Those of you who never played The Division, or those of you who played for the first few months and never went back for whatever reason, may well find the post-pandemic world carved out by Ubisoft and the late, great Tom Clancy somewhat daunting. While the core loop doesn’t differ that much from other shooter-looters, the outer framework is a mix of familiar Ubisoft tropes and a handful of fairly unique elements.

As you guide your rough-and-tumble Agent through the horrors of a war-torn Washington DC, you might find it difficult to fully get to grips with it all. Luckily, we’ve got your back. Here’s a bunch of useful tips to help you through the early hours.

TL;DR – check out the video version below:

1: ALWAYS BE IN COVER

You’ll be shot at a lot in The Division 2, from all directions and various elevations, and standing out in the open like a suicidal traffic cone is going to get you filled up with holes super quick. Hitting the cover button (defaulted to A on Xbox, Cross on PS4, and spacebar on PC) will cause your agent to throw themselves at the nearest wall, sign, car, or couch, available. From here you can either blind fire, which is about as effective as grabbing a handful of bullets and just throwing them at the enemy, or pop up like a pissed off mole who’s mad as hell at being whacked on the head, and isn’t going to take it anymore.

What you may not realise immediately, though, is that you can also move in and between cover for the entire duration of a fight. Holding down the cover button while eyeing up a vantage point will allow you to roadie run from wall to wall. You can even go into the control settings and adjust them so that holding the cover button will let you stealthily and safely navigate corners. Whenever you’re engaged with the enemy, always be in cover.

2: BE SELF-SUFFICIENT

It’s easy to say that The Division 2 is meant to be played in a group, and honestly it’s not far from the truth. The multiplayer element is beautifully seamless and often makes the tougher challenges that much more fun.

But there’s something about heading out alone into the wilds of DC that feels unassailably cool, and there are almost certainly going to be times when you’re the last Agent standing, and you’ll need to hightail it around the battlefield applying plasters and Savlon to your incapacitated team mates. For this reason I’d recommend having at least one Skill that can summon a little automated buddy to watch your back or harry the enemy.

The Drone and Turret not only work well to pull focus off you or the people you’re trying to save, they’ll also make you more self-sufficient. The Drone even has a variant that will shield you from projectiles. Couple this with perks that increase your Armour Kit and grenade capacity, and you’ll be a solo force to be reckoned with.

3: BUT HAVE A CO-OP BUILD, TOO

There are a couple of really good Support skills in The Division 2. The Drone can be modified to repair ally armour, which is good, but if you’re the type that usually prefers to help and heal your squad, you’ll find a few skills that really make a difference.

The Chem Launcher, for instance, is a great device that not only creates poison clouds and little patches of fiery hell for the enemy, but can also repair armour and health on distant allies. Another good one is the Hive, which is fun when you use it to unleash a cloud of little metal bees on a group of thugs, but can also be used to repair armour with a tiny swarm of nanobots.

4: TARGET ENEMY WEAK-SPOTS

In The Division, armoured enemies were bullet-sponge nightmares that you had to just shoot endlessly until they finally stopped walking towards you. To remedy this, the yellow-barred enemies in The Division 2 have armoured spots and other points of interest that you can concentrate fire on instead.

Helmets and body armour are obvious targets, but some have gas tanks or explosives on them, while enemy medics carry defibrillators that you can shoot to electrocute them. You can even shoot the ammo feed off a minigun to force a reload, buying you some time and opening up the enemy to a good old-fashioned passionate ass-whoopin’.

5: PUT YOUR TOYS AWAY

While your drones and turrets and nano-hives are all incredibly high-tech and cool, they do have hefty cooldowns attached. In a group that’s not so bad, since everyone has two to use, and a well-coordinated team can stagger or combine their abilities for maximum effect.

But when you’re running solo and in the thick of battle, a 3-minute cooldown feels like hours. The only real way to mitigate this is to hold down the ability button as soon as you’ve cleared a wave of enemies, before the ability ends on its own, and cancel it out. This will cut the cooldown in half and allow you to use it again much quicker. In a mission with several enemy waves or, for example, during a Control Point capture, this is a vital advantage.

6: CANCEL ANIMATIONS BY DODGE ROLLING

Speaking of cancelling things, you can also cut out of long reload animations by dodge rolling. Weapons like marksman rifles, shotguns and LMGs can take an ice age to reload, and if you find yourself flanked or taking heavy damage, double tap the cover button and roll out of the animation.

This also works to put out fire, which should probably be a top priority really.

7: UNLOCK FAST TRAVEL POINTS

As scenic as The Division 2’s post-apocalyptic Washington DC is, y’know, when you’re not stepping over bodybags and piking your way through the decaying bones of modern society, walking everywhere is time-consuming and bloody dangerous. You can barely go 50 yards without something kicking off and spoiling your day.

Circumvent those mood-killing, bullet-ravaged jaunts by making Safe Houses and Control Points a priority. Ubisoft have been very generous with travel points, so unlock them and use them. There’ll still be plenty to do when you get there.

8: LOOT EVERYTHING

This is kind of par for the course, but it’s easy to get caught up in the drama and action of Ubisoft’s world and forget that you should be exploring every nook and cranny. While enemies are an immediate and satisfying source of loot, there are containers, cases, boxes and bags stashed everywhere that contain all manner of useful goodies.

I found that after about level 10, vanity items seemed to become more commonplace, although I almost always found them in luggage containers while ransacking apartment buildings. But you’ll also find crafting materials, supplies for your settlements, weapons, gear and collectibles abandoned in crates, satchels and lock-boxes. And if you happen to see a gold-coloured key drop from an enemy, grab it, as it will open a faction-specific lock-box somewhere nearby. You’ll also occasionally come across orange supply crates here and there, usually hanging from trees or rooftops, which can be shot open for powerful loot and, if you’re lucky, gear dye.

9: ASK FOR HELP

In the harsh world of The Division 2, pride must goeth before the fall. While the incredible atmosphere has an uncanny ability to make you want to strike out on your own, a lone wolf against the darkness, doing so is usually a bit daft. Solo agents can be easily overwhelmed and flanked, and while getting a good flanking sounds like something fun to do on a Friday night, in practice it really isn’t.

When tackling control points you can pop a flare to signal nearby AI patrols who’ll rush to your aid and soak up some bullets in your stead, or alternatively you can head into your map and send a distress signal to any players currently online, in the hopes that they’ll rock up and save your overconfident arse. There’s no shame in asking for help, and coop in this game is so well-handled that it’s worth responding to distress calls too, as anything you achieve in another player’s instance will carry over to yours.

10: DON’T RUSH

In many looter shooters, the urge to charge through the campaign is too strong to ignore. When everything is promised in the elusive “endgame”, all that comes before it just feels like hard work.

The Division 2, however, is packed with things to do. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the busiest and most feature-complete shooter-looters I’ve seen at launch. Main missions, side missions, safe houses, collectibles, the Dark Zone, SHD caches, control points, world events… There’s a ton of stuff to do and a ton of loot to chase. So much so that you’ll benefit far more from taking your time to go through it at a steady pace. Explore, loot, fight, progress, and enjoy the journey.

The post The Division 2: 10 Beginner’s Tips appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

LEGO Dimensions has provided a steady stream of new figures, vehicles and entire level packs since its release late last year, and so far there’s been a real variety to the licensed sets that have been released. Whether it’s really old movies (Wizard of Oz) or more child-friendly fare like LEGO’s own Ninjago, you can’t help but be impressed with the choice of figures available on the market.

In “wave 4” (the second-to-last batch of LEGO minifigures) are two DC Comics Fun Packs, a Ghostbusters Fun Pack and finally, the last of LEGO Dimensions extra Level Packs. So what’s worth buying, and what’s worth leaving on the store shelf?

First up, I spoke about these sets in the following video, but you can see my thoughts in writing after that!

Midway Arcade Pack – Retro Wreckage w/ Retro Gamer, Arcade Machine & G-6155 Spy Hunter

The final LEGO Dimensions level pack is possibly one of the most unusual and inventive. While the included level “Retro Wreckage” is incredibly short, the real draw here are the 20 unlockable arcade games that are only accessible through the Retro Gamer minifigure. If you’ve ever been curious about the strange areas of Story Mode levels containing walls plastered with Defender marquees, you’ll be pleased to know that this Level Pack solves that mystery, as driving the included Arcade Machine vehicle into these bays will unlock a classic game from Midway’s archives. Retro Wreckage will point you towards some of these unlockable games, as playing some of them is required to finish the level, but you’ll have to find the rest yourself in many of the Story Mode levels.

It’s these games that are the real draw of these Level Pack. You’ve got some real classics here, such as Defender, Rampage, Joust, Gauntlet and many, many more. If you hadn’t realised already, this is not going to be a pack that younger gamers will enjoy – it’s clearly aimed at older players, but if you think of this pack as essentially an arcade compilation, it’s hard not to appreciate the thought that has gone into the whole thing. Reaching certain goals in the arcade games themselves will even earn you stacks of studs, which will come useful in upgrading those vehicles. There’s even a few history lessons about the games themselves.

As for the included Midway Arcade World, this is a fairly decent hub world, filled with areas based on Midway games, but mainly acts as an easy way to play the arcade games you’ve already unlocked, while also giving you a better idea of where your missing arcade machines can be found. The Retro Gamer minifig has a surprising amount of abilities itself: at a touch of a button, you can cycle through all of his abilities: Super Strength, Laser Ability, Invisibility, Super Speed and Invincibility – Making this character an incredibly versatile one for finding those elusive Golden Bricks.

The Arcade Machine “vehicle” lacks any sort of real ability, bar the very important role of allowing you to unlock those arcade machines. However, having a real LEGO model of a Defender arcade cabinet is pretty damn cool, and makes me yearn for models of other classic cabs.

Finally, we come to the G-6155 Spy Hunter, the signature car from classic arcade game Spy Hunter. Initially, it’s just a car, but its upgrades do give it flight and watercraft capabilities, so it’s actually a pretty good vehicle. For most players, the figures themselves are very cool and offer some essential unique skills that no other character currently has. As a level, Retro Wreckage might be a little underwhelming, but the pack as a whole is an incredibly unique and fun way to present what is essentially a retro arcade compilation.

VERDICT: Buy it!

Ghostbusters Fun Pack – Stay Puft w/ Terror Dog

Following the Ghostbusters Level Pack from Wave 3, we move away from the heroes and onto the first of two villain sets. Next month we’ll see the release of the always-popular Slimer, but for now, we welcome The Destroyer himself, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. He’s cute, but he’s packing the Super Strength, Big Transform, and Hazard Protection abilities.

His included vehicle is the Terror Dog, the massive stone Hellhounds seen in the original Ghostbusters movie, which doesn’t have any particular abilities in its initial state, which is a shame. It can be upgraded to fly and also breath fire, but it’s nothing special. It’s great to have a little Stay Puft LEGO minifig, but there’s little else to recommend this Fun Pack, unless you are a big Ghostbusters fan.

VERDICT: Stay Puft’s abilities can be found elsewhere, making this a Fun Pack that only real fans of the ‘Busters will want.

DC Comics Fun Pack – Aquaman w/Aqua Watercraft

Yes, laugh all you want about Aquaman and his ability to communicate with sealife. But this is probably one of the essential packs to buy from an ability standpoint, especially as he is the only character with the “Atlantis” ability for summoning sea creatures and water elements.Aside from this important and required ability for completionists, he also has Underwater Swimming, the ability to grow flowers (yes, really), and he can clean hazards and Water Spray, making him a very useful character to own.

Despite being able to swim underwater, he has an Aqua Watercraft, which can swim underwater (which seems pretty redundant, considering Aquaman’s powers). If you like vehicles with flippers, then you’ve reached your nirvana.

VERDICT: Put simply, if you want to get all of those Golden Bricks, you NEED Aquaman. Simple as.

DC Comics Fun Pack – Superman w/Hover Pod

Probably one of the most iconic characters in LEGO Dimensions, it’s amazing that it’s taken this long for Supes to arrive as a Fun Pack minifig. As you would expect, he has tons of abilities: Laser Ability, Super Strength, he’s the only character to have Freeze Breath for stop enemies in their tracks, he has invulnerability, can use X-Ray vision, and of course can swim and fly. He’s truly a jack of all trades, especially for hunting Golden Bricks in hub levels. Every time he flies, the proper John Williams Superman theme plays, which is cool for the first couple of times, but like Wonder Woman, gets quite irritating.

So with a character with as many skills as this one, as you can imagine the included Hover Pod is a bit pointless and suffers from the same redundancy as Wonder Woman’s Invisible Plane and Aquaman’s Aqua Watercraft. Its upgrades are a little better, offering some offensive capabilities, but these are mostly useless.

VERDICT: Superman isn’t essential, but if you like the character, his ability set makes it work picking this up.

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Recently, I have come to be ever so slightly addicted to LEGO Dimensions. Which is to say, a massive understatement. And I feel no shame in spending most of my evenings for the past month, building LEGO figures with my wife, and playing one of the best LEGO games in some time. Granted, LEGO Dimensions gameplay isn’t that much of a departure from the other license-based games from TT Games, but the addition of Toys To Life functionality with proper LEGO figures to build and interact with has brought me back to a type of game I thought I had my full of years ago.

And so, here I am with the latest batch of LEGO Dimensions Level, Team and Fun Packs – And it really seems like Warner Bros. Games are attempting to reel in both little and big kids of all ages, judging by the IP these latest sets are inspired by. With sets based on classic 80’s IP like Ghostbusters and Back To The Future, a set based on evergreen characters like Doctor Who and The Joker, plus a set based on one of LEGO’s more recent sets, Ninjago – There’s something for everybody in this batch of plastic bricks. So here’s what you can expect from each set:

Ghostbusters Level Pack – A Spook Central Adventure w/ Peter Venkman

All of the Level Packs so far have been great in different ways, with some great use of the licenses involved, and this Ghostbusters-related pack doesn’t disappoint for the most part. Apparently containing the most pieces of any of the LEGO Dimensions sets and consisting of a Peter Venkman minifig, a tiny rendition of the iconic ECTO-1, as well as the Ghostbuster’s patented Ghost Trap, this pack is just perfect for those that grew up with the ‘Busters.

A Spook Central Adventure is a pretty misleading title for this Level Pack, as this ambitious level spans practically the entire film’s plot (and took my wife and myself around the same time to play, as it would have taken to watch the film itself). It begins with the Ghostbusters’ very first callout and continues through most of the major plot points of the film, leading up to the insane battle with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man himself.

As expected, the quirkiness of the subject matter translates incredibly well to the world of bricks and minifigs, with some pretty funny jokes stemming from excellent repurposing of several audio clips from the movie. While this level is lacking in enemies to fight, and the street-based intermissions are a little empty unless you’re after Studs (and you probably are), there are plenty of great puzzles and some great movie-inspired set pieces. Being able to drive around in the ECTO-1, with that easily-identifiable siren screeching out, never fails to please, and the Ghost Trap is very well-implemented, as you are able to trap ghosts in your Proton Beam, physically lay the Ghost Trap on the pad, and pull the ghosts towards the in-game trap. It’s all incredibly well-thought out, and the whole package makes for one of the better Level Packs around.

VERDICT: Buy it!

DC Comics Team Pack – Joker & Harley Quinn

With the Suicide Squad movie on the way, both the Joker and Harley Quinn are popular choices for Wave 3. This massive pack comes with the Joker’s Chopper and Harley’s Quinn Mobile, which are admittedly fairly generic when it comes to abilities, but are fun to build. As for Joker and Harley, their abilities are also nothing special, so this is a pack that isn’t the most impressive when it comes to new moves, and with the DC Comics World already available as part of the LEGO Dimensions Starter set, there isn’t anything new in terms of levels. However, fans of the characters will want to snap these figures up (if you don’t already have other LEGO minifigs of them already).

VERDICT: Great figures, but not an essential pack to purchase.

Back To The Future Fun Pack – Doc Brown

We’ve already had a Level Pack consisting of Marty McFly, his trusty Hoverboard and the legendary time-travelling Delorian, and now it’s time for the famed and eccentric inventor, Doctor Emmett Brown to take the world of LEGO. Also included in the box is the Travelling Time-Train from Back To The Future Pt. III, and the abilities of both are quite useful. Like the Delorian, the Train is able to trigger Time Travel switches, and also standard Acceleration Switches. Meanwhile, Doc Brown can take advantage of Hacking, Fix-It, Technology and Drone abilities, making him a very versatile character. As with all LEGO Dimensions sets, this unlocks access to a character specific hub level, in this case, it’s the Back To The Future World, consisting of a Hill Valley in the past, present and future! With quips voiced by an ageing Christopher Lloyd, this is one set that earns massive nostalgia points for those of a certain age!

VERDICT: Great for fans of BTTF, and for those who need the Drone ability.

Ninjago Fun Pack – Sensei Wu

There are a ton of Ninjago sets available, but this is probably the most desirable of the lot, based on abilities alone. Consisting of Sensei Wu and an awesome Flying White Dragon, even as someone who knows nothing about Ninjago, this is certainly a very cool set. The Flying White Dragon can use the very useful Flight ability, which is incredibly useful for nabbing hard-to-find bricks in hub levels (like the included Ninjago World), while Sensei Wu has an awesome array of abilities including the Ninjago-exclusive Spinjitsu, Stealth, Pole Vault and Acrobat. If you want to get one Ninjago set (and you probably do if you want to see everything LEGO Dimensions has to offer), make it this one!

VERDICT: Buy if you want to unlock the Ninjago hub level and Spinjitsu abilities.

Doctor Who Fun Pack – Cybermen

This Fun Pack contains two of the Doctor’s deadliest rivals, a Cyberman and a Dalek! This set makes a decent complement to the Doctor. While the Dalek only has the Target ability, this pales in comparison to the Cyberman’s massive array of abilities such as Hacking, Technology, X-Ray Vision, Mind Control, Underwater Swimming, Drone and Silver LEGO Blowup. That’s a lot of abilities for one character! He’s one of only two characters to be able to use the Drone ability (the other being Doc Brown), so you’ll want at least one of these Wave 3 sets of you want access to every Gold Brick.

VERDICT: A great set of abilities, worth looking at.

Want to see these sets in action? Look no further for nearly 10 minutes of LEGO Dimensions Wave 3 Gameplay!

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Racing wheels are usually the provision of PC gamers, with their ultra realistic racing games that make Gran Turismo look like Mario Kart. With the T300 RS however, PlayStation owners have access to the best of the best, a racing wheel that is incredibly hard to fault. But that doesn’t mean you should leap in and buy it.

