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If Metroid Prime: Federation Force is anything to go by, I am fearful of the future of the 30 year old franchise. The controls do take some getting used to on the New 3DS, but those with the standard 3DS should avoid this like the plague, due to the terribly optimised controls for that hardware. It’s certainly not fun on its own and only marginally more so with others. This is not the Metroid game we’ve been waiting for.
While the car handling and actual driving is excellent, Kunos Simulazioni don't successfully turn this into an enjoyable game, stuffing it with single player events and a career that are both frustrating rather than fun. At its best, Assetto Corsa is quite simply a sublime driving sim. I just wish I could say that without caveats.
In a way Armikrog feels like a tech demo for something much bigger, a showcase of what a final build could look like, with the majority of the character dialogue and story still to be added in. The fantastic claymation and the decent music can only distract so long from the facts that Armikrog feels soulless, lacks any charm, has boring characters, and has puzzles that could have been more interesting. The story of Tzurk and Meva told on the tablets would have made for a much better game.
God Eater 2: Rage Burst is simply a great game, and it’s a shame that it’s taken this long for it to make it to the West. As a PS4 release, its simplistic graphics are unlikely to wow anybody, but the fast-paced combat, enjoyable characters and compelling crafting make for an experience you’ll want to come back to time and time again.
It’s easy to say that The Turing Test gets a passing grade. Lots of thought has clearly gone into how the story plays out, while the puzzles are designed to teach the player without overtly telling you how a new gameplay mechanic works. Little details at the end of each zone and side puzzle flesh out just what’s going on, while the puzzles will test your logical thinking. It’s not without its flaws, but it’s certainly worth a look at for those wanting to scratch that First Person Puzzle itch.
This is hands down the best Attack on Titan game you'll find anywhere, though that in itself doesn't make it a must-have. Whether or not it clicks depends entirely on whether you can get to grips with the finicky combat, and how easily you deal with doing the same thing over and over.
Project Diva X is by far the best game in the series so far. It improves the visuals, customisation, music selection and even the performances. It’s hard to recommend previous games over this one, but it’s not perfect, and the weak story mode that’s been added is hard to ignore. If you do manage to overlook it, you’re in for an addictive and endlessly replayable rhythm game that hits a high note for the Project Diva series.
For a game that’s so simple, Reigns is very easy to get absorbed in. Your kingdom evolves in a much more subtle way than your traditional management sim, but also in a more meaningful way. While there’s a lack of variety in cards that tend to crop up, there’s also enough depth and variety in general to keep you going for quite some time.
As a new entry in the series that pushes it into uncharted territory, King of Fighters XIV is an admirable effort. Boasting a huge roster, accessible action and smooth gameplay, there’s a lot to like, but the mediocre transition to 3D and inconsistent netcode hold it back from greatness.
It’s far from being the crown jewel in this triumphant reboot, yet manages to pack in loads of fun things to see and do.
In contrast to recent games, Worms WMD feels more like the classic Worms titles with its explosive mayhem and tongue-in-cheek humour. Vehicles, turrets, and crafting all freshen up the formula somewhat, while the new 2D art direction mixed with the classic simplistic structure of Worms campaigns make for a welcome and familiar experience. Still, there’s not much out there quite like Worms and Worms WMD is a great rendition of that explosive madness.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is captivating from start to finish, giving players more freedom to make their own choices. Controls are sublime, whether you're massacring the enemy or avoiding them; with enough tools to make both viable options. The take on a futuristic Prague is unsettling, yet hugely immersive, together with some interesting social commentary. It's been a long time coming, but Mankind Divided was worth the five year wait.
F1 2016 offers the most comprehensive representation of the sport we’ve ever seen. Codemasters have implemented an array of features that are pure wish-fulfilment for fans, and cover the whole gamut of the F1 experience from paddock to track. There are still some key presentational improvements that need to be made, and perhaps next year’s entry will be a visual powerhouse, but for this season, beyond becoming an actual driver, there is no way to get closer to the world of F1 than Codemasters’ latest.
It’s a good first effort from the tiny three-person team based in Southampton, and you can clearly see a lot of love and effort has gone into the game. If you have some spare cash and some young children to entertain then you could do a lot worse. It’s a game with bears in it, it shows a poo when you are in last place, and I’m in a good mood, so Strangely Named Studio’s first game gets an encouraging…
No Man’s Sky manages to be a hugely impressive accomplishment for the team at Hello Games, but the hubris and hype meant it could never live up to the expectations heaped upon it. Despite the various caveats and areas that Hello will look to improve upon over the coming months, you can so easily lose hours at a time landing on a new and interesting planet for the first time, giving the local flora and fauna idiotic names, before falling down a hole and getting lost in a sprawling cave system, only to do the exact same thing on the next planet over. There’s nothing quite like it.
‘Notgame’ isn’t the right tag for Bound, as there is a game here with platforming, puzzle solving, and defending against dangers, though admittedly much of it is about the journey undertaken. Plastic stated that narrative was the focus and it is part of everything, from the way the environments are shaped to the obstacles placed in front of the ballerina. Bound is easily one of the most stunning games to release on PS4, and if you’re searching for something a little different I heartily recommend it.
Kelvin and The Infamous Machine is easily beaten in an afternoon, taking me a total of four hours, and that is plenty of time for the story to run its course in a concise way. The characters are well written and generate a lot of humour, while the design is also drawn really well. It’s a shame then that a movement bug in the Newton chapter does break immersion, but it is limited to that section. The puzzles are well constructed and are welcoming to all player levels, making Kelvin and The Infamous Machine a great addition to the adventure genre.
Hearth&Slash has a lot of great ideas. On paper, a Devil May Cry roguelike is probably one of the most amazing ideas ever. Unfortunately, the reality of that idea never lives up to that promise. The roguelike features were relatively basic compared to games like Rogue Legacy. The action gameplay was nowhere near as satisfying as Metal Gear Rising. In the end, Heart & Slash just made me wish I was playing one of those games instead of this one.
If you’re approaching Tricky Towers with only single player in mind, there are probably far better ways to spend your time. However, take it online – or ideally get some mates round – and you’ve suddenly got a fun, competitive little title that’ll easily keep you amused for a few hours.
If Giant Squid had removed every trace of its name from Abzû, you could easily have mistaken it for a thatgamecompany production. For a developer to nail that same sense of artistry and wonder with its debut is nothing short of amazing.