplistic style and incredible attention to detail.
Assetto Corsa is definitely a solid driving simulation. Although it is let down by the lack of content, this is definitely one of the most realistic simulators around. I tend to prefer a little more fun, and if not, would like a bit more help in terms of tutorials on offer which I mentioned above. I think if you had a decent steering wheel, that is where Assetto Corsa could become one hell of an experience. If they do plan on doing a second one down the line, a more complete and meaningful Career Mode would definitely mean a higher score from me. Assetto Corsa is more frustrating than anything, and one that is only for the very hardcore driving fans out there.
Whilst this may be a time killer whilst you wait for the next big RPG, this won't be an RPG you'll remember fondly.
ABZU, to put it bluntly, is a bit special. A stunning example of game design, allowing you to dictate your own pace through an ocean that gets more complex in both design and feel as you descend, with some moments that, in my opinion, surpass some of Journey's standout points. A beautifully simple game in terms of mechanics, ABZU's strength lies in its world and the emotional resonance it has with its player. If you suffer from anxiety or depression, this game should be made available on the NHS. It is, quite simply, wonderful.
I am absolutely staggered that Telltale have put their name to this game, as releasing this under the guise of it being a finished product is disgusting. I don’t follow too much in terms of the Steam Greenlight/Early Access scene, and genuinely didn’t know that this was an unfinished product. It’s being released at a ‘budget’ price of £30, with “DLC Packs” included. Here’s a tip, guys. If you want to hock DLC for a game, make sure it’s finished before you let it dribble out onto consoles. There was a point where every man and his dog was making a PC game trying to capture some of the DayZ market, and this feels like a rushed hangover of that time. In time, this could change. However, 7 Days to Die is being released and marketed as a completed game on consoles, and we are reviewing it as such. It is a buggy, glitch-ridden mess of a game, which looks like an A-Level project and has less atmosphere than the moon. The fact that it’s being released and pushed in this state is, quite simply, unforgivable.
Playdead have taken everything that Limbo offered, and expanded it exponentially with Inside. Crafting a sublime 2D platformer with another unique art style, they take so many unexpected turns with the game that they may as well ship it with a sat nav. A game that starts you off as a boy in the wood will immediately draw comparisons to their 2010 debut, but the connective threads between Limbo and Inside are slowly pulled apart as the latter goes on and begins its descent into something all the more disturbing. A fantastic example of polishing a game until it’s done, Inside may only be around 4 hours long but it’s been well worth the 6 year wait.
Mirror's Edge Catalyst still feels like a lot of fun to play through, as the parkour system remains a really successful mechanic for navigating the game world. Dice have made a lot of changes that both hurt and harm the series, but at least you couldn't say that this is a lazy re-working of an eight-year old game.
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter feels like a let-down. Crimes & Punishments was far from perfect, but it felt like clear progress – this latest effort feels like treading water at best.
Lumo takes all of your rose-tinted memories of the isometric adventure genre and manages to faithfully re-create them – whilst making the much-needed changes that make going back to those old games so painful. True, some gamers won’t appreciate the soft touch, but Noyce caters for them too if they want more of a challenge.
A game that had the potential to not only evoke memories of a classic franchise, but also stand alone on its own two feet, Shadow of the Beast stumbles and doesn't quite live up to the potential it clearly has. There are some lovely looking areas and when the combat sticks, it's enjoyable. The problem is that there are more moments of pure frustration than delight, including control issues and that unfathomable decision to force you to unlock native language subtitles. If you're after a blast of nostalgia and nothing else, however, the original 1989 title is included in the game as an unlockable, but this remake doesn't really add much to the legacy of the franchise.
Uncharted 4 is an exceptional game. Naughty Dog have knocked it out of the park in pretty much every area, and this truly does feel like the sequel they've wanted to make for years. They have taken elements from the previous Uncharted games as well as The Last Of Us, honed and refined them, and created quite possibly the best action game I've ever played. A tight story with superb pacing, incredible set pieces and simply unbelievable visuals, Uncharted 4 should be mandatory if you own a PS4.
Building on practically every single area of the Paris level, Sapienza is simply breathtaking. A living, breathing seaside town, it’s a beautifully crafted arena for precision strikes from whatever weapon you decide to use. A neat secondary objective to bring in a fresh gameplay element, and the sheer variety of methods to dispatch your two targets is simply mind boggling. A delightfully twisted sense of humour ties the whole package together, with some of the approaches to assassination proving to be genuine laugh out loud moments, Sapienza is a fantastic follow up to Paris, and I can’t wait to see what happens next month.
Trillion: God of Destruction is a disappointing effort for a handheld game. Incredibly lengthy cut scenes interspersed with relatively short battles, clunky control systems and laughable hyper-sexualised characters ensure that a title with such promise never really gets past its initial confusion. The quality of the 2D artwork is fantastic, but the leap to 3D doesn’t quite work all of the time, and somehow feels lacking. A great idea that’s been sorely mistreated, with very little actual gameplay on display.
A beautifully crafted and hugely enjoyable experience, Quantum Break is a fantastic addition to anyone's library. The lighting effects alone make any arguments about resolution dissipate, with a solid set of unique mechanics and breathtaking set-pieces that keep the game fresh and exciting. Whilst I had some issues streaming the show, the content within is in such good keeping with the game, that it's a minor blip on the radar when all is said and done. Microsoft's flirtation with the world of TV proved to be a bit of a flop, but for the most part, Remedy have somehow managed to nail it.
Hitman's debut in 2016 is a fantastic starting point for this franchise reboot. Shaking off the mis-step that was Absolution has clearly not been easy, but Io have managed to create a brilliant sandbox that will allow you to dispatch of your target using methods from dropping a chandelier on their head (Del Boy would be proud), to blowing them away with an AK47, to making them throw up thanks to rat poison and then drowning them in the toilet bowl. Despite a particularly odd subplot that has almost literally been taken directly from the script of Zoolander, this first section of Hitman is the start of something beautiful. If Io can keep this up with the rest of the missions, then they've got a special game on their hands. Who's up for a trip to Sapienza next month?
Lumo takes all of your rose-tinted memories of the isometric adventure genre and manages to faithfully re-create them – whilst making the much-needed changes that make going back to those old games so painful. True, some gamers won’t appreciate the soft touch, but Noyce caters for them too if they want more of a challenge.
If you've yet to pick up Heavy Rain, it's hard for me not to recommend as a curiosity. Released at a time when everything was getting increasingly more FPS centric, Heavy Rain made some bold leaps and for the most part, stuck the landing. Quite whether it all hangs together in 2016, though, it a subject that's up for debate. Personally, I think I'm enamoured with it enough to forgive its mis-steps, and even with very few changes outside of a sharpening up and new lights, it's well worth a pick up.