The unit itself oozes quality. A chunky base unit – which can be clamped to most desk surfaces quite easily – supports the wheel, a textured rubber affair with a brushed metal centre. Two metal flappy paddle gears sit behind the wheel, and there’s the full range of buttons you find on a Dualshock controller, minus the DS4’s touchpad. There’s also a switch to change between PS4 and PS3 modes.

It’s matched in quality by the pedals. The T300 comes with a brake and accelerator set – although a pedal set with a clutch is compatible. The base is plastic, with metal plates on the pedals that can be adjusted for height via the removal of two small screws.

The look of the device reflects how it feels on track. I tested the T300 primarily with DriveClub – although Grid Autosport and F1 2013 were also used – and sensitivity is spot on. The slightest turn of the wheel translates into the same on track, as does a squeeze on the accelerator, and once you stick it in manual and start flicking between gears you’ll wonder how you ever played with a pad.

As good as this is, the force-feedback is where the T300 truly shines. Lose the back end and you’ll have to wrestle to keep the car on track, but because of the accuracy of the controls you won’t overcompensate. DriveClub – which we criticised for controlling somewhere in-between a realistic racer and an arcade one – suddenly makes sense when using a wheel, with much more realistic handling.

All of this is not to say the T300 is perfect, however. The initial setup is a little confusing, locking the base and the wheel together is a matter of turning one first and then the other, something not made massively clear in the instructions. You’ll also have to spend a little bit of time in each games’ menus tailoring the feedback levels, as I found the default setting slightly too powerful, wrenching your arms around uncomfortably.

As aesthetically pleasing as the unit looks, it does have a few problems as well. The metal gear paddles are a little sharp, digging in on the edges when you need to grab them, and if you’re turning at the same time – likely if you’re slowing down into a corner – it can be painful. Another issue is that the pedal unit slips a lot unless you’re playing on carpet, so you’ll need a mat to hold it in place.

There are also several wires that make things look a little messy, from the unit to your console, to the pedals and a chunky power cable. Given that it draws its own power, I don’t see why it couldn’t connect wirelessly to your console at least. That said, connecting it to your console is easy enough, with a PS4 automatically recognising it, although PS3 compatibility is a little more hit and miss, particularly on older games.

Overall though, the T300 is a fantastic piece of kit and for the PS4 there isn’t a better wheel you can buy. The only major issue ties back into why wheels have mainly been the domain of PC gamers: you really need to be sat playing this at a desk, which is not where most of you will have your console set up, in turn relegating the wheel to the rare occasions you want a bit more realism. £300 is quite expensive for something that’s only going to see occasional use – made even worse by the lack of racing titles on the PS4 at the moment – and as it essentially doubles the price of your console, it’s maybe be one just for the true racing enthusiasts among you.

The post Thrustmaster T300 RS Gaming Wheel Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Every year, the Skylanders team somehow surprise me. Even in the year 2014, I expect games aimed at children to be average, or worse, yet every single year, Activision has released a Skylanders game that is entertaining for all ages – and to hell with my street cred, those toys are still cool, I’d have loved them growing up.

Where they once relied on the Spyro name to sell a new franchise, Skylanders has taken on a life of its own, and with the new consoles now on the market, they’ve taken a visual leap, as Trap Team looks gorgeous. The colourful imagery is everywhere, and it’s the antithesis of so many modern games. It’s vibrant, and the action pops off the screen for all to see like an explosion of sugar and sweets.

But the basics of Skylanders are now set in stone. Since Swap Force introduced a jump button, there’s not a huge amount that feels missing – though I’d still like to see camera control and online multiplayer at some point in the future. You’ll still go to levels, move objects about, go up lifts, and attack everything that isn’t nailed down.

So really, it falls to whoever comes up with the toy ideas to create something new and interesting that will make us want to collect them all over again. Initially it seemed an odd idea, too. The ability to trap your enemies and have them fight for you? Requires a new portal? Uh-oh, this doesn’t sound good, right? Luckily, the joy these simple touches bring to a child are better in action than they sound on paper, and create a whole new way to play and explore.

The basic concept is that you have traps you insert into the portal, and you can capture enemies instead of killing them, and there are around forty to trap. Once captured, you hit the L2 button and your Skylander will be swapped out for the baddie. This is amusing, but it’s when you start taking down the big bosses that it gets really interesting.

Of course, the characters are all daft and are there mostly for comedic value, but the first boss you fight (a weird little man who controls the Chompys) is enough of a challenge that it doesn’t resort to simple button mashing, and it’s rewarding because you’ll get to trap him and then use him against other enemies. Speaking of difficulty, while it’s not overly taxing (there are hard battles, though), it’s not too easy either – it’s well balanced, as you’d hope.

Thankfully, traps are reuseable, and you can go to a larger trap and swap out villains at your leisure, though obviously only one character can be in a trap at any given time. The portal talks to you, as well, and the bad guys will comment on things as you play along. Having a Sheep Creep “baa” at you randomly doesn’t get old, and Chompy Mage never stops being annoyed that he is incarcerated.

You can’t play as them forever, though, and each time you swap one out, you can only use them for a limited time, with damage taken reducing that time. What’s especially interesting is that the variation in attacks means you can have a Skylander on the portal that shoots (thus has ranged attacks), then swap to a trapped villain that is more melee based.

There’s a raft of new toys to collect, then. New Skylanders (series four), and now traps as well. Each trap is specific to an element, so you can’t use a life trap to capture an earth enemy. It might seem cynical, but as with previous games locking off areas to certain elemental Skylanders, it’s merely an extension of that idea. And there’s no shortage of content, with wave based modes like Doom Challenge, and Arena battle giving additional things to do outside the main campaign. The hard truth is that you’re going to want to collect them anyway, I’m sorry you had to hear that, but you knew it deep inside. As always, your previous Skylanders work on the new portal, and they keep their levels and skills from the other games. It’s a small thing to note, really, but one that is continually worth mentioning.

Kaos returns, as you expect, and this time there’s a band of evil-doers possibly more villainous than him. His plan is to undermine them secretly, so they fail and turn to him as the one-true king of evil. Being a bumbling fool, I’ll let you guess how that goes. It’s full of charm, and the voice acting is excellent, with returning characters everywhere.

Like The Simpsons (well, older Simpsons, anyway) there is plenty for all ages to laugh at, and even some more cheeky nods to the older audience. Some of the toys themselves will make you laugh – for example, Chopper is a small dinosaur with a helicopter on his back, and Food Fight is a small green chap that has a gun which shoots tomatoes. It makes no sense, but it also makes complete sense. There are minis to collect, too, and the giant called Eye Brawl is now available as Eye Small. Such a silly name change, yet for some reason it really tickles me.

It’s weird to think that with the fourth game, Skylanders has fully earned my trust. Games aimed at children don’t have to be rubbish, and they can engage with them on multiple levels. As well as the game itself, the toys are highly collectible (still) and there are even trading cards that come with each toy. I harp on about this because it’s true, but as a kid, the Skylanders would have been the coolest thing I could have imagined in game form, and the quality every year stays high.

The toys still aren’t cheap, and jumping in here (the new starter pack only has two Skylanders, as it also has two traps) means you’re probably going to want to get a few extra toys right out of the gate. But Toys for Bob continue to hold fun in the highest regard, and that’s worth championing. But Lord only knows where they go next.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

Our Scoring Policy

Review code provided by publisher.

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Sometimes the very best things don’t come right for you like a South Park deer, they blind-side you out of nowhere. A few years ago a little studio named Rocksteady came careening out of left field to hit us with what turned out to be the greatest Batman game that ever was. It’s not that we didn’t know it was coming; we’d seen trailers and hype and lofty promises, but none of us truly expected Arkham Asylum to be as good as it was. The license had been abused so much, we just couldn’t trust anyone to do it justice, not even Warner Brothers.

Five years later, and history has been repeating itself like a bad curry ever since Warner Brothers announced Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Like Batman, Tolkien’s genre-defining fantasy opus is a license that has never really been used to its potential. Occasional gems have been found among the rough, but ultimately fans of the franchise have always been left wanting something more. Initial trailers and screens for Mordor were uninspiring, showing an Assassin’s Creed-like stealth-em-up with a Middle-earth sheen. No one could blame us for feeling apprehensive.

But then I put the disc in the tray, booted up Shadow of Mordor, and experienced undeniable deja vu. Because Shadow of Mordor, against almost all our expectations, is excellent.

Set in the years between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, this original story takes place within Mordor itself, as resurrected Ranger Talion sets out to avenge the death of his wife and son, as well as his own. Possessed by an Elfish Wraith, Talion has been brought back from the brink of death to destroy the Black Hand of Sauron, an evil tyrant determined to see the Dark Lord return.

Where Tolkien’s original tales championed the rejection of absolute power in favour of innate courage and sacrifice, Shadow of Mordor sees Talion welcoming the power of his ghostly symbiote, openly seeking the kind of bloody vengeance that Tolkien always avoided. As a result, it’s a darker Middle-earth than we’re used to seeing, and despite the familiar themes and visuals, it feels utterly original.

Much noise has reverberated around the obvious Assassin’s Creed comparisons both pre and post-release, but the truth is that it’s a less blindingly obvious game that Mordor draws the most parallels with. When you break it down into its component parts, Mordor is also Arkham Asylum in Middle-earth. While it’s true that Talion climbs solitary towers to fill in his map and can skulk around in bushes, his version of focused vision is closer to Batman’s Detective Mode than Eagle Vision, used to track quarry across the rugged terrain and find hidden collectibles.

Enemy interaction takes several leaves from Batman’s handbook, too, as you use fear and deception to destroy and disorient your foes. The Uruks of Mordor respond like the Joker’s goons, becoming bolder the more you struggle, or turning tail when your assault proves unbreakable. If you panic and run they’ll look for you, call their brutish buddies, maybe give voice to their fears if you’ve recently proven your lethality.

The final parallel with Rocksteady’s superhero masterpiece is the combat. Counter-based and reactionary, the combat is free-flowing melee that sees Talion slinging himself around the battlefield, executing downed enemies and performing stylised instant kills whenever his Wraith-tainted sword begins to shine. Combos are tapped out with the Square button, while Cross lets you evade incoming attacks and Triangle performs a stylish counter. The number of combat animations is staggering, and there’s an undeniable beauty and grace to Talion’s epic confrontations. Throw the Warg-like Caragors and hulking Graugs into the mix, as well as ranged units and a multitude of enemy melee styles, and Mordor’s combat moves into a league of its own.

Should you fall, the Uruk that dealt the killing blow will be promoted to Captain, and join the ranks of the Uruk elite. Most of the main story missions centre on tracking and killing Captains, and it’s here, with the Nemesis System, that Shadow of Mordor elevates itself above its contemporaries. There is an entire social network at play beneath Mordor’s flesh, where Uruk Captains war for status and supremacy. This simple addition makes the world feel truly alive, as though the lives of your enemies are going on without your presence. More than this though, the Nemesis System gives each of your enemies an individual personality and memory.

If you fall in battle, the killer will remember you when you rise again from the grave. If you put a Captain down and he survives, he will remember you and thirst for vengeance, and he’ll wear the battle scars you gave him. Run away, and he’ll call you a coward, exploit his weakness, and he’ll recall your actions with either respect or contempt. Interrogating enemies will give you additional information on Captains, and make you privy to their fears. If one is afraid of fire, throw him into flames; if he’s paranoid about Caragors, let one go, Far Cry 3-style, into the Uruk encampment. It’s an exceptional system that genuinely heightens your immersion in the world and makes you feel that it’s you and you alone dictating the fate of Mordor.

Should you decide you want a break from hunting Captains, you can partake of any of half a dozen or more side concerns, such as digging up artefacts (which borrows a mechanic wholesale from the Tomb Raider reboot), or freeing human slaves. Tapping L1 will call forth the Wraith to help you track down hidden treasures. Side quests also afford you upgrades to your sword, bow and dagger. While customisation isn’t really featured, you can pick and choose your skills as you progress, and you’ll acquire runes from dead Captains that add buffs to your weaponry. The combination of weapon runes and combat skills steadily increase Talion’s power and efficiency, and as his power grows and his humanity slowly seeps away, you will feel both his unease with his strange new gifts and his growing realisation that only by using these powers can he hope to avenge his family. It’s a powerful theme and Monolith use it well, conveying the sense of reluctant power without hitting you over the head with it.

Unfortunately, such quality in the gameplay highlights flaws elsewhere. For example, the environments of Shadow of Mordor lean towards the brown end of the spectrum, so much so that you’d be forgiven for thinking the Unreal Engine was involved. That being said, the world is well-detailed and the animation is exceptional. The sound design is similarly high quality, from the stellar voice work to the quintessential Lord of the Rings ambience. The score is epic and sweeping, carrying a menacing undertone when it needs to and raising your pulse when a ruckus kicks off.

Other complaints are just as minor, but important enough to warrant mentioning. For starters, the camera is occasionally a little temperamental, and the combat suffers the same problems with clipping and collision as Batman’s did. It’s not unusual to see an enemy drop after your elbow has barely connected, or to spot a body caught in the floor or scenery. Also, there’s simply no denying that by the time you’ve finished the 12 to 15 hour campaign, the combat will have started to feel repetitive and a little by-the-numbers, despite its quality, and hoovering up all those missed artefacts and side missions may lose some of its lustre.

Just like Batman before it, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is the greatest Rings game we’ve seen, and is easily the best use of the license to date. The combat and Nemesis System alone are worth the asking price, but it’s the world itself that steals the show. Mordor is alive but dying, still vital but mortally poisoned by Sauron’s festering evil, a darkness that threatens to consume everything – even Talion himself. In a brave move, Shadow of Mordor eschews Tolkien’s almost trademark black and white hero versus villain dynamic to present a protagonist who walks in the grey places, caught between doing the right thing and satisfying his own need for vengeance and absolution.

Dark, compelling, and occasionally unflinchingly brutal, Shadow of Mordor is Lord of the Rings for grown-ups. It’s not just a good game based on an established franchise, but a fantastic game in its own right and one that deserves to be judged purely by its own merits, and not by what has come before.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Challenge is good. In fact, many of us seek it out in video games, ramping up the difficulty slider or finding ways to play that enhance the sense of accomplishment that comes from surmounting the seemingly insurmountable. That being said, Natural Doctrine, a strategy RPG from Kudokawa Games, just feels mean spirited.

For a start, casual gamers will find it near impenetrable. The fantasy setting bares the expected hallmarks: humans exist within a fortress city – here called Feste – and must defend against other sentient races as well as staple monsters like goblins and ogres. You play as Geoff (no, really), a young warrior initially charged with slaying goblins that infest the caves and mines around Feste. Alongside a handful of companions, including sharpshooter Anca and trademark “loud giant friend” Zeke, Geoff finds himself facing tougher and tougher challenges in an attempt to keep his city safe.

To be fair, the story is the usual JRPG fare we’ve seen many times before, with different hairstyles, and for several hours I failed to read anything into it, to the point that I resorted to skipping through the reams of text to get to the next fight – which only left me frustrated for various other reasons. As stated, this is not a game for the casual. The combat system is borderline unfair and, while it may be the case that perseverance and a gradual increase in player skill and understanding will see you through, it simply doesn’t feel balanced.

I struggled to get through the first few missions (it took me four attempts to pass the first mission after the introductory rumble), and all I was facing was goblins – up until the end of the mission, whereupon I freed a huge troll from its prison, which proceeded to more or less one-shot my entire party. It’s all about synergy, and in theory it’s a solid system.

You move your characters freely within a predetermined grid arrangement, positioning them in such a way that they form a triangular link between any two of your fighters and the encroaching enemy. This increases your chances of critical hits and evasions, and actually makes battles look quite dynamic as your characters dodge, parry, block and strike alongside one another. Unfortunately, Natural Doctrine doesn’t want to really explain anything, and besides a couple of minute-long tutorials in the opening mission, you’re left to work it out on your own. Curatives are in short supply, which means you’ll spend half the mission with at least one of your party limping around at half-speed, adding to the frustration.

If a main character dies, it’s game over, and you’ll have to restart from a checkpoint. The problem with this is that most of the missions appear to take place in fairly confined areas, so the scope for tactical strategy is narrow. When you consider how much of a factor luck is in combat (this is a number-crunching RPG after all), it all becomes very frustrating. Fiddly, unintuitive controls compound the sense of overall underpoweredness (we made that word up) and turn missions into slogs of endurance and tests of patience that rob the joy gleaned from the oddly satisfying battle animations.

Each character has a decent sized skill tree, unlocked piecemeal by way of Ability Points earned through XP. There’s not a huge variety to the different abilities, but you are able to steadily build a custom party to cater more towards your personal style of play, even if it’s not always clear what a skill does and the menu is horribly unappetising. The UI in general is cluttered, in fact, with a quarter of the screen taken up by stark red and white battle text.

Characterisation is what you’d expect, too: lifted straight from the JRPG playbook, characters are either broody, sarcastic or irritating, while the sinister are needlessly hammy. None of it is helped by the relentlessly brown colour palette and stock visuals, or the teeth-shatteringly repetitive battle music. Natural Doctrine’s worst crime is that it does absolutely nothing to immerse you in its world or its systems. It’s combat is so needlessly, artificially difficult, that you rarely feel like you’re progressing smoothly, the story is uninteresting, the sub-par visuals are marred by the clunky, over-burdened UI and the music is impossible to like.

Certain elements of Natural Doctrine do feel new. The combat mechanics are interesting on paper, and – if refined – might even be considered original. Sadly, as they stand they’re simply imbalanced and combat feels like an uphill struggle every time, ponderous and one-sided. What could be an interesting story full of JRPG whimsy comes over as stilted and underdeveloped, and the simple joys of watching a goblin’s head get stoved in is drained by the fact that it takes so long to actually achieve that, and when you do it feels more like luck than skill.

Hardcore strategy RPG fans may find a decent experience here. In fact, it may simply be the case that Natural Doctrine’s blend of punishing difficulty and simple presentation don’t gel with everyone. One thing that is certain is that Natural Doctrine us not designed for the casual crowd, and unless you’re prepared to invest time and energy into learning its systems inside out – and then are still prepared to try and try again when you do know what you’re doing – you’d be advised to away from this one.

DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

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“Definitive” is the latest buzzword to be introduced to an industry seemingly built on them, but what it actually means is “now on next-gen consoles”. As we wait patiently for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to fill up their catalogues with new titles, we’re being treated (and most of them are treats) to re-jigged versions of already-released titles, more often than not tweaked for 1080p and 60fps – a graphical upgrade which seems enough to justify a re-release all on its own.

CastleStorm, from Zen Studios (the team behind several awesome Pinball series, among other things), is the most recent title to make the transfer across generations, and it’s a welcome addition to the line-up despite the lack of significant change. A hybrid of RTS, Tower Defence, action and Angry Birds, CastleStorm is one of the more interesting titles to occupy that odd middle ground between indie and AAA, combining highly addictive gameplay with bright, colourful visuals to deliver an experience that is nothing short of charming.

The narrative centres on a fantasy world where knights and Vikings warred for centuries, until a Goddess cried two tears that turned to magical crystals. Each side took one, and peace reigned for decades, until the Vikings got greedy and decided they wanted both. Your part in the ensuing war is to defend your king and country as Protector of the Realm, a quintessential hero knight with blond hair, blue eyes and shiny shining armour. Armed with a sword and shield or a bow, you’ll be tasked with either heading out to meet the enemy head on, or leading the royal defenses to repel invaders.

Initially presented as a 2D physics game, CastleStorm gives you a meagre arsenal to begin with, affording you nothing but a ballistae with which to perforate hairy Viking skulls. As the game progresses you’ll unlock more, from huge spiked bolas to explosive missiles, and you’ll be able to deploy troops to defend you on the ground. The strategy element exists because troops cost food, and food costs time, so you’ll need to use your weaponry (all working on cooldowns) to keep the enemy at bay until you can field reinforcements.

From ground troops and archers to trolls, direwolves and champions, the enemy comes at you in steady waves, mixing it up enough that you’ll need to employ a combination of defensive strategies to stay in the game. If they take down your wall and make it back to base with your flag, it’s over. As with most games of this ilk, you can be riding high one minute and in a world of doodoo the next thanks to one bad decision or imprecise shot. If you do win the day, you’ll be rewarded with gold to spend on upgrades and new weapons or soldiers.

The targeting isn’t always as exact as you’d like, and sometimes the bright colours make it hard to discern exactly what’s going on during a fight or how much damage you’re doing to the enemy castle, but patience is usually the key to victory. Taking your time to line up a shot is way more effective than blind-firing, especially when you’re aiming to clean up on bonuses for, say, getting 20 headshot kills. The controls are simple enough, even during the missions where your plucky, chiselled hero heads out onto the field himself and you take total, single control of him. It’s an excellent change of pace, even if he does move a little ponderously sometimes.

The multiplayer mode ups the ante by pitting you against another devious and free-thinking human being, but besides this the core game is identical. The AI is tough enough during later stages that I never found myself hankering after a PvP game, but the option is there for those who prefer the challenge of out-thinking a person. If nothing else, playing against a player makes every match less predictable, and demands that you use everything you’ve got to win.

A castle building mode rounds off the package, allowing you to design your own base. There are plenty of options to fortify and defend your creation, but the controls can feel a little clunky and for some reason it never feels that satisfying to use your own base – partly because the pre-made ones are perfectly functional and, despite the inclusion of some half-decent buffs, all you’re really doing is adding layers and making it harder to bring down. Though, that’s the point, I suppose.

Although CastleStorm seemed right at home on the Vita, it fits the PS4 very well, too. The bright visuals pop and sing thanks to the increased power and the game runs as smooth as butter at all times. Addictive and entertaining, CastleStorm’s mix of fairytale whimsy and challenging strategy – as well as its mishmash of play styles – makes it a solid and enticing prospect whatever the platform.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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From the moment you begin, the atmosphere is dripping from every corner of Alien: Isolation. Creative Assembly have successfully created not only an expansive world to explore and traverse, but also the fear that an Alien should instil. You don’t want to run into the perfect killing machine, and after the first time, you actually don’t ever want to see it again. But like Resident Evil’s Nemesis, the titular Alien stalks you as prey, and you’ll never truly feel able to assault it.

Let’s be clear about this: Isolation is one-hundred-percent a stealth game. Not a stealth game like Dishonored, where you can kill people and escape. No, if you are pulling your revolver out here, you’re doing it wrong and are either going to die, or have to hope you get lucky.

This is in part thanks to the relentless AI. It’s worth saying that, if you do encounter the Alien and it sees you, you’re dead. If you’re lucky enough that it appears and doesn’t see you, sure, you can hide and escape, but there are other enemies on the Sevastopol space station that are just as deadly. Scavenger humans, in fact, are the easiest to kill, but appear in groups and are smart enough to patrol in a manner that makes you easy to spot. Synthetics are brutally difficult to take down, requiring almost all of your ammo in one go, which is likely to attract more enemies thanks to the noise. In fact, they’re possibly too hard (even on the medium difficultly level), and can happily grab your melee weapon and throttle you, causing you to smash buttons to escape, then run for cover.

Everything wants to kill you, and as Amanda Ripley, you’re woefully under-prepared to fight back. Amanda has chosen to go on a company mission to the vast Sevastopol because there’s a hint that her mother might be there. Arriving with her colleagues, it’s apparent right away that something is wrong. Entering the station, an accident occurs and Ripley is left on her own, trying to uncover the mystery of what has happened there, and to reconnect with her colleagues before eventually escaping.

Characters are portrayed well, and respectfully – though perhaps more importantly, they’re all believable. Ripley is like her mother: strong, but frightened. She knows she can’t hold her own in a fight, but she’s smart and nimble. It’s early on when everything goes to pot that the incredible audio design first becomes apparent. A space walk to Sevastopol causes everything to become muted outside Amanda’s helmet, intensifying the audio and helping to create the bleak, hopeless atmosphere. Despite the vast expanse of space, she’s alone. Even entering a huge space station doesn’t help, because the people are scattered, frightened, and half the ship isn’t working.

It looks great, too. Every nook and cranny has been beautifully rendered, and the lighting effects are some of the best I’ve seen in a long, long time. But it’s the authenticity that truly makes it. The clanking sound of the Alien in the vents, the beeping of the motion tracker, the awkward speech of synthetic workers. It’s just brilliant, and there’s not a single misstep here.

You’ll be sneaking around, using all sorts of tools to help keep you safe, along with the motion tracker. A nice effect is that as you raise the tracker to view it (it shows your objective direction, as well) the rest of your view loses focus, blurring out. The shift of visual focus in this manner is something I can honestly recall seeing done, and you can hold a trigger to shift your focus back to the background, blurring the tracker out temporarily.

There are plenty of small mini-games that involve hacking, but they’re actually entertaining due to the feeling that you’re never safe. Stopping to hack a door when the Alien could be anywhere, ready to kill you, is horrible (in a good way), and every time you do it, you’ll feel panicked. Along with crafting noisemakers (and other assorted distraction weapons) from scavenged parts (don’t use up your torch batteries!), you can also tap into security systems and turn off lights, or the air purifier to create a smoky room, or even just make speakers malfunction to grab a patrolling synthetic’s attention – but you’re always risking your life doing so.

Even saving your game isn’t safe, as you’ll be warned that enemies are nearby, and it’s here that the biggest issue with Isolation rears its head: you can only hard-save. Harking back to days when games were harder, there is no auto-save at all. If you die, you’re going back to the last save you committed to. Forgotten to save for forty minutes and die? That’s forty minutes of progress you’ve just lost. The idea seems to be that quick-saving would remove all fear from Isolation, and while that’s believable, the lack of any form of checkpointing means that there will be moments of unnecessary frustration.

This, coupled with the difficulty of most enemy encounters, means that anything and everything positive I have to say (and there’s so much positive here, it’s ridiculous), needs to be read with the caveat that the save system will not be to everyone’s tastes. If you do make a mistake, and save somewhere dangerous, you can revert to the previous save, but that’s it. At one point I lost forty minutes, but it’s a testament to the quality of the game that I didn’t mind that much, and continued on for another hour beyond that. In fact, such is the quality here, that my first play sessions was four hours (the game is around fifteen hours long, though never outstays its welcome even for a second), and that’s not something I can say very often.

There are some nice features found in the PS4 version, such as the DualShock 4 speaker offering warning of motion nearby. A static beep lets you know you’re not alone in the area, and you can then lift the tracker up and study it. The PlayStation Camera (and Kinect on Xbox One) offers head tracking. Holding L1 lets you use the left stick to lean around corners, but with the camera, you can physically lean. It’s a nice touch that you’ll use for a few hours, then revert back to the controller. It’ll also (if you enable it) pick up audio from the camera’s microphone, giving away your position if you suddenly make lots of noise. Another nice idea, but one that is slightly at odds with the actual gameplay. If you’re sneaking around perfectly, but then sneeze or cough, you’ve given away the game.

But when all is said and done, you’re playing Alien: Isolation for the atmosphere and the alien, and Isolation delivers in spades. It’s a smart beast, and eventually the fear you have turns to respect. You’ll learn that you can (and will) die often, but if you play your cards right, it can kill your enemies before turning its eye on you. Brutal death sequences quickly remind you that it’s a killer and not a toy, but appearances are sparing in the first half, though often enough to never let you forget, before really ratcheting up the tension as it stalks you. The audio is so well designed that any sudden noise will have you jumping and going for your motion detector, and this is a game that unsettles as much as it scares.

Technically, for the most part, Isolation is a marvel, but not completely without issue. There’s an odd thing with the cut-scenes that looks like a frame-rate problem. There’s not so many of them that it affects the overall game, but it’s noticeable when it happens. Elsewhere, the UI is minimalist and there’s a glorious 80s vibe going on, especially during loading screens, with tracking lines everywhere, even on hint-text as it appears. It’s a loveletter to the era the Alien franchise came from, and it absolutely works.

There’s a clear option to return on higher difficulties, and potentially speed-run the game, because after you know what to expect, for the most part you can complete sections in double time. Survival mode adds a completely different aspect to Isolation, and instead of rewarding patience and slow-movement, asks you to quickly complete bite-sized tasks.

Alien: Isolation is a phenomenal title marred by only one major issue that some will overlook, and others will find a deal-breaker. It’s comfortably the best Alien game ever made, and delivers authenticity along with a new story that is worth seeing, experiencing, and fleeing from into the darkness. Never once allowing the immersion to be broken, Creative Assembly have done it. They have actually done it.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Any other developer would call it a sequel. As with the latest edition of BlazBlue, subtitled Chrono Phantasma, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is an iteration that does far more than one would expect an iteration to do. While Ultimax appears, in name and in screenshots, to be a basic fighting game update of its predecessor, it doesn’t take a lot of playing to realise that Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is actually much closer to full blown follow up that a championship edition.

And that’s simply because it’s packed full of new modes, extra ideas and huge additions. It’s also because the story is a direct follow-up, too. This isn’t just a balance tweaked Persona 4 Arena with one or two new characters. This is a huge update, and one that makes remarkable improvements to an already superb fighting game.

At a basic level Arc System Works have added 9 new characters, almost doubling Persona 4 Arena’s total. Then there’s the new story mode alongside an RPG-like twist on survival in Golden Arena, plus Auto and Safety difficulties in various modes that, when combined with Persona 4 Arena’s ‘Auto Combo’, ensure that even the most timid of Atlus RPG fans can enjoy the spectacular rave combo combat that Arc System Works specialises in.

Put the magnifying glass a little closer and you’ll note that existing combatants all have new moves, new properties, and new animations. In some instances these tweaks make the characters simply more viable (Yu can now effectively pressure a Kanji player with a new command grab) and some simply more interesting (Yosuke has a hint of the Sadira’s about his new mix-up game).

Most characters also have a new Shadow version, too, which alters specifics in regards to how they can use special meter and what some universal techniques, such as bursts, actually do. This gives you a slight bit of style choice when picking your favourite character, as well as more to think about when presented with an opponent. Every fighter here is more developed than they were in Persona 4 Arena.

For those of you that don’t know know what Persona 4 Arena actually is, it’s a merger of a few things: the style, narrative and characters of Atlus’ contemporary JRPG series, Persona, and the intricate, combo based 2D fighting ‘air dash’ designs of Arc System Works, the studio responsible for both the BlazBlue and Guilty Gear series’.

The series was a corker from its first outing, because Arc System Works make tremendous fighting games. Their titles are rammed full of systems, often with obtuse names, that embellish combat every step of the way, making for combat dialogue that constantly feels fresh and rewarding to play. These are fighting games that punish overly defensive play, that build mind games into combo strings with the combo breaking ‘burst’, that give characters very specific mechanics and tools to ensure every different combination of characters has a plethora of interesting wrinkles to it. It’s no surprise that other fighting game developers are following in Arc’s footsteps, because they make stellar fisticuffs games.

Persona 4 Arena separates itself from the pack by playing on the Persona franchise’s main draw, the titular Personas. This is a four button fighter, but the catch is that two buttons control your character, and the other two are associated with their shadowy guardian (their Persona), and working out how to effectively combine both your character and Persona’s attacks in combat is a wholly unique combat style. Other games have dabbled in Puppet and Staff styles (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and BlazBlue, notably), but none embrace it as fully as Persona 4 Arena. This alone makes it a very exciting, often intoxicating game to play and watch, even if it can be somewhat initially bewildering.

But what if you’re a JRPG fan? Well, while Persona 4 Arena Ultimax certainly does a lot to improve the experience for fight fans, Persona’s JRPG slanted admirers have not been forgotten. Quite the opposite, I’d say that Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is more accommodating than ever.

The auto combo returns (hammer light punch and your character will input a basic, but effective, combo string that links all the way up to a super move should you have the meter), but alongside that are easier difficulties and even an ‘auto’ option in story that sees the CPU play out the scraps for you, should you just be in the mood to read the story and watch the pretty cutscenes.

The Golden Arena feels tailored to RPG players, too. Essentially a series of survival matches that saves after every fifth floor, your character levels up as you play, and builds a bond with their supporting character. Every time you level up you can spend skill points to improve stats, and you also unlock abilities of which you can have four active to embellish play. It’s a great addition and probably the best way for a non-fighting game fan to get a lot of game from Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. The harder courses will appeal to fighting game fans, too.

Aside from that, it’s as expected. Usual arcade and time attack modes alongside a list of nigh-impossible skill challenges for every character alongside Arc System Works’ solid online integration. It’s all icing around the superb combat, really, but it’s reassuring to know the usual content spread is present and correct.

It’s the style that shines through, though. I said it when Persona 4 Arena came out and it stands true for Ultimax; Persona 4 Arena is the most stylish fighting game ever, and a gem of the genre to boot, thanks to its combination of appealing and genuinly cool aesthetics with ocean deep gameplay. The only thing that’s changed with Ultimax is that it’s better than ever. Lots better, actually. Sequel degrees of better, even if Arc System Works won’t shout about it.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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I have never been a huge fan of the more anthropomorphic incarnations of Pac-Man, if I am brutally honest. It is a bit like when Tom and Jerry started to speak – it just doesn’t seem right. To me, Pac Man was always about the 2D waka-waka. It is often the same with time honoured two-dimensional classics making the transition into 3D – for every Super Mario 64 there is a horrible three-dimensional talking Sonic the Hedgehog. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 manages to combine both of the above conundrums, and also throws a dodgy television tie-in into the mix as its inspiration. The telly programme is as terrible as you would expect, and probably drastically over-estimates the popularity of the yellow gobbler in today’s climate of happy slapping, Flappy Bird and energy drinks.

The premise of the show is that Pac-Man is the last of his kind, a needy orphan consumed by guilt at having somehow released the vengeful ghost that threatens to destroy Pac-World. The ghosts from 1970s Pac-Man are present too, but here they feign allegiance to the baddies whilst secretly working with Pac-Man, in the hope that one day their souls will be redeemed and they can return to human form. It is some pretty dark stuff. But don’t let that upset you, kids – the first game based upon that sub-par cartoon was pretty good, and this sequel is more of the same, which is exactly what you would expect given that there is less than twelve months between the two releases.

Pac is once again in cahoots with his clunkily-named buddies Spiral and Cylindria, and once again the threadbare plot sees the happy-go-lucky trio face off against Lord Betrayus and his fiendish army of specters. The plot on this sophomore effort manages to avoid a lot of the separation anxiety and guilt from the source material and is another fresh, bright and breezy adventure that does not challenge your grey matter.

With mechanics straight out of Platforming 101, you explore your environs deciding on whether you look to uncover secrets and all of the hidden items, or simply get from start to fruit-piece finish without getting merked by a spook. Finding all of the hiding bits and pieces and waka-waka-ing up all of the glowing yellow consumables improve your end of level ranking score. In a nod to the games of yore, Pac has to hoover up pellets and fruit, can chow down on ghosts, and can access power-ups that give him special abilities. Some of these return from the previous game, but there are some new things to play around with, like the Ice-Pac, which allows you to create frozen platforms and stop enemies in their tracks with an icy blast, or the Magnet-Pac which allows you to access difficult-to-reach platforms or ensnare enemies using the baffling and impressive power of magnets. I searched desperately for a 2-Pac ability which transformed me into a doo-rag wearing gangster rapper, but this never materialised.

There is a lot to like about this Pac adventure. The simplistic nature of the platforming is very enjoyable, in a Skylanders or Ratchet & Clank kinda way. The way Pac Man can use a dash attack to chain together multiple ingestions of enemies and items is wonderful fun. It has excellent production values that elevate it beyond a lot of animation cash-ins, even if the voice acting is incredibly annoying. Some nice retro-y music, and of course the instantly recognisable noise when Pac Man gets killed, is present and correct. The new additions do not deviate it too far from its successor – there is an interesting rail shooter section, and an abundance of QTEs – and the new Pac-forms to experiment with.

This is another classic end-of-an-era title, the sort of thing that would have surfaced with regularity during the dying days of the PlayStation 2, albeit with a wildly inferior focus on quality control. Instead, Namco Bandai have produced another solid title that is an ideal distraction for the younger gamer, yet not insulting enough for an old timer to switch off and escape into for a few hours.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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Sherlock Holmes has recently become a force to be reckoned with in entertainment. The BBC TV series is arguably one of the most popular shows they’ve aired in recent years, the Robert Downey Jr movies received solid reviews and the Elementary TV show with Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu is incredibly entertaining despite the questionable casting. With so much great Sherlock based entertainment. Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments has a lot of expectation riding on it.

The main source of Sherlock’s popularity are the fascinating mysteries, usually with incredible twists that you don’t see coming. Crimes and Punishments features a total of 6 cases to solve and, while they may not be on the same level as other Sherlock stories, they are easily enough to hold your interest. None are particularly easy to guess from the beginning, and a couple manage to make you think you have figured out the solution, before throwing in a twist that changes everything at the last minute.

The majority of cases involve a murder of some kind and it’s down to Sherlock (with assistance from Watson, as you would expect) to find the killer. In order to come to a conclusion you must find clues and link them together to discover what actually happened. Clues can be found by wandering the crime scene and investigating items by pressing X (on PlayStation). Finding clues isn’t particularly difficult, as whenever you can examine something a notification pops up. Due to the amount of evidence and the space between each piece, collecting it will take up the majority of your time.

Sherlock also has a number of abilities he can use to find evidence. Firstly, he can use his imagination to see missing items or imagine what may have happened at the scene. He can also use his superior mind and senses to notice clues that may seem like nothing but actually play a vital role. Both of these features are used regularly and create that extra sense of being Sherlock. Also available is the ability to use disguises, however this isn’t vital often enough and seems quite unnecessary when it is used.

Some pieces of evidence will need further examination to be useful. This may involve heading back to Baker Street to search for information in the archives, conduct an experiment on the evidence, or get Sherlock’s dog Toby to follow a scent. The evidence analysis mini games (along with lock picking) offer a nice change of pace and break up the game well. None are overly challenging but if you do get stuck they can all be skipped.

Finding hard evidence isn’t the only way to solve the cases; you must also interview witnesses, suspects and victims. For all the important characters in the case you can perform a character portrait, which allows you to pinpoint small visible details from the interviewee to form a quick profile about them. Information picked up in these portraits, along with other evidence, can occasionally be used to call out lies during an interrogation. The interactions with the other characters are what will mainly influence your suspicions. There were a few times where I would discount hard evidence because I trusted what someone had said.

Once you have enough evidence and you have linked it all together you can deduce who is guilty. However, it is possible to make the wrong decision. With all the evidence the guilty party is usually fairly obvious but if you miss something (like I did in the 2nd case) you will come away with an incorrect decision and may end up wrongfully punishing someone. When I discovered I had wrongly punished someone I did genuinely feel bad, especially because I dished out the harsher of the two punishment options.

The crime scenes are varied to say the least: some take place in London’s back alleys while others see Sherlock and Watson travel to Kew Gardens, ancient temples and a circus. Each of the areas is quite well designed, evidence isn’t always obvious (and would be truly difficult to find if the button prompt wasn’t present) and in some cases the layout of the area is a clue itself.

Unfortunately the visuals are sub-par for a game on the PS4 and Xbox One. Add in frequent frame rate drops, texture pop and obvious tearing and Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments becomes difficult to look at without feeling disappointed. The voice acting isn’t exactly great either; some characters are better than others, and Sherlock’s voice does grow on you after a few hours but the majority of the voice work is poor and leads to a few irritating characters.

Each of the cases offers a unique and interesting story, and discovering what happened at each location is fascinating. While constantly pressing X to examine what seems like every object in a room becomes tedious it is easily offset by eureka moments that pop up every so often. The environments you explore are great but are unfortunately not helped by ropey visuals and a slew of technical issues. Perhaps Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments’ greatest achievement is how guilty you feel when you punish an innocent person – even just being able to get it wrong is a superb idea.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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Rhythm-action isn’t a terribly complex genre. Taking the most basic essence of videogames – the button press – and distilling it so thoroughly that it becomes engaging enough to form a game in its own right is no mean feat, but the product of said refining is always going to be a little one-note. And if you’re a one trick pony, that trick has to be bloody good.

Guitar Hero is rightly lauded because it got this theory spot on. Meeting the prompts had a tangible reward, missing them a clear punishment in the form of the bum-note in the middle of your favourite riff. Kickbeat though… well, Kickbeat doesn’t do any of this.

Transplant the chords from Guitar Hero’s instrument to the face buttons on your gamepad and the special power to L1. Instead of hitting scrolling notes as a rock-god, you’re now beating up goons as they approach from the compass points around protagonist Lee, all in time to music. Concept-wise it isn’t hard to grasp.

The backdrop for this is straight-to-DVD stuff. All of the music on Earth – housed in the ‘Music Sphere’ – has been stolen from the monastery of its caretaker monks. As a young Kung-Fu apprentice, it is up to you to get it back, fighting across a selection of songs that have been left behind in a handful of environments with four or five cutscenes fleshing out the narrative. It’s not a bad story, but there isn’t much there – aside from a Bieber gag that is so out of place with Kickbeat’s target audience it’s almost funny.

Enemies approach 90 degrees anti-clockwise from where they will attack you, allowing for a bit of forward-planning while keeping your view focused on the action, with Lee striking out in the direction you send him. Colour coding helps sort your rhythm, with Yellow grunts filing in one at a time, Blues striking in couples or triplets on alternate half-beats and Reds attacking in pairs.

Perfect hits build your Chi meter – which when unleashed adds points to your score – whilst your life will drop if you are hit too many times. Bonuses are also available from some enemies, either points or a health boost, claimed by double tapping the relevant face button when they attack.

It really is all very basic, and as such it should be tight as a drum – especially when you consider that this is a port of last year’s PS3 and Vita release. Kickbeat is not tight. For this genre, every successful button press should feel like a triumph. Instead you miss most of the action, focused as you are on the periphery rather than what Lee is doing: there’s no reward. Even worse is when you do spare a glance, you realise that his punches don’t always connect, and his kicks are just off.

Kickbeat’s cardinal sin, though, is that it doesn’t always get the rhythm right. Where Guitar Hero covers you when you’re a fraction late, here Lee isn’t tuned to the music, but to you. Press a fraction late, he’ll react a fraction late. It’s good in a sense that there’s generous timing, but it feels wrong.

Similarly wrong is the scroll in of your attackers. Coming from the left of the button needed to strike them, they approach in a perfect curve, before taking a tiny shuffle forward into the attack box. You’ll learn to adjust, but that direction change breaks the flow more than you’d imagine. It can also be a pain to work out what colour an enemy is on some of the stages – particularly the earlier ones – as they blend into the neon backgrounds, and the shaky camera zooming in and out of the action only makes things more frustrating, rather than harder.

Graphically, Kickbeat looks quite pretty, even if enemies are identikit clones, but some in-engine close-ups are dominated by muddy textures that you just don’t expect on this generation. With only 24 tracks (highlights include Pendulum and Marilyn Manson) there’s not much here in the way of longevity. Harder difficulties and a survival mode might interest you, but only if the track list as a whole grabs your attention. Sadly, the music importer of the Steam release isn’t included.

Kickbeat is a fairly generic rhythm-action title, hampered by loose core gameplay – something that really needed to be solid when there is so little in the way of content. It’s hard to recommend it when there are better examples of the genre out there.

AVERAGE. The epitome of a 50/50 game, this title will be unspectacular but inoffensive, charmless but amiable. We aren’t condemning a game by scoring it a 5, but we certainly aren’t championing it, either.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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In last year’s FIFA review, I joked that EA Sports might one day rebrand the game as Sky Sports’ FIFA, and it appears that my attempt at humour was bang on the money. A host of changes once again pervade the latest iteration of EA’s blockbuster football game, and while some are more successful than others, there are also areas that have been all but ignored for FIFA 15.

But let’s get one of the biggest changes out of the way right now: the presentation. FIFA 15 looks so much like a Sky Sports presentation, it’s uncanny. You could walk in the room as a match is starting up and double-take, it’s that well done. But aside from the graphical overlays that tell us who is playing where, an attention to detail has been given to the audio department, too. EA are quick to promote the fact they’ve been to the twenty premiership grounds and captured the various crowds in action – and when this is evident in-game, it’s fairly spectacular. The crowd singing “You’ll never walk alone” is something that could even make the hairs on the back of an Everton fan’s neck stand up. When a goal is scored, the volume increases like an explosion of passion and delight, and the camera visibly shakes to match the crowd’s raucous celebration. It’s fantastic, there’s really no other way to put it. Smaller but noticeable features like the pitch wearing as the match progresses are nice and add to the immersion, but the crowds break it a little as they still don’t look quite right.

That said, the presentation can take centre-stage too often, and unskippable scenes during matches are annoying. After you’ve seen the ref brandish a yellow card, where the players react and show the much vaunted emotion of FIFA 15 for the tenth time, you just want to skip it – but you can’t. It’s inexplicable as to when it happens, but it’s almost always when a card is flashed, or when you’re in a hurry and want to get on with the game. On the subject of the “emotion”, I honestly haven’t spotted too much of it. Players will look annoyed when a striker misses instead of passing, or fall out when things are going against them, but it doesn’t seem as big a deal as you’d think.

But it’s the on-the pitch action that matters, and the changes to the gameplay are both a blessing and a curse. First of all, attacking play in FIFA 15 is some of the most satisfying I’ve ever experienced – when it works. There does seem to be a propensity for shots that go in (or wide) off-the-bar, almost as though EA Canada are trying to give you wow-moments, as the audio of the bar being hit is like a dynamite explosion. However, this could also be because wing-play is a lot harder, and swinging a ball in seems to have had its effectiveness reduced. Expect to run down the left with a nippy winger and hit a cross that either doesn’t reach the target, or is ably defended against. Headers are not easy to score on anything above semi-pro difficulty any more, though when you do, they’re often screamers.

This results in a lot of attacking play coming through the middle, where the more realistic dribbling either works really well, or frustrates beyond belief. You can’t turn on a sixpence any more, and you’ll have to learn how to use the sprint button and trick stick to get by, or else rely on quick movement and passing. It’s an impressive re-enactment of the beautiful game, but it also reduces the fun factor. Those who hanker for a more realistic football experience will delight in this, but those of you who just want to lose yourself in a video game may find it less fun.

For once, the players feel unique, though. A quick winger will be muscled off the ball by a strong-arming defender; likewise, a slow centre back will be left for dead by a Navas, Walcott, or Messi. The more lifelike physics mean that if you mistime a tackle, that player is out of the game. Ray Wilkins would love FIFA 15, because it’s all about staying on your feet and making it count. If you aren’t sure you’re going to win the ball, then you need to contain the attacker instead, or bring in a second player to hustle them away from goal as you step in for the tackle.

Sadly, there are still moments of extreme frustration when defending. Three successful tackles and they’ve still got the ball? That’s still in, I’m afraid. It’s a steep learning curve, so expect to drop back a difficulty to begin with, just for the defending part of the game alone. It’s a strange beast, actually – often you’ll feel as though you are fighting the physics, because there are so many individual components that maintain the random nature of the game, that it doesn’t always work for the game.

Keepers have been vastly improved, too. Don’t expect many one-sided batterings here, unless you’re playing on Beginner. They will parry, save, punch or otherwise stop you from easy goals, and that’s if the defenders even let you get a shot away in the first place, as they throw their body into the way as if their life depends on it. Keepers can be inconsistent, though, and you’ll go from the sublime to the ridiculous; suddenly scoring the most outrageous long-shot you’ve ever seen, before then taking part in a complete shut-out in the following game.

One touch that is most welcome is the ability to switch to the receiver when taking a corner or a throw-in. A flick of the right stick allows you to command a player and call for the ball. With throw-ins this seems a far more effective way of actually getting the ball, though corners are hit or miss; though this led to me taking a lot of short corners and calling for a runner.

The ball feels looser here, as well. Often in previous FIFA titles no matter how hard you hit the ball, it always felt like it was pre-ordained to arrive to the target. Here, the ball is a physical object. You’ll sky it over everyone for a throw-in, but because the players are physically realistic, you’ll also miss that last ditch attempt to keep the ball in. But there are anomalies, and I lost count of the times the defensive AI would hit a huge panicked clearance that bypasses the entire midfield and coincidentally lands at their attacking man, who is now in a one-on-one with my last defender.

But oh, when it all works, it’s delicious. I lost count of the times I shouted “Xbox, record that!” or hit the Share button. Numerous times I visibly jumped from my seat in excitement, the swelling of the crowd cheering me on. Despite it all, there are moments of absolute gaming bliss to be had here.

Ultimate Team has had numerous additions, though most of them are short-term prospects. The idea of loaning one of the best players in the game is ace, but once you’ve used them, that’s it, and the Football Catalog has a limited number of loanable players, which (like everything in EASFC, which itself has undergone an upgrade, allowing you to share, comment, like and dislike happenings) are one-time use. You can’t loan legends on Xbox One, either, which feels a missed opportunity. Concept Squads are nice, allowing you to create (but not play with) a dream squad and share with your friends, and these are at least slightly more long-term, allowing you to see how a potential player might gel with your squad, then go out and buy him. The biggest new feature to FUT is friendly seasons, meaning you can play against your friends, rather than random online players that you’d have to normally.

Disappointingly, Career Mode has been all-but ignored this year, bar a few cosmetic changes. that are present in the rest of the game anyway. The team management is now a more visual affair, with player’s faces appearing on a pitch, allowing you to move their positions on the fly (PES has done this for years, just FYI). Unfortunately, it’s a mixed bag, and takes up far more real estate than the old version, which was admittedly slow and cumbersome. You can create and name multiple teams, so you can (as we all do, every year) decide on a team for the league, and one for cups.

There’re some nice touches in the commentary during Career Mode, though. It feels more true to life to hear Alan Smith comment how you won the last match convincingly, but that it was against Crystal Palace, and Everton might pose a more severe threat. They did, incidentally, hammering my Arsenal 2-0. I could barely get a shot away. It’s also in Career Mode that the new tactical offerings such as all-out attack or park the bus appear more often. Seeing that Everton literally park the bus once 2-0 up was impressive, but frustrating. You can’t be too mad about a gameplan being executed by the AI, though.

Elsewhere, aside cosmetic touches, the only major change is to the online lobbies, which are far better to use, and show you live updates and scores while you wait to join the next match. You can also have more control over scouting players to join your Pro Club, but in truth, it’s likely most people are going to stick with their friend-group, anyway.

FIFA 15 provides moments of exquisite pleasure, and also obscene frustration. When the planets align and you score a wonder strike, you’ll feel like a God, but when you’re playing away on a rainy night in Stoke, unable to breach a parked bus defence, you’ll long for less realism altogether, even though the on-the-fly tactical changes are themselves very impressive.

EA Canada can’t win in that respect, because whichever angle they cater toward, they’ll always be upsetting someone else. It’s a shame Career Mode has seen such little love this year, but regardless, there are enough changes overall that FIFA feels a very different game this year. They’ve not reinvented the wheel, just put shinier trims on it, and perhaps this isn’t the year that the presentation needed to take centre stage.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post FIFA 15 Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

“Formulaic” is normally a phrase rolled out as a gentle negative when nothing inventive or new takes place in a game. In the case of Compile Heart’s Fairy Fencer F, formulaic means that you already know what to expect and you can easily dive in and just concentrate on enjoying the story and gameplay, and let it wrap itself around you like a warm duvet of JRPG-ness while feeding you chicken soup.

Initially, Fairy Fencer F is as generic as they come: a grumpy protagonist, a mysterious female accomplice, a quirky and annoying sidekick, enemies with grand schemes and an all-encompassing eternal battle between good and evil. But before you scroll down to the inevitable average score with bored, bleary eyes, I ask you to read on.

You see, Fairy Fencer F knows all of this. It knows it’s treading a well-trodden path. It knows it’s throwing the same things at you as everyone else and isn’t afraid to poke fun at its own situation and cast. Take Squall- sorry, I mean Fang. Take Fang: he’s not the sharpest “fury sword” in the place where they keep the Furies. Likely to complain about hunger more often than wanting to push on towards the next quest, abrupt and constantly peckish, he is only moody because Compile know that their competition mostly have moody characters.

You then have Eryn, a fairy that lives within a fury sword, who is constantly in a state of irritation because of Fang’s lack of urgency. She clearly doesn’t trust Tiara, who joins Fang’s quest early on as another Fencer, and makes her thoughts clear about this on a regular basis. Tiara is the mysterious girl with the mysterious past who is also looking to collect Furies.

There are regular stops in the game for some well written and snappy dialogue, which is often quite funny. It helps to build up the story and relationship between the characters and provides regular breaks from the main game. Again, it often makes a point of reminding you that it knows what type of game it is, which is very refreshing and adds to the overall charm.

Eryn the fairy is responsible for giving you tutorials through the game, in the form of a series of lessons showing you how to use everything from the map to your characters’ powers. Her lessons are fast and frequent at the beginning, not too long to become too annoying and always add something that makes the game slightly more manageable or take you in a new direction.

The action centres on a map, upon which areas are unlocked by dialogue or using Furies in specified areas to open dungeons. You will regularly visit the Tomb of the Goddess and Vile God to unlock more of the Furies powers which assist you in battle. Beating a boss will allow you to unlock other areas in the map, which usually means a dungeon to explore full of monsters to take down.

The combat is very “Ni No Kuni” in its execution. It’s turn-based, but allows you to run around your opponents in order to give you the best position to attack – you can even attempt a preemptive strike before you start the battle. You’ll have chances to use magic or items or even special attacks based on your currently-equipped fury. Once you’ve reached a certain level in your charge gauge, you can activate your Fairize ability which will give you access to super attacks to gain the upper hand in a battle. The combat is never a chore. If there is one thing I dislike about some turned-based combat games, it’s that fights can go on for too long and turn into grinds. Fairy Fencer F makes you powerful enough without taking away the challenge, so you’ll go into a fight knowing that if you’ve stocked up on potions and lotions and have the right notion then you’ll even scrape by through the worst case scenario.

The graphics are simple and effective, with cutscenes providing most of the story and entertainment, especially thanks to the voice acting. The dungeon graphics aren’t much to write home about, but the dungeon inhabitants and the animations within the battles themselves make up for this by being varied and imaginative.

Fairy Fencer F should be an average game. It’s mediocre in almost everything it offers – it even has fetch quests. It notifies you when Fang has jumped more than ten times in a dungeon. The dialogue is cheese on toast. The story has been seen a thousand times before. Though through all of this, I kept on playing. I travelled the map and found new dungeons and chuckled at the dialogue. I learned battle strategies and new moves and started to care about completing the side quests. I found myself really enjoying the adventures of Fang and his Furies, which I wasn’t prepared to do. It’s certainly been crafted by someone who knows the genre, and as a result the soup is tasty and the duvet is very comfy indeed.

If you want a break from continuously chasing the so-called “next big thing” and fancy getting your teeth into a reliable, enjoyable and regularly funny RPG, then jump off the hype train and hang around with Fang and his gang of Fury hunters. You won’t be disappointed.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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The Wii U is increasingly becoming the indie developers (and indeed indie gamer’s) best friend, with an ever increasing number of once PC only gems finding themselves at home on the Wii U’s eShop. The latest title to make the jump from PC to Nintendo’s living room console is Teslagrad, from Norwegian dev team Rain Games.

Teslagrad can be best categorised as a 2D puzzle platformer, but that description only scratches the surface of what’s on offer here. After a moody menu screen backed by a melodic backdrop, Teslagrad throws you straight into its dark and unforgiving world. Rain lashes down from a dimly lit sky, pounding off every surface. A hard-nosed looking man darts from house to house, scaring people into fleeing for their lives. Most of them get caught, but one boy makes a success of running away. You take control of the boy, and the game begins.

Running and jumping across rooftops, the backdrop slowly changes from a scene that is dreary and residential, to the fiery heart of an industrial furnace. Teslagrad’s entirely wordless narrative is brought to life by the excellent art direction. The mixture of classic steampunk and 50’s style animation is absolutely gorgeous, and brings to life a fusion of the worlds of Limbo, Steamworld and Disney’s Pinocchio all at once. The story that unfolds shows us a world ruled by a ruthless king, who has suppressed a race of technological wizards that once resided in a massive tower in the centre of the city of Teslagrad.

So we know it looks good and tells a nice story, but how does Teslagrad actually play? From the offset, it’s obvious that this isn’t a pure platformer, as the way your character handles isn’t exactly genre-defining. Jumping can be imprecise and floaty, and it kind of feels like you’re running on ice most of the time. Thankfully, Teslagrad redeems itself by slowly ratcheting up the complexity, throwing in special abilities that you find along the way.

Early on our little hero discovers a pair of gloves that allow him to punch specific objects in the environment and turn them either red or blue. The red or blue colouring indicates that object’s magnetic polarity – and that is where the most of Teslagrad’s puzzling comes from. Being clever with magnetism is nothing new, however Teslagrad plays the magnet card very well indeed. You can use different coloured blocks to defeat enemies, open new pathways and create a magic carpet which you can use to cruise around the level. The use of magnetism isn’t restricted to objects in the environment, with your character able to take on a red or blue hue, allowing him to float above objects of the opposite colour. You take on the red or blue hue either by interacting with one of the many little robots wandering about, or walking through strategically placed plants (all of which are either red or blue in colour, indicating their polarity).

Another power afforded to you is the ability to teleport a couple of feet in front of the direction your character is facing, Dishonoured style. This power is the easiest to get to grips with, which is great, because it’s also the most fun. Darting around Teslagrad’s beautifully realised world is great fun, and does a good job of disguising the otherwise ropey handling. Put all of these puzzle elements together (something that happens early in the game), and you have a recipe for some real brain teasers. The deeper into Teslagrad’s world I got, the more out of my depth I became. This is coming from someone that has played 2D scrollers my entire life: Teslagrad is nails. You will flit from a real sense of achievement to unsolvable puzzlement, immense frustration and back again – and that’s just in the first hour or so.

Combat is pretty much non-existent, since our little dude dies at the slightest touch – adding to the games prominent “old school” feel. Level areas are bookended by boss battles – huge mechanical beasts that will push your skills to breaking point. You need to jump, dodge and teleport to avoid the boss’ attacks, all the while trying to hit it with a dose of magnetised death. In a world of one-hit kills, these are bosses that will test the most hardened of gamers. The difficulty here will really polarise (get it?) opinions on Teslagrad – 16-bit era gamers will love its unforgiving nature and will battle through to the end; as for everyone else? I’m not so sure.

Rain Games have created something beautiful in Teslagrad. Its opening scene alone should win some kind of award. Its mix of mind bending puzzles and unforgiving boss battles, not to mention some pretty hit and miss platforming, make it a game that will really split opinions. Fans of the genre will find a new hero in Teslagrad – but casual gamers should be wary.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post Teslagrad Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

If you were to give out awards for putting your best foot forward, Disney Infinity 2.0 wouldn’t be anywhere near even qualifying. A horribly long load time into the Marvel Super Heroes play set (included with the starter pack), and clunky, heavy-to-control characters dominate the opening mission which introduces us to Disney Infinity again.

The general idea is that our heroes have just unfrozen themselves and need to save Avenger/Stark Tower before it’s overrun by Loki’s Frost Giant minions. The combat begins and it’s pure button mashing repetition; everything is linear and you just go from corridor to corridor before ending the level, and choosing whether to continue the Marvel story, or be introduced to the Toy Box mode.

Thank God, then, that immediately after the dreary opening mission, the larger, more open area of the city is yours to play in. Suddenly you’re allowed to take to the skies as Iron Man or Thor and can explore the world with freedom, gathering all manner of collectibles, some of which add to the Toy Box mode, while others just unlock concept art. Interestingly, among the multitude of collectibles, there are crossover tokens, which, once ten are collected, allow characters to appear in each other’s playset.

Immediately, Infinity 2.0 feels a better game. Initial fears subside, and you start to enjoy the mechanics far more. Button-mashing combos are still prevalent, but as you progress through the skill trees and level up your individual heroes (the cap is twenty for all heroes, including ones from the previous game), more options become available. Super moves and changes to standard combos change things up, and you can improve core skills as well. One problem that rears its head early on is that the environments seem tailored towards characters who can fly. You can climb via jump pads and lifts, but overall, you’ll initially play more as Thor and Iron Man, just because they are more fun to navigate the world with – you’ll end up playing Black Widow mainly when you transition to the indoor missions, then later when you unlock a certain vehicle that lets everyone take to the skies. It’s an interesting way to add movement speed to the non-flying characters, because the motorbike you unlock first handles very heavily, and is best avoided.

There’s not a huge amount of variety to missions, either. There’s certainly an attempt to change things up, adding things like motorbike races or horde-style combat challenges – but they’re not enjoyable enough to make you want to come back and improve your time, let alone try and top the leaderboards. Indeed, most missions will involve going from place to place, beating up on some guys, then doing it all again in the next mission. The enemies do get progressively harder, but the techniques to beat them don’t really change.

Things are improved when playing with a friend (or one of your children), as you can both explore the world at your leisure, before joining up for a story mission. If you find it too easy, simply adjust the difficulty. There are also numerous mission nodes around the playsets that allow you to play competitively, and these are a surprising amount of fun. As Iron Man, facing off against your son as Thor is silly, especially when you both take to the skies in your enclosed battle arena, seeing who will blink and go to ground first, which is where the combat is really intended to be.

Thankfully, the technical issues that plagued the previous game appear to have been ironed out. The open-world sandbox area of the Marvel play set is hitch-free, and the frame rate is mostly solid, but prone to major drops in missions that take place inside. It’s not the most visually taxing game for the hardware, but it looks pretty when cutscenes play, and though the city itself is a little on the bland side, the colour comes from the characters. There are elements of humour, and occasionally the gags work really well, but there’s no mistaking this is a game aimed at children. That said, the voice acting is fun, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury is a lovely bonus. Generally speaking, the atmosphere and character is there for all to see on screen.

Interestingly, both of my children jumped immediately into the Toy Box mode. This is a clean slate where you can add environments of your choosing, as well as characters, enemies and, well, basically everything that’s in the game. While the truly creative will go for the absolutely empty sandbox, you can choose from numerous presets to get you started. This time around, you can save and share your boxes with other people, and if you don’t feel like spending hours making missions and worlds for others, you can just download community created content. Some are better than others, and the devs have created a few to give everyone ideas. One platforming based level I tried was okay, but the controls aren’t precise enough to really make overly taxing jumping much fun.

Without question, the Toy Box is where Infinity still shines. A sandbox that truly lets your imagination run wild, only now you can share or download creations via the internet. But the play sets are a vast improvement over the first game and a lot of fun in their own right, while the technical performance is far better, too. Being able to bring your existing Infinity toys into 2.0 is a nice touch, but something you’d expect.

It’s going to cost you a fortune, though, because once you start to enjoy dashing through the air as Iron Man, you’ll want more of those pricey heroes to throw into your game, because they’re wonderful little toys that look and feel good. On that note, this seems an ideal time to remind you that we don’t accept any responsibility for any overdraft charges you may incur after playing Disney Infinity 2.0.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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Valvatorez is certainly one of the more memorable characters I have encountered in recent gaming history. When I checked out Disgaea 4 in its original PS3 incarnation, I was blown away by the wonderfully cowardly, sardine-gobbling vampire and the plot full of off-kilter political satire and humour. Being given the opportunity to return to the Prinny factory in an enhanced Vita port is an enticing prospect. Have NIS thrown enough extra content onto the OLED screen to make it worth playing again?

Three years on from the last time I encountered him, Valvatorez is as excellent a protagonist as you will come across. As per the titles of the whole D4 oeuvre, our hero is utterly driven by the concept of promises, namely an unfulfilled assurance from his past which led him to abandon his vampiric tendencies, and his current situation that sees a gaggle of his Prinny students penguin-napped before he can make good on his promise to teach them how to do their job. It’s a treat seeing Valvatorez slowly awake to the corruption and injustice going on around him, all the while encouraged by the dry humour of his loyal werewolf servant, Fenrich.

Excellent plot aside, the core mechanics of Disgaea 4 do not deviate far from the original 2003 classic. It is a turn-based isometric tactical RPG, with the same mental stats, seemingly endless levelling up and crazed variety of attacks. While it does give you ample opportunity to learn via a series of gentle, tutorial style introductions, there is no getting away from the fact that there is an almost overwhelming amount of complexity at play here. Learning all of the nuances of the play grid, the stat-changing, colour-co-ordinated Geo Block system, and the way everything interacts is tantamount to spinning plates at times, but utterly rewarding all the same.

As if you didn’t have enough to comprehend, there are some new gubbins to play around with when you enter the Netherworld this time. How about the cool ability to stack your allies on top of each other, creating a statistically and offensively more effective tower formation? You can also use a new version of the Magichange ability to Demon Fuse enemies together and put them to use for your own attacking ends.

NIS have done an utterly incredible job of transporting the entire PlayStation 3 release to the handheld. The lush hand-drawn art absolutely pops, the 3D pyrotechnics when you enleash the wide variety of spells and special attacks are as spectacular as ever, and the whole thing suffers from only very infrequent framerate issues. It is nothing short of astonishing how you are effectively playing a full-blown PS3 title in the palm of your hand. Nothing has been compromised in terms of content – the huge, territorial bunfight that is the Cam-Pain map system, the well-implemented online capabilities that enable you to share your experiences with other players, the wonderful customisable pirate ship.

Amazingly the main campaign is also backed up by the DLC from the original release, but is also complemented by a brand new scenario that is exclusive to the Vita release.

This is undoubtedly the finest handheld version of the Disgaea-verse that you could possibly wish to own. It gives you a scaled-down, but not pared-back port of one of the highlights of the series, and offers a near-endless amount of tactical RPG fun. You are always learning when you take on the mantle of fulfilling Valvatorez’s honourable promises, and vicariously helping him on his crusade against corruption and wrongdoing. While things haven’t moved on tremendously over the staggering eleven years of its existence, Disgaea is a thing of real beauty and depth, that arguably works at its best on the go.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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Has it really been over four years since the release of Bayonetta? It has been so long in gaming terms, but Platinum’s third-person action game has rarely been matched when it comes to chaotic, blood-pumping action, and although we’re chomping at the bit for the sequel to arrive, it’s a wonderful gesture for Nintendo to offer this slightly amended version of the original game, as part of the Bayonetta 2 retail package.

Developed by Bee Tribe under the careful watch of Platinum Games, this is a note for note port of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game – although thankfully without the technical issues that dogged the latter version. It remains unchanged, save for a handful of additions, and that is in no way a bad thing.

So, a recap for those who didn’t pay attention the first time around: set in several dimensions, all based from Dante’s Divine Comedy, Bayonetta herself belongs to an ancient society of Umbran Witches, followers of darkness, who remain at loggerheads with the light-loving Lumen Sages. Each faction holds custody over powerful relics known as Eyes of The World, with Bayonetta herself in possession of the Left Eye after a 500 year slumber, awaking with no memory of who she really is. Battling demons, angels, gods and devils alike in a bid to uncover the truth, this conceit is an excuse to fight a ton of weird and wonderful enemies in a ballet of gunfire, campy dialogue and oversized weaponry.

And what enemies they are. An astoundingly unique cast of baddies that are (still) unlike anything you’ve fought before, with some absolutely huge bosses to contend with as well, residing in a gamut of settings, from European cities to otherworldly dimensions. Unfortunately, while the asset and environment design is inspired, the muted colours used throughout the game detract from the visuals, making everything look incredibly washed out and dated.

As for fighting, Bayonetta has a lot of it, and those who have played a Devil May Cry game will feel right at home. Thanks to the Witch Time mechanic, which slows down gameplay after a perfect dodge, this is a game where evasion and timing is as important as combos and offensive prowess. This is one witch with a lot of tools at her disposal, from her own Scarborough Fair guns, to the deadly tools of destruction she can temporarily steal from enemies or unlock via other means. Being able to equip different weapons to her arms and feet, as well as switching between two user-defined sets of equipment, there’s a lot of scope for player experimentation and discovery, making for a relatively simple to learn, but endlessly fun to master combat system.

Yet, there are also opportunities for limited environmental exploration that act as calming interludes between the chaos of battle. Useful items and hidden battles are everywhere if you take the time to look, along with plenty of opportunities to earn currency in the form of Halos. You’ll need lots of them as well, because many of the purchasable equipment is quite expensive, requiring mastery of combat as well as multiple replays of chapters in order to fund some of the more exciting items for sale. Often, it feels like the cost of these items is far too expensive, with many of them being out of reach even after finishing the game.

With this in mind, Bayonetta is a game based on replayability, as well as racking up the biggest combos and getting the highest scores you can. This is an action game that has a firm old-school feel in this regard, and it’s also a lot tougher than you probably remember, especially with the strict timing needed to perform certain moves like Witch Time.

In terms of additions, the Wii U version contains four Nintendo-related costumes already unlocked to begin with. Costumes for Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Link and Samus are at your disposal, with each one having their own special abilities. These costumes work very similar to their Bayonetta 2 counterparts and are cool and fun to play with. This port also features the same touch screen controls that have been added to the sequel, providing an accessible alternative to button controls.

Fast and frantic, Bayonetta is still a quality action game. The visuals may have aged somewhat, and the difficulty may be hard as nails, but this is the definitive version of a game that feels strangely at home on a Nintendo console. A welcome refresher to the upcoming sequel, that deserves to be replayed for old times’ sake.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post Bayonetta Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

F1 is a strange sport. Despite the speed of the vehicles involved, and the high probability of a first corner pile up, it can be an awfully monotonous sport to watch if you aren’t vested in the intricacies of team tactics, the upkeep of vehicles and the devastating effect of minute factors.

This makes F1 games a hard sort to talk about. This is especially true when developers Codemasters put the likes of GRID Autosport on the shelf while still making the official F1 game. GRID Autosport feels more exciting, more impactful, and overall more inviting on pure presentational gusto and car variety alone, but to say such things would be to misunderstand F1 2014’s role and reason entirely. It’s a fan’s omnibus.

I’ll also take this moment to say that this preview isn’t here to lament the lack of F1 2014 on Xbox One or Playstation 4. As we know, F1 2015 will be the first “next gen” outing for Formula 1, but Codemasters have stated in the past that they took this decision so that their first F1 game on Xbox One and Playstation 4 will be as good as possible, so it seems pointless to labour the fact here.

So instead we should be asking ourselves “What makes F1 2014 worth it?” Well, let’s ignore the fact that it still includes the usual methods of playing, from single races to Grand Prix, and let’s just accept that, as with all modern racing games, there’s a long list of assists for you to tinker with to help if you struggle with knowing when to break (hint, corners), and that the game features those common crutches such as “flashback” rewinding.

Admittedly there is a nice “test” when you start the game, which is a new Codemasters norm. This test tries to guesstimate what difficulty will suit you best, and is a good way to curb over confidence or assure novice players that they too can competently navigate the corners of Silverstone. But that’s not really what’s worth celebrating when it comes to F1 2014.

What seems to be its strongest asset, from my time with a limited preview build, is the Scenario mode. As with F1 2013, these are small bite size chunks of challenge that ask you to conquer a specific goal, usually under a hindrance or tight time limit.

Why are these so good? Two reasons. Firstly, they let you relive some Formula 1 highlights, a dream come true for any fan of the sport. Plucking from the first set alone, one challenge tasks you with fending off Fernando Alonso as he tries to overtake you, repeating Williams’ famous 2012 win. For an F1 fan, being able to experience moments like this is an exhilarating privilege granted only by this game, a game that understands that its audience would appreciate content like this.

Secondly, they help you develop a deeper understanding for the tactics and difficulties of F1 itself. One scenario early on is simply to do with reclaiming two spaces after a crippling mistake in the rain, but this alone forces you to push an F1 car in slippery conditions. Another in the first set tasks you with “taking advantage” (the game’s own words, those) of Lewis Hamilton’s engine problems and Kimi Raikkonen’s lack of fuel to steal a podium finish on the final lap.

The thing to take from this is that in trying to achieve these things yourself, or hearing about why you could get a podium finish due to other racers having problems, heightens your appreciation and awareness of these things when it comes to the real sport. And that is absolutely F1 2014’s key success, but also contributes to its insular appeal.

For a Formula 1 fan, from the most passive to the most involved, F1 2014 is gold. For anyone else, it’s largely impenetrable. But does F1 2014 care for those people? No, not really. For those people there is GRID Autosport, with its big brash cars and frantic commentators and more crunchy crashes. And that’s exactly why F1 2014 appears to be so good for its intended audience, it’s designed and developed entirely with them in mind.

The post F1 2014 Preview – Taking the Lead appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Destiny is not Halo. Nor is it Borderlands. Nor is it an amalgamation or bastardisation of either. This is something I feel needs pointing out because Destiny is its own entity and, while it isn’t the game-changing, genre-defining behemoth we were promised, it’s still a worthy achievement on Bungie’s part. A handful of expansion packs, patches, tweaks and updates down the line and it may well come close to that uber-game we so desperately wanted it to be, but right now (when it counts, you might say) Destiny is little more than a tasty meal with a few ingredients missing.

I use a food analogy because that’s what it’s like: it’s like taking a mouthful of something almost delicious and then obsessing for the duration of the meal over what’s making it taste funny. Destiny’s flaws are not all obviously apparent.

As I said in my review-in-progress, the story takes place in the distant future and casts you as a Guardian, an elite warrior tasked with defending the Light of the Traveller, a powerful itinerant entity that boosted human understanding by a few centuries. Having established colonies on a handful of worlds and moons in our galaxy, they were attacked by a mysterious Darkness hell-bent on destroying the Traveller. In the ensuing conflict, known as the Collapse, almost everything was lost, and now they huddle together in one sprawling city under the shadow of a weakened benefactor.

As a set-up it’s delicious. Intriguing. Compelling, even. In practice, however, Bungie squander such a wonderful backstory by locking exposition away on their website. There are no lore entries in-game which, when they’ve gone to such pains to craft a unique game-world, beggars belief. Instead you collect Grimoire Cards that unlock codex entries on Bungie.net. Immediately this robs you of the immersion you – and Destiny’s world – deserve. The wonderful high sci-fi hokum that would (and should) have wrapped us all up tight in its LED-sequinned folds is hamstrung from the outset.

As a result, we’re left scratching our heads as to what the hell a “Mote of Light” is for. We don’t know where the Fallen came from, nor the Vex or the Cabal. We don’t know why there are benevolent races (the Awoken and the Exo) besides humanity. We don’t know how they came to co-exist or why. If we want to know these things, we need to take a break from playing and go read a Wiki. It’s an appalling narrative decision, because without context, all you’re doing is blasting monsters in the face over and over again, while Peter Dinklage’s bored AI Ghost drones on about your objectives in a voice that suggests he’d rather be doing anything else than spouting rhetoric about grumpkins and snarks and wizards that came from the moon.

It’s compounded by the fact that Bungie don’t seem entirely sure of themselves. A meeting mid-game with an Awoken Queen makes no sense when you play as an Awoken yourself, as she acts like you’re not. She introduces herself, her race, and makes no mention of your shared lineage. It’s almost as though Bungie only ever had one playable race in mind for Destiny, and added the Awoken and Exo later in an effort to inject some variety. Sadly, the different races and classes don’t add up to much more than aesthetic preference.

You’re able to choose a Hunter, Titan or Warlock (basically DPS, Tank and Support), but aside different starting stats and slightly varying abilities, there isn’t enough between them to really force a change of tactics. Having played with all three, I haven’t really been able to select a favourite because they’re all so similar when you get down to brass tacks. My choice is informed purely by the fact that the Warlocks look cooler than the other two. They all have an energy drain skill, a grenade on a cooldown timer, and a super attack. They all have unlockable skills that improve stats and alter the behaviour of their grenades. They all use the same weapons and have the same stats on their armour. Player skill is a major factor, as a talented player can make a Warlock seem just as hardy as a Titan, which means you could have easily had no classes at all, and simply taken your skills down a multi-branching tree.

Playing Destiny, I couldn’t help but feel that Bungie had the concept for a Halo-style, story-driven campaign shooter and added everything else in after one of their suits coughed up the “shared world” idea. It sounds horribly cynical, perhaps, but having spent a full week and well over thirty hours in Bungie’s world (not to mention the countless hours spend in the alpha and beta, too), I can’t escape the fact that all the disparate elements simply don’t marry up as they should. It doesn’t feel organic; everything feels added-on. Such a theory may be unintentionally disparaging, but it explains the unexplained races, it explains the Grimoire Cards, it explains the limited number of game areas and the lack of real difference in the classes.

So where’s the flavour? Where’s the taste that makes the meal edible despite its flaws? In the combat, of course – this is a Bungie game after all. Luckily, Destiny’s redeeming feature happens to be its biggest hook and primary mechanic: the gunplay is amazing. Those comparisons to Halo seem petty until you start shooting, and then you remember why Bungie have their reputation. The combat is precise, frantic, balanced, frenetic, and damn satisfying. Enemy AI is as good here as I’ve seen anywhere else, the terrain is crafted as a sandbox battleground; just like Reach’s wide open spaces encouraged you to flank enemies, set up choke points and go vertical to get the drop on them, Destiny’s arenas do the same. Cover is everywhere, though less blatant and idiot-proof than, say, a Gears of War. The double-jump jet-pack skill that every class has allows you to play for height, scaling rocky outcrops and jumping up to balconies that in other games would be background filler.

Guns issue thunder-claps that hammer enemies clean off their feet, heads pop in wisps of smoky vapour, and super-charged blasts of plasma arc from your very palm to disintegrate groups of charging aliens in a glimmering light show that puts inFAMOUS to shame. This is what a shooter should be, and when Destiny hits you with its ground-game, away from all the garbled, half-explained sci-fi posturing, it’s one of the most competent and confident shooters ever created.

As with many games of its type – and despite Bungie’s protestations, there are indeed many games of its type – Destiny is better enjoyed with others. Once you hit later levels, you will unlock the Strike playlist. A Strike is a mission with increased difficulty and rewards, meant to be played in a team of three. The most successful trios will use headsets to communicate strategy and reinforce synergy, but in truth most are no more taxing than regular story missions – they are just a lot more fun. Stand-out moments become so commonplace that they don’t stand out any more, but that’s a good thing: it means it works.

At later levels, you’ll also unlock Raids. These are six-player, multi-layered missions designed to test you to the limit. But while they’re a great place to find better gear, they are restricted by the requirement that you play only with people on your friends list. Without an update to fix that, Raids will quickly become the bastion of the hardcore alone, filled with clans honing their skills and upping their gear before going online and dominating the relatively small-scale multiplayer. In contrast to the stellar shooting, the handling of raids suggests an overconfidence on Bungie’s part.

When juxtaposed beside the campaign offering, the competitive multiplayer seems somewhat dry. Because you take your character into the Crucible from the campaign, early forays into the arena are horrifically one-sided as you square up against level 25s and find yourself one-shotted before you can even get your sights up. With only a handful of modes containing nothing more exotic than Capture the Flag and Control (Destiny’s version of Hardpoint), the multiplayer feels half-baked. You can earn rewards specific to PvP, but they don’t do anything the campaign rewards don’t. The maps are large enough, reminiscent of some of Reach’s mid-sized arenas, but they aren’t varied enough when examined beside the campaign zones. There was enormous potential to do something exciting here that Bungie have squandered by delivering purpose-built maps for shooting other players in, none of which offer anything you haven’t seen before elsewhere.

From a technical standpoint Destiny walks a narrow line between astounding and over-reaching. While the servers held up admirably during the launch, I have been kicked five or six times mid-mission for no apparent reason. Small bugs and glitches are noticeable but excusable given the scale, but the loading times are often shocking. It’s not uncommon to wait a minute while transitioning between a mission zone and the tower hub, and the fact that in order to leave you must select “go to orbit” means you can’t just hit a button to go back if you forgot something; you have to reload the whole area again. Likewise, indulging in a spot of patrolling to earn marks and money (glimmer is the currency name) requires you to go to orbit when you’re done, even if you want to play a campaign mission or strike in the exact same zone. You have to quit and reload; you can’t just walk to a specific point. It’s irritating, more than anything, and really shouldn’t be happening.

Some of it is made up for by the fact that Destiny looks incredible. The individual planets have their own personality and, while the worlds may feel curiously empty at times, they always look vibrant. The jungles of Venus are stunning, and the Moon has some truly breathtaking vistas, but it’s a beauty painted on to hide the cracks, and it doesn’t always succeed.

The decision to lock away the best content until you hit level twenty is a curious choice on Bungie’s part, and one that points to either lack of confidence or a worrying hubris. Not explaining what Vanguard or Crucible Marks are or how they’re earned until you can use them is fine, provided you don’t make them visible only for people to scratch their heads over.

What’s sad, is that Destiny could have been the world-beating mammoth Bungie envisioned it as and, perhaps foolishly, claimed it would be, but it falls short of their lofty aims. That said, there’s a sense when playing Destiny that this is a long-term investment. Only a week from launch and people have already hit that level cap and smashed right through it; they’ve mopped up the story mode, earned entire outfits of legendary gear and overcome every strike. Bungie have promised more content in the future, which would suggest a raising of the cap, more missions, new zones, new enemies, tweaks and updates to the existing formula that will, piece by piece, bring Destiny closer to the game we all hoped it was going to be.

But it’s not that game right now. Destiny is a confident, solid, sometimes stunningly beautiful shooter with RPG mechanics that add longevity and depth, and the beginnings of what could be an incredible online universe. But it feels like the tip of the glacier, and I’m not sure it’s a good thing to be more excited about what a game might one day be, than what it actually is.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

Our Scoring Policy

Review code provided by publisher.

The post Destiny Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Forget about this Naruto lad summoning all kinds of ninja spirit things, because as a scummy games writer like me, sometimes it can be difficult summoning the enthusiasm to attack yet another anime tie-in fighter. But then every year CyberConnect2 end up enticing me in with a worthy set of improvements, more ridiculous cutscenes, and another review is born. This is the fifteenth instalment of the long-running series. Fifteen! Blimey. Is it worth your time and investment? Of course it probably is.

Because what sets Revolution apart from its predecessors is the fact that CyberConnect have decided to catch up with some of the trends that reached other fighting game franchises yonks ago. You still have the usual team of three, in-battle items, and choice of two jutsu attacks so bombastic they would make Shaggy blush. But there are new elements going on here. Focusing on improving the button mashing nature of gameplay is most welcome. After all these years, there is a semblance of a proper hardcore fighter at play here. Finally you are able to utilise techniques like guard breaks and a more sophisticated counter-attack mechanic.

The former allows you a limited number of opportunities to open up your opponent like a tin of beans with a crushing blow that leaves them a sitting duck to have their face rearranged. Counter-attacks can be employed with a well-timed action that knocks your foe out, and prevents them from calling upon their allies temporarily. Like the break attacks, using the counter is limited and will drain your Chakra.

Also given a much needed overhaul is the way that you use your support characters. You now get a choice of three ways to play. Drive drags your support ninjas into the fray to protect your main character, creating an effective sealing barrier that prevents your opponents from hitting their jutsu specials. Awakening lets you trigger your enhanced awakened state from the kick off, whilst the excellent Ultimate Jutsu option sees your trio combine to carry out a stunning Ultimate Combo Jutsu – an attack that is different depending on which combination of the staggering 118-strong roster you have chosen to enter the fray with.

There are loads of possible permutations for these team-up combos, and while they aren’t necessarily any more powerful that your standard Jutsu, seeing your old anime favourites combining in the way nature intended is a thrill and excellent fan service. I particularly liked Gaara, Kankuro and Temari triggering the painful sounding Scorching Heat Sand Binding Coffin ultra, with an honourable mention going to Obito and Madara’s Heavenly Insertion Hammering Star.

Speaking of characters, while there are admittedly a fair few palette swaps, one of the new entrants to the roster is of particular interest. The creator of the source material Masashi Kishimoto has got on board and engineered a bonkers new form for main man Naruto: his completely awesome Mecha form which combines a Three Tails guise with a moves-laden Mecha variation, offering you the chance to mess around with a two-tiered awakening. This may not mean much to the bystander on the street, but for fans this rad Naruto mash up will be big potatoes.

The actual gameplay itself is undoubtedly enhanced by these new bits and pieces, but they would be irrelevant without some interesting modes in which to test them out. The newly added and excellently named Ninja Escapades mode takes you through three specially-created stories (complete with some all-new cutscenes) via a series of set-piece battles. Ninja World Tournament brings back the popular free-roaming style from Naruto games of old. It’s a huge playable story set upon Festival Island, with a series of ranked battles, including dust ups where the environment plays a part, and characters brawl over collectable orbs which grant status enhancements in a throwback to the mighty Power Stone. Working your way through the battles opens up new places to explore and new missions to embark on, including the all important Mecha Naruto chapter which allows you to unlock him as a playable option.

Online is, as always, a bit of a mixed bag. Fights can be a tad laggy with everything that is going on, and you will get beaten quickly if you venture outside of Europe in search of an opponent. The inclusion of Network Clones is a curious new accoutrement, however. During your time on Festival Island you will encounter NPCs that are representative of other gamers’ online personae. You can create your own clone and send it on its merry way, and it will fight other Naruto fans around the globe, returning with experience points and even some handy items.

VERDICT: It would have been easy for me to have written a one-liner for this review:“It’s Naruto again!”. But hell, they have delivered once again – not only to the core audience but also in a manner to start attracting fans of more sophisticated beat ‘em ups. It is still miles away from a BlazBlue, but it is much more intuitive to play. There is a ridiculous amount of fan service going on, including more original movie sections than you can shake a nunchaku at. CyberConnect, don’t you ever change.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

Our Scoring Policy

Review code provided by publisher.

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At this point, a day or two after launch, there’s not much point introducing you to the “most pre-ordered non-sequel ever”, or explaining why our review is going to be so late (everyone’s is, such is life). Instead, I’m just going to share my impressions as they stand so far, to be updated as I play more.

Those who are still yet to take the plunge and buy Bungie’s sci-fi shooter-cum-RPG will likely only have one question on their minds: does it live up to the hype? Although I’ve a long way to go before I can answer that fully, the short answer is no, not really.

Before you click away, allow me to explain. Firstly: the ridiculous hype surrounding Destiny is so potent and powerful that nothing could ever hope to live up to it, and, secondly: I said “not really”, so it’s not a complete dismissal.

The biggest problem so far is an almost complete lack of context. We know that it’s set in the far distant future, and that the story follows the coming of the Traveller, a huge moon-sized entity whose arrival catapulted human knowledge forward a few centuries. Having established colonies on Venus, Mercury, Mars and the Moon (that we know of), humanity was brought to its knees by the Darkness, the antithesis of the Traveller, who wiped out almost all life on Earth for reasons unknown. You’re a Guardian, a mortal vessel for the “light of the Traveller”, born to fight the Darkness, recently resurrected by a Ghost, a little AI that serves the Traveller in an unknown capacity.

“Unknown” is a word that will crop up a lot in writings about Destiny. What is the Traveller? Unknown. Why does the Darkness hunt it? Unknown. What is a Ghost? Unknown. What is an Awoken (one of the selectable races)? Unknown, unknown, unknown. Destiny seems to delight in telling you bugger all. You were brought back to life, but why? If you’re so special and unique, why are there hundreds, nay thousands, of other Guardians doing the same as you? Destiny throws questions at you with every minute that passes, so frequently that you start to long for those usually-hated lore entries in other RPGs. It’s almost a form of trolling, creating a huge world for you to explore and be awed by, then leaving you scratching your head.

But it’s early days, and the story is slowly divulging more and more details, it’s just a shame Bungie aren’t more willing to show off their new universe and let us in fully. That said, Destiny does balance such blindfolding with quality in other areas.

For a start, the gunplay is bloody good. Obviously, being developed by the creators of Halo raises a certain level of expectation that was always going to be daunting, but Destiny holds its own. There aren’t a great many enemies so far (the Hive and the Fallen are all I’ve met up until now although I know others are coming), but the AI is mostly solid. When you consider that the Halo franchise is home to some of the best AI in the genre, it seems a little disappointing that the enemy behaviour in Destiny isn’t always particularly smart. They cover and retreat well enough, but will occasionally degenerate into simply running back and forth while shooting at you.

Luckily, the weaponry is excellent. Guns pack a real kick, and the Guardians have enough skills and tricks to stop firefights becoming dull. In fact, the underdeveloped story and lifeless hub (the Tower is ok, but somewhat empty and pale when juxtaposed with the vast, twinkling city far below it that you can’t visit) are forgotten when the bullets start flying. Gun barrels flare with a satisfying whip-crack, each class’s special ability flashes and sparks and blossoms with a sense of real power and, if it all goes wrong, summoning your Star Wars-like Sparrow speeder and getting the hell out of trouble is just as thrilling as hurling yourself into a fight.

But while running around alone is fun, it’s when you cross paths with others that Destiny really starts to sing. Whether dipping into the Crucible (comfortably re-balanced since the beta), joining three-man fireteams or simply running into battle with a giant walking tank alongside a bunch of other Guardians in a Defiance-style public event, Destiny is a game designed for enjoying together.

While it’s still far too early to fully and fairly judge Bungie’s game, at this moment I can safely say that it’s shaping up nicely. There are issues that may or may not straighten themselves out, and concerns with the story and variety of content, but I don’t think Destiny is in any danger of being overly short or particularly disappointing.

I’ve yet to explore other worlds (so far I’ve only seen the moon and Earth in around seven to eight hours of play and exploration) and I haven’t put that much time into PvP or co-op yet (I’ll explore that in the next instalment), but it’s fair to say that Bungie’s biggest hurdle is a wall of their own making – a mountain of hype that no game in history could realistically surmount. As a result, it’s hard not to feel just slightly underwhelmed, despite Destiny’s obvious quality, beauty and scale.

We’ll update this article as we play further, leading to an eventual full review – published as a separate article.

The post Destiny Review in Progress appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

With The Crown of the Iron King, Brume Tower reminds us that the core ethos of Dark Souls is about taking your time. It does this by having you traverse over a massive iron chain within minutes of arriving, allowing you to drink in the view of the surrounding ashen landscape – one which is so very far below you. So best to do it slowly.

Where Shulva made you feel the dark damp depths, Brume reminds you of how high you are, with airy vistas and bright architecture. The area is littered with light grey statue casualties including a strange creature that gives you a Smelter Wedge, an item that becomes essential to beating the DLC.

Once on Brume Tower, your task is laid out before you via gentle singing; a haunting melody from a deadly burning source. These Ashen Idols will need to be found and destroyed with smelter wedges in order to make the progression more comfortable further on in the area. On some occasions, the destruction of the ashen idols will make the surrounding enemies easier to take care of, especially one of the later major ones.

Once again, the simpler corridor structure of the main game has been put to one side, as you will be spending a lot of your time travelling the vertical as well as the horizontal, with magnificent structures serving as lifts as you journey further in. FROM Software’s imagination must have been on fire with the design of this level. It really is such a departure from what has gone before, and even escapes far enough away from the look of the iron keep in the main game.

The puzzle element returns, this time in the form of how you deal with your enemies as well as how you interact with your environment. There are several points in the game where a certain harmless enemy with explosive tendencies can be used to help you clear the way, a first for a Souls game as far as I can remember. A room full to the brim? Try chucking a firebomb for fun.

Those bull headed flame throwers you see? Try giving them a smack with your weapon and watch it flame grill the opposition. I should point out that the enemies in the DLC are new arrivals to the Souls world, with everything from club wielding, lava powered behemoths, to back stabbing magic lighting witch-type things, and even legless foes that crawl towards you and then explode.

It’s great to see that From haven’t recycled anything from the main game, as the three bosses are also refreshingly new. All the fights are straight toe to toe battles, which require different tactics to overcome, especially if you have not taken out the previously mentioned ashen idols for one of the encounters.

Yes. No recycling here. No taking my least favourite boss of the whole game and painting him a different colour – or giving him magic instead of fire. Absolutely none of that.
I almost said a rude word when I first saw that particular piece of work. Luckily that particular chap is optional, like the trio in the Sunken Crown DLC.

Invaders also make a return as well, with one taking an unusual course of action when the going gets tough. Again, it’s new, it’s different enough to show the team are really making an effort with the content. Those that have the patience to really explore Brume will be rewarded with additional equipment to help with the main world of Drangleic, and one of the weapons is set to become a firm favourite of mine.

Brume Tower is a contrast to Shulva in terms of its appearance, but also its difficulty. I found it easier to make progress through the ashen heady heights to the crown. It still follows the beaten path of taking one step at a time, slowly and carefully and again is a lesson to other developers how you do additional content correctly. It also helps to build excitement as to what sins the next part will contain.

VERDICT: FROM continues to surprise and amaze with the direction it is taking with the DLC. The Crown of the Iron King is a must have purchase for any Dark Souls 2 fan. With beautiful graphics and haunting sound, you would be daft to not take the trek up Brume.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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Originally released on the PlayStation 3 in 2010, Joe Danger puts you in control of the titular stuntman and has you charging through a selection of courses that will test your skill and reflexes, as well as your patience, with their lovably devious ingenuity.

While original developers and publishers Hello Games work on the upcoming sci-fi masterpiece-in-potentia, No Man’s Sky, porting for this and the sequel (due soon) is being handled by Four Door Lemon, and so far it appears they’re doing an excellent job, bringing over not only the original game but also all the DLC so far and a few new characters in the form of LittleBigPlanet’s Sackboy and Tearaway’s Iota and Aoti.

Being the world’s most dangerous and fearless mototcycle stuntman requires Joe, he of the impossibly square jaw and bright spandex, to hurl himself into some pretty lethal situations, and it’s your job to guide him through safely while turning enough tricks to rack up the biggest score multiplier possible.

The controls are deceptively simple, leading you to believe you’re in for an easy ride. The right trigger takes you forward, the left takes you back, Square ducks and jumps, X activated your booster and various combinations of Circle and Triangle cause Joe to perform mid-air holds to excite the crowds.

Courses begin with light obstacles like speed bumps, hurdles and loop-de-loops, but soon throw up rings of fire, shark tanks and rows of cars to hurl yourself over. Throughout each course are certain challenges that earn you the stars needed to compete in further levels. Where many games would simply allow in-app purchases to do the hard work for you, Joe Danger requires you to improve your own level of ability to move on. These challenges might be to collect all the silver stars, earn a certain number of points or find all the hidden letters, and make every course that much more dynamic.

Aside leaderboards and ghost races, there’s also a training ground to hone your skills and practice your combos, or an in-depth level editor, called the Sandbox, that allows you to chop and change every part obstacle in a course to develop and share your own challenges. Easy to use and great fun to play with, the level editor feels like a free gift they didn’t have to include when the package is already so content-heavy (the 80+ levels and 25 unlockable characters will keep you going for a good spell).

Bright and cheerful, Joe Danger has a charm to its aesthetics that make every stage a joy to play even when you’re chewing your tongue in frustration – and you will occasionally find yourself tested by the level design. Slapstick visual humour is the order of the day, too, adding to the undeniable likability factor.

Sometimes the physics can seem a little weird as your motorcycle almost magically reverses in mid-air or you land on your face and suffer no penalty, when hitting a hurdle face-on will end the attempt and restart the level, but the rules of Joe’s world are so wilfully bonkers that it doesn’t really matter.

VERDICT: Joe Danger is an absolutely perfect fit for the Vita, the small courses making it the ideal game to play either in short chunks or larger blasts depending on your situation. It looks vivid and colourful on the handheld’s small screen and offers a huge amount of content for a relatively low price. Challenging and addictive, Joe Danger is one cunning stunt that’s well worth undertaking.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Until now, the only moral dilemma in relation to pinball took place in California’s Bay Area, where the popular arcade staple was inexplicably banned by Oakland authorities, who believed it to be a youth-corrupting force of gambling evil. But that eighty-year old ban was recently lifted, and now we have this mind-blowing new virtual table based on the first season of Telltale’s Walking Dead, that gem of branching moral choices and harrowing zombie heartbreak.

Whether you have played the source material or not, the claustrophobia and cloying sense of fear and desperation are obvious in The Walking Dead. You undertake missions based on key moments from the original game, each of them involving a crushing decision to make – involving such doozies as choosing whether or not to reveal that infected bite, or deciding which person to leave behind. In pinball terms, these “missions” of course translate to the table by setting targets to hit, combos to rack up, or locking down balls – but there are also some other cool touches like an excellent sniper section that employs use of the flippers, face buttons and touch screen to pick off “walkers” in the distance.

The table is beautifully designed, too. There are some wonderful, wonderful moments – like the crushingly poignant minigame that sees the ball transformed into a football (of the soccer variety) and a task that involves Lee breaking up the continuous undead horror by having a kickabout with the kids. Sound effects and music are ripped straight out of the original game, with some new voice acting thrown into the mix to boot. The music is eerie, atmospheric and perfectly measured, and sounds particularly ace when played on your Vita through a set of half decent headphones. Yet again the physics, the wealth of options, the cross-platform play, everything is just sickeningly spot-on.

Never the most obvious inspiration for some flipper-on-ball action, the dark and sombre world of Clementine and Lee is nonetheless transferred effortlessly into the realms of Zen Pinball. Fans of the game Godisageek nominated as our GOTY will love this clever companion piece and be hoping for a similar treatment for Season 2. Everyone else will love this fine table for what it is, and probably get a craving for sampling the inspiration, the same way our zombie buddies crave braaaaaains.

VERDICT: We are starting to sound like a broken record here, but Zen’s mastery and understanding of both table design and expert use of a license put them right up there with the best that gaming 2014 has to offer. There are so many more gaming worlds for Zen to conquer, and we look forward to pinging a shiny silver ball through as many of them as possible.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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September is about to roll around once again which can only mean one thing: football season is back. The pads are being readied, the playbooks are finalized, and the players are ready to show us what they can do. But it wouldn’t be the start of a new season without the release of a new Madden game, so step forward Madden NFL 15.

The major new features this year revolve around the defense. In previous years, playing defense was a fairly uninteresting, as tackling involved running into a player, as did trying to break through the line to the QB. Basically, the majority of defense involved running into players. This year, however, things are different. New tackling mechanics, a new defensive camera, and a way of quickly reacting to the snap makes defense enjoyable.

Instantly noticeable are the changes to the defensive new tackle cone. When in control of a defensive player, a green highlighted cone will show the area where they can tackle in front of them. This makes judging the right moment to tackle a lot easier: now you have no excuse for missing the game winning dive at an opponent. The reworked tackle mechanics also give you the option to go for conservative or aggressive tackles. A conservative tackle is more likely to bring down an opponent, but aggressive tackles can possibly cause a fumble, and they look much more impressive.

The slightly updated physics engine also helps with tackling, as they now appear more realistic – as does dodging tackles. But that’s not to say the tackling is perfect, and there have been a couple of times where the slightest bit of contact has resulted in to tip to the floor, or being allowed to run through a tackle that shouldn’t have been possible. Speaking of the physics engine, the often hilarious post play pile ups are still present, but aren’t quite as bad as previous years.

A new off the line pass rush mechanic has also been introduced to give the defense a slight edge. Pressing R2 (on PS4) as the ball is snapped will result in a quick first step giving the defense an advantage against blockers. Mistime the button press and the offense will take the advantage. It’s not easy to time the press on every play, but it’s certainly worth the risk, as hitting it perfectly will usually result in a very strong defensive play.

Other defensive additions include a new camera; which stares down at the QB from a defensive perspective, some new pass rush moves to beat blockers, and new animations and logic to try and combat the slightly overpowered running QB’s from Madden 25. All of these additions make for the most realistic, and more importantly, fun-to-play defensive experience in any Madden game.

Elsewhere the play calling system has been overhauled to make it much easier to navigate. The new coach suggestions of plays on both the offensive and defensive will give you three plays that could feasibly work in the current situation. Some suggestions are based on what the opposite team is likely to do, what other players have called in similar situations and what some of your favorite plays are. The new system is sure to make life a lot easier for new players, who don’t even have to think about the play too much. For experienced fans who want to select the exact play, it’s still possible, and a better menu layout makes selecting the play a lot smoother.

The offensive side of the ball has remained largely unchanged. A few areas have been slightly tightened up, and the improved defensive AI makes everything seem more realistic.

In terms of game modes there is the standard play now and online head to head modes you would expect, along with Madden Ultimate Team and Connected Franchise. MUT has been slightly reworked to focus more on your starting team (and not about reserves), but other than that remains largely unchanged. It’s a similar story for connected franchise. The biggest new feature here is the addition of confidence to players. The higher the player’s confidence; the better they will perform. New coaching drills allow you to boost confidence or XP – some are interactive mini training scenarios, whereas other are just a case of pushing a button to improve.

Visually, Madden 15 is very impressive. Players, uniforms, and the environments all look great and react realistically, showing the extra power of the new machines. Unfortunately, the crowd remains fairly poor, but it’s not exactly a game breaking issue.

The TV style presentation returns, and continues to work fairly well. The stat graphics, half time report, and player comparisons all add to the production value, but it is let down by the sub-par commentary team who love to say it was a close incomplete pass when you spike the ball intentionally.

VERDICT: The defensive improvements make playing defense fun for the first time in quite a while. The improved tackling offers more challenge and choice while the guessing of the snap gives you something to work at when pass rushing. No longer does it feel like you are waiting for an offensive mistake, it actually feels like you can make an impact defensively. The tightening up of other systems on the pitch make Madden 15 perhaps the most simulation like entry in the series, it’s still not perfect but it’s very close. Overall, Madden NFL 15 is a great game. There are a few niggling issues (such as the still slightly dodgy physics), but the impact they have on the game is tiny.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Picking up immediately where episode four left off, No Going Back starts at a rate of knots, and never really lets up for the two hours it takes to get through. It’s full of emotion, showing humanity at its worst and, surprisingly, its most fragile, too. For all the talk that season two has been weaker, Telltale Games have saved the best for last, and created a triumphant finale.

The following review assumes you have played the previous episodes, though spoilers are (as always) kept to a minimum. Due to the cliffhanger ending of episode four, we’ve used screenshots from previous episodes so as not to risk spoilers.

Something that The Walking Dead universe revolves around (be it the book, TV show, or the game) is humanity. After a while, you realise the walkers themselves aren’t the real threat, but the ego, needs and wants of the people are the most dangerous. We’ve all struggled, transitioning from Lee to Clem – but finally, exhaustingly, episode five gets it right. Now, more than ever, this is your Clementine.

There is so much sadness here, such tremendous bleakness, that it’s painful to endure for the most part, but there are moments in No Going Back that, shockingly, made me smile. The gruesome action of previous episodes (though not gone completely) takes a back seat to the true brilliance: the characters. One particular scene early on is so out of character for the series, that it stands out – and that reminder of human vulnerability comes through; it’s the centre of it all. We’re all different; we’re all the same. A better writer might compare it allegorically to something else going on in the world right now. So much pain, so much trauma. But what if we just took a break and all got along, just for a moment?

Sentimentality be damned, there’s a little girl at my control, and her choices, my choices have the most real impact on the series that we’ve ever seen. Playing through this finale multiple times, it’s apparent that although some decisions don’t change the real outcome, they do change how Clementine is perceived.

One such choice dictates a stark shift in how a character feels toward our girl, and the larger decisions are incredibly bold on Telltale’s part, and will prove to be either a complete masterstroke, or something that’s almost impossible to please people with. Mark my words: by the time you finish with season two, you’ll feel more attached to Clem than ever. Her world has been shaped by you, forever.

Of course, there’s a moment where it all goes to shit, because there always is. Sure, Zombies will pop up here and there to permeate the world with the dreaded reminder that everything is dangerous and nobody is safe. Yeah, there are fight scenes, but the way it all comes together is like a delivery on a promise.

But let’s not pretend otherwise, often the choice in The Walking Dead has been illusionary. For the first time I can recall, this time, they’ve nailed it. The closing moments are drastically altered by how you play, by who you are. There are five different ways to end the season, three of which behold outcomes completely different to one another. What this means is that season three might just be the most ambitious project Telltale have ever set themselves up for.

VERDICT: Looking back over season two, there’s something odd about how we as players have endured a rollercoaster ride, just as our Clementine has. The swinging emotions have beaten us around the head, like we’re a boxer just waiting for the knockout blow to come, to release us. But we can’t close our eyes, because there’s work to be done.

It started nervously, almost scared of what it was, but at the end of season two, you’ll go to whomever you hold dear, and you’ll squeeze them just that little bit harder than usual. They’ll ask you why, and you won’t answer. There’s a little girl to be saved.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post The Walking Dead: Season Two Episode Five – No Going Back Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

On the surface, Counterspy appears to ape recent Metroidvania-style games like Shadow Complex and Blackgate, offering a 2.5D world to run through, shoot up and explore in little bite-sized chunks. While it certainly shares similarities with the genre, Dynamighty have made clear efforts to distance their game from the crop. For the most part they’ve succeeded, but sometimes originality can be a bit of a double-edged sword.

You see, Counterspy’s levels are short, procedurally-generated missions that have you moving from one end of a grid of rooms to the other, collecting launch codes, blueprints, formulas, and cash as you go. Every level harbours a load of hidden collectibles and plenty of enemies to stealth by or murder as you see fit. The biggest problem this set-up poses is that once a level is done, no matter what you may have missed, you can’t go back. There’s no gearing up and re-treading your steps when you can reach new areas, no way of going back and hoovering up what you missed. Instead, any blueprints or launch plans you didn’t get are reshuffled and repurposed for the next mission. The thrill of exploration and discovery is still present, but it feels less progressive.

The story puts you in control of a world class spy working for C.O.U.N.T.E.R, a global intelligence network. As two superpowers (essentially the US and Russia, circa the Cold War) fight over nuclear launch codes that will trigger a world war, you must infiltrate their various bases and misappropriate the codes yourself to avert a worldwide catastrophe.

You do this by slinking through each mission and reaching the terminal at the end, being careful at all times to avoid raising the DefCon level. Triggering cameras, upsetting guards and generally being an utter bufoon will all increase your DefCon level, increasing the number of guards and making them more likely to see and hear you. If you do get into trouble, hitting circle will slam your agent into cover, whereupon you can lean out like any other cover shooter and engage the bad guys in a shoot-out, or use your silenced pistol to perforate their heads all stealthy like. Points are awarded for pretty much everything, and go towards your online leaderboard placement.

Finding blueprints will unlock new guns to buy in the store, from shotguns to rocket launchers, while collecting chemical formulas allows you to brew performance enhancing elixirs between missions, which award special buffs like reduced camera effectiveness and a lower DefCon level upon mission start. It’s nothing overly complicated, but it is nice to unlock increasingly powerful kit as you play. Counterspy’s no-nonsense approach to level design is a breath of fresh air, though you may occasionally find yourself wishing for more complexity. That said, the randomised nature means things tend not to get boring – though more hazards and varied enemies would have been welcome.

Aesthetically, it’s a striking game. Geometric shapes and bold colours make for a beautiful presentation, and the pay-off of long loading times between missions is a smooth, fluid experience as you roll, sneak, and leap around the relatively small levels.

VERDICT: Counterspy is a solid game that makes up for a lack of immediate depth with solid over-the-shoulder combat, competent stealth and randomised levels. The collectible buzz might be tempered slightly by the lack of any real Shadow Complex-style character progression, but there’s still loads to look for and plenty of reasons to explore – and it’s gorgeous to look at, too.

Arguably a better fit for the Vita than the larger consoles, the cross-save function negates any need for favouritism and allows you to continue your fight against tyranny wherever you are. Humorous and well-designed, Counterspy is certainly worth investigating if you like your espionage in short, fast-paced chunks.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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The post Counterspy Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

There has always been a strong case that gaming should be considered an art form, as opposed to a mere recreational entertainment media. History is chequered with moments where titles have transcended their intended purpose and crossed over to be far more than just gameplay. Developers have never been more bold, brave and creative – giving us experiences that straddle the worlds of music, sensory immersion and artistic endeavour. It is an exciting time to be alive, if you are looking for something more than convention; something to get lost in.

Hohokum is the latest treat to ride this wonderfully artsy zeitgeist, and is another oblique, abstract charmer. It is another example of design that refuses to conform to accepted gaming norms. The structure is free-flowing, with no guidance or hand-holding. All you know is that you are in charge of piloting a swirling, snake-like entity through what is initially an inky darkness. Interacting with rune-like objects in the blackness trigger bursts of vivid colour and affect the superb soundtrack. You soon work out that by touching certain points, or swimming your way through certain areas of the ether, further serpentine pals reveal themselves and join your avatar, each one a different hue, eventually forming a squiggling, ever-moving, aesthetically pleasing formation.

For long periods you will find yourself enjoying the precision controls, the way you can alter the velocity of your movement, the way that tilting the analogue sticks create eye-popping patterns and thrilling changes of direction. When things happen they are genuinely surprising; the world you are thrown into does not reveal its secrets easily, and there is no way of predicting what will happen next. And just when you think that you are confined to the initial light/dark mechanic of the initial area, you begin to discover portals to new dimensions, and things become even more compulsive and spellbinding.

It becomes apparent that linking up with your fellow swirling, kite-like friends is the aim of Hohokum, but you are not alone in the seventeen different worlds, and have to interact with all manner of denizens along the way. Oddball characters ride upon your trail, seeking assistance for their own problems which then grant access to your unlockable snakey pals. You become embroiled in such diverse tasks as building a rollercoaster, working on a farm, seeking out collectibles, trying to initiate cloudbursting explosions of technicolour polka-dots, altering the palette and indeed the very fabric of the world you inhabit.

VERDICT: Your enjoyment of Hohokum will depend entirely on how open you are to the idea of immersing yourself in its ambient, unconventional nature. It is more of an exploratory journey as opposed to a signposted adventure. A place where you employ the smoothly animated tendrils of your craft to seek out the new, to trigger the next sugar-rush of sound and vision. It is the antithesis of what most blockbuster titles seek to achieve. It lends itself well to a pair of headphones and a complete disconnect from your expectations of what the artform – and yes, it is an artform – can bring to the table.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post Hohokum Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Time heals all wounds, so someone once wrote, and though it may be trite, it’s mostly true. Diablo 3’s original PC-exclusive launch was plagued with technical issues and mostly justifiable consumer anger, while later, controversy over a hideously unpopular real money auction house and a smattering of balancing issues mired the first year of one of the most anticipated games of the last decade.

By the time the console version launched last year, most of those issues had been resolved. The auction house was gone, and a suite of patches had addressed inconsistent loot and various other complaints. The console version, graphics aside, was called superior by many, the more immediate action, tactical roll and redesigned inventory system proving massively popular with the console crowd.

Now, just under a year on, the first major PC expansion, Reaper of Souls, comes to consoles (both new and old gen) and it feels like Diablo 3 has finally, painstakingly, arrived. To call the Ultimate Evil Edition “definitive” undermines the stellar PC version a little, but in truth that’s just what it is. This is Diablo 3 as it was intended to be and, while there are still minor elements that aren’t quite there, it’s the most robust base Blizzard have so far delivered for a game that they clearly aren’t done with yet.

So, the story is unchanged for the first four acts, as you guide your rugged, kleptomaniac-hero from the iconic hamlet of Tristram to the steps of the High Heavens, but a host of tweaks, large and small, polish the experience to a high shine. Improved drop rates for rare and legendary items are a boon, while an overhauled system now governs the Massacre experience bonuses, rewarding you handsomely for chaining kills. Levelling, as a result, is noticeably quicker from level 1 to around level 25, which services the increased cap of 70.

Once you do hit the limit, it has been made easier to track your Paragon level and keep plugging away through the new end-game Adventure Mode, which allows you to replay areas with varied difficulty to farm the best, most impressive loot available. It’s unlocked once you complete the fifth act and take down the Angel of Death, Malthael – which as any Diablo fan knows, is not the end anyway. This is a game designed for re-runs, with new game plus modes as far as the eye can see. Elsewhere, an Apprentice Mode allows lower level characters to run co-op on an even keel with veterans.

At a glance, the Crusader class seems analogous to Diablo 2’s Paladin, but it’s actually something altogether new. Still rocking religious-themed skills like Smite and Law of Justice, the Crusader is closer to a warrior-cleric, less concerned with Auras and more concerned with smashing things to bits with a bloody big hammer. An early passive skill facilitates this by allowing you to wield a two-handed weapon and a shield. Other skills involve group buffs and, well, smiting things in the face.

Like the Crusader, the fifth act is a powerhouse, plunging you neck-deep into the action and adding a new trader in the form of a transmographer, a talented individual who can alter the look of your gear with different plans, taking the impressive customisation even further. A decent length, act five doesn’t really improve on the core game, but rather bolsters and complements it. The new bounties extend the longevity and replayability further, but, as with Adventure Mode, these could benefit from a little more variety in future patches or expansions.

The Nemesis system adds a social element that feels both organic and fun, whereby a special elite may turn up to kill you, before announcing it to your friends list. They can then hunt it down to avenge you, with each kill making it stronger and tougher. Trade between players is now taken care of, too, thanks to a nifty mailbox that allows messages and goods to be sent to your friends.

Finally, if you were among those who found the original crafting system over-complicated and cluttered, you’ll be pleased to know that the process has been refined in Reaper of Souls. The number of reagents you can harvest has been greatly reduced, and they now drop in the field. Also, you need fewer to craft an item – and crafting higher level items makes more sense, as you will often need to provide a base item as a foundation. More plans, more levels for your crafters and a streamlined system make Diablo 3’s crafting much easier to understand and keep a track of.

VERDICT: Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls – Ultimate Evil Edition is the game Diablo fans deserve. Granted, there are still areas to improve – Adventure Mode, for example, still feels a little like an experiment rather than the finished article – but this is as close to perfect as we’ve yet been. Still the undisputed King of the Action RPG lootathon, Diablo 3: RoS adds so many tiny little bonuses alongside the major changes that you can’t help but admire Blizzard’s dedication and perseverance.

INCREDIBLE. This is the pinnacle of our scoring spectrum, reserved for games that truly affect us, that capture our imagination so completely that they affect the standard by which we measure future games. 10/10 is not a declaration of perfection, but an assurance that the game in question is of amazingly high quality and has exceeded our expectations.

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It has taken a long time for Tales of Xillia 2 to get here; in fact, while we only got the original game in August, 2013, the Japanese already had the sequel in November of 2012. Still, better late than never, and RPG fans are certain to be grateful to Namco Bandai for taking the time bring this game over. Thankfully, this is far from a rushed localisation, resulting in a damn fine JRPG.

Following on a year after the original, you play as Ludger Kresnik, a young chef who, on his first day at work, crosses paths with a young girl named Elle. She is trying to get to the mystical Land of Canaan, a place where she hopes to meet up with her father. Together, they are embroiled in the greater happenings of the world they live in, as well as an added layer of alternative timelines and parallel worlds.

It’s a relatively complex tale, with a cast of many characters, some from the original game, and this sequel does a very good job of putting you in a world that feels very alive, with a ton of NPCs to speak to, optional dialogues between party members and the odd element of player choice within cutscenes as well. What doesn’t feel quite right is Ludger playing the silent protagonist role: with everyone around him all too eager to talk and express themselves, his occasional grunts, groans and sound-bytes come at a detriment to his character, even if he is meant to be your avatar in this world.

Eschewing the turn-based combat of its peers, Xillia 2 adopts a very effective real-time approach to combat. It’s very much like a basic third-person brawler in many ways, with players controlling Ludger, but battles also take place with three other party members that will work autonomously, until given orders or a strategy. These other characters can also link with our hero, offering a few chances to flank enemies, activate special abilities and deal even more damage.

Other battle systems come into play, most of which aren’t explained terribly well, and you may be overwhelmed with various terms and unhelpful jargon. But once a level of understanding is reached, battling enemies is an enjoyable endeavor, especially as battles with normal mobs can be over in a matter of seconds, alleviating the usual JRPG annoyance of random battles. When you’re playing any JRPG, you expect to take part in thousands of fights, so it’s great to see a combat system that offers so many options and so much depth, especially when you factor in the ability to wield multiple weapons and change them mid-combo (or chain, to use the proper nomenclature).

Outside of fighting various beasties, you are given a certain amount of length on the leash to explore the various cities and environments that make up this modern looking world. However, this leash is regularly pulled shorter by an Animal Crossing-like debt system. Early on, you end up owing a lot of money and have to resort to paying it off with a loan, and doing so is a constant task that is a necessity to progress. Essentially, you have to pay the money in installments, and travel to new areas is completely blocked off until that installment is paid, impeding your path on the main story quest.

To earn the money you need, you could grind enemies, or more likely you’ll be taking on quests from a Job Board, with tasks ranging from your usual fetch quests, to battling so many enemies. Oh, and finding cats, because felines are a constant feature of Tales of Xillia, especially Rollo, the lovably obese cat owned by Ludger. A major side-quest sees you finding a hundred of the furry little buggers for a crazy cat lady who lives in your apartment block, but you can then send these cuddly runaways out into the world to find items for you.

While side-quests are always a nice diversion, it’s just irritating that the debt system itself becomes a way to pad out the game, prohibiting progress for no real reason. Take out the need to pay off instalments, and this adventure would be a great many hours shorter. This kind of quest should be optional and not stop the player from progressing the main narrative.

It’s a shame that the Debt system is so intrusive, as I wanted to reach the next story mission as soon as possible, to see more of Xillia’s world and listen to more conversations between the characters. The dialogue in particular is a cut above the average JRPG and is entertaining enough to make you want more, while the presentation here is of a high standard. There are also some very well done cutscenes, with some great fight sequences and the occasional animated video.

VERDICT: A sound JRPG, Tales of Xillia 2 offers a fun yet deep battle system, a great story with tons of optional narrative, and plenty of in-game background information that makes it worth playing even if you didn’t play the original game. The debt system can be annoying, but once you get past that and you want a Japanese roleplaying game that’s a little bit different, you can’t go wrong with this.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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You have to tip your hat to Piranha Bytes: if nothing else, the German developers have cajones so big they are always aiming for the top of a mountain they cannot hope to climb. What’s harder to salute is Piranha Bytes’ inability to recognise their limitations. Ambition is always a good thing, but it has to be tempered by an honest knowledge of what you can and cannot do.

For instance, Piranha Bytes can obviously make a fantasy RPG. They’re been doing it for a while now, and they appear to understand the genre and its fans fairly well. What they still can’t do, however, is successfully make something with the breadth and scope of an Elder Scrolls game. It’s a shame, because in Risen 3: Titan Lords – as in Risen and Risen 2: Dark Waters – there are flashes of utter brilliance that make you wish they’d focus more and aim just a little lower.

Maintaining the Pirates of the Caribbean vibe from Dark Waters, Titan Lords casts you as a new protagonist (still nameless) who begins the game in fairly good standing. A pirate captain of some renown, you are attacked and shipwrecked along with your sister Patty on a mysterious island, and then, well, killed by an unknown force of evil. So the good standing doesn’t stand for very long. Resurrected some time later by a Voodoo witchdoctor called Bones, you set out to mend old alliances and forge new ones in an effort to understand what happened to you – and just what the hell is going on.

The story is nothing hugely original, but it’s not terrible, re-introducing characters from earlier instalments and making a decent hash of standard fantasy conventions and pirate mythology. Sadly, the script is average at best, replete with gratuitous, awkward swearing, anachronistic slang, and stunted dialogue. It’s not helped by the voice acting, which swings between not bad and woeful. The main character talks in a horrible gravelly drawl what sounds like he’s been gargling nails, and makes everything he says sound laughably intense.

It’s also incredibly ugly. Graphics do not an RPG make, but Titan Lords is one of the worst-looking adventures the 360 has seen in a while. Inconsistent textures and low environmental detail conspire with jerky animation and amateurish special effects to make you wonder how this even exists on the same console as Skyrim. Obviously Piranha Bytes don’t have Bethesda’s budget, but Risen 3 could have been better. Combat animations are slow and ponderous, and if there’s too much going on the action slows down or textures disappear completely. At times, it’s horrendous to look at.

The gameplay puts in a gallant effort to redeem the overall experience – but this too is similarly hindered. Risen 3 tends to give with one hand and take away with the other. Combat is a prime example. It furnishes you with a huge array of options, such as the ability to use a sword or long rifle as your primary weapon and a pistol or throwing knife as back-up mapped to RB, as well as various supernatural talents utilising the elements, crystal magic or Voodoo. You can use potions to enhance your stats, fashion explosives to tip the scales in your favour – and you’ll almost always have the option to take a companion with you wherever you go. Sounds great, right? Well, it’s not.

Combat is horribly unresponsive – particularly for the first six to ten hours as you find your feet. None of your blows feel weighty or dangerous, and you’re constantly knocked clean off your feet and sent back four or five yards by a seemingly light enemy attack. Breaking an enemies block requires a charged attack, which leaves you open – and because you’ve usually got more than one baddie to contend with at once, you’ll find yourself vulnerable an awful lot. The protagonist moves with all the grace of a drunk, pregnant cow, which, coupled with random slow-down, makes a lot of the longer fights a bit of a chore. As with previous titles in the series, you can quite easily wander into a new area that looks the same as the area you were in and get one-shot killed by something huge. Luckily, the autosave feature is very protective.

The AI is almost non-existent, so out-witting enemies is fairly simple, but there are times when a simple action could potentially hinder progress in a given quest almost indefinitely. One side quest tasked me with stealing transfer papers from the Commandant of an island garrison. After failing to sneak up to his office several times, I instead opted to Zorro my way in, snatch the papers off his desk and leap from his balcony like a maniac. Despite the quest-giver (and, thus, my turn-in) being in plain sight of the balcony, he didn’t follow me. Instead, he just swore and threatened me every time I returned. Had I not worked out that sneaking up on him and initiating dialogue before he could draw his sword would allow me to hand in the quests he had given me before hand, I might have ended up stuck.

So, combat, NPC interaction and movement in general aren’t great but, while they do make up a great deal of your game time, they’re not all Risen 3 has to offer. There’s an impressive selection of gear to find and make, and an absolute bounty of character progression options. You can dabble in Voodoo, alchemy, blacksmithing, rune or crystal magic; you can join various factions to undertake side quests and find rare gear; you can even blow it all and go treasure hunting, digging up big red X marks to uncover buried chests like a proper pirate. Alternatively, you can spend your nights robbing people as they sleep – though they will follow you from room to room if you enter their homes uninvited, which is bloody annoying.

Reagents for crafting can be found everywhere, harvested from dead bad guys, plucked from the ground, mined with a pickaxe or snagged from a foamy beach. Once you open up the crafting side of things Risen 3 becomes very interesting, and combined with the different factions, secret areas and side quests, it’s unlikely you’ll see everything Piranha Bytes have crammed in with just one play-through. A large and diverse collection of locations provides enough visual variety to stop Titan Lords from ever becoming too samey, but it throws quests at you like wedding confetti and it’s easy to lose track of what you’re doing. The quest tracker is competent this time round, and the teleporter-based fast travel is simple and efficient. Also, you can turn into a parrot, which has to sell Risen 3 to someone, right?

VERDICT: Risen 3: Titan Lords has a lot to offer any RPG fan, as long as you’re fairly easy to please. Crude aesthetics, irritating combat and lousy voice-work are at least partly off-set by a wealth of character-building options, tons of gear, and a large, diverse game-world. There’s a lot of fun to be had once you find a combat set-up and style that makes the game work for you, while exploration and levelling up your various skills is as fun here as in any of Risen 3’s genre-mates.

If Piranha Bytes spent less time and energy on cramming ideas into this franchise, and more time on improving the mechanics as they already exist, they would eventually strike gold with Risen. The potential is actually staggering, but the reach exceeds their grasp, and in the end they’re left with a game that, frankly, underachieves in almost all the ways that matter.

AVERAGE. The epitome of a 50/50 game, this title will be unspectacular but inoffensive, charmless but amiable. We aren’t condemning a game by scoring it a 5, but we certainly aren’t championing it, either.

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When the first Dark Souls received its additional content, it was pretty much a swan song for the game. Many had rung out the joy sponge after finding everything the vanilla game had to offer, and the adventures into Artorias’ Abyss were something completely new and different to tackle – and were received with delight by fans of the series.

It has only been six months since the release of Dark Souls 2, and the first of three parts of DLC has just been released in the form of Crown of the Sunken King, and I find myself beckoned once more into the realm of Drangleic and the deeper mysteries of Shulva. I must admit, I’m slightly concerned that this is going to become a regular occurrence and that the only game I’ve completed this year (because I adored it so much ) is going to be watered down by continual content releases for the sake of the money. Because, let’s face it, you’ve already bought this. You would have bought it even if you’d read this review first and I’d given it a 3 out of 10, because it’s more Dark Souls 2.

I’ve listened to the those who say the name was tainted already by the things that Dark Souls 2 did incorrectly: the onslaught by groups of enemies, the repeated corridor layout that ended in a boss too many times, the bosses themselves being samey in their attack patterns or simply relying too much on double teaming instead of skill. There was no real story, people said. There was no real depth.

Well, From Software have listened to those same people, those with the disappointed faces and self-justified opinions. It’s almost like From has put a hand round their shoulder and said: “Have a butchers at this, me old China, and tell me why you can’t smile.” I’ll not spoil too much. Even the walk to Shulva sets the anticipation levels by showing you this place once lived and breathed, but has been broken and corrupt for some time.

When I got to Shulva, I’ll admit it, I wowed. I’ll leave it to you to see why. It’s the first reassurance that this is different, or maybe more like how things were. The first enemy is tough, taking more than the two hits I’ve been dealing out so far to take the bad guys down. He’s easier to backstab, and falls once I’ve circled him and delivered some macey goodness. Further on up the hill, there is a frown as I see a group of them. Some things maybe haven’t changed.

A glowing pillar ahead of me, which I hit through curiosity, turns out to be a switch. It evens up the odds by hitting the group with a massive rising stone monolith. Looking around, the immediate area seems to have these switches dotted all around. This is new. This has changed the game into some kind of interconnecting spacial puzzle. This is more than even Dark Souls ever did.

The switches are present throughout the rest of the DLC in various forms, and are a welcome addition, adding some depth to the usual “kill the enemies, keep moving forward” routine that we are all too used to. Whether it’s to raise a platform to find the way forward, or open a door to a hidden bonfire, you’ll be clearing an area of enemies just to allow exploration to find them.

I would suggest you equip a bow and arrow as otherwise you’ll find things tricky to reach. I found myself feeling daft after missing a few secrets because I simply just didn’t stop to look around. Clearly this is From telling us to slow down and drink in Shulva, and it certainly has areas which are lovely to look at. It’s majestic at times, with a grand sense of scale. On the opposite side of things, you really feel the oppression and lack of space inside some of the buildings, which helps to build tension. From has done well to mix architecture and natural features but not have anything that looks out of place. The sound design is also great, creating atmosphere when required and tension when needed.

The enemies are varied, some more interesting because they require unusual tactics to dispose of. Some give nods to previous games in the series, especially a certain boss fight that will make you grin with nostalgia, then turn and run. Special mention to some beasts that are all legs and teeth, who will take you back to a certain Lost Izalith. Again, I’ll let you discover them for yourself without spoiling it too much. You won’t find any exploding zombies here, thank goodness!

Although, you will find an abundance of NPCs to summon, which troubles me, as it still means that the boss fights must be imbalanced if you just want a straight one on one, thus warranting the need for two little helpers at your side. It could be that I’m just rubbish, though.

You’ll reach the end within four to six hours, having picked up a weapon and spell or two, flicked a lot of switches, taken down some interesting foes and ended the DLC with a challenging but enjoyable last boss, which then ties back into Drangleic lore at the end. It’s a different direction to where Dark Souls 2 had been travelling in terms of both gameplay and execution. It may not fully placate those who claim that Dark Souls 2 is flawed, but then I’m not sure what will.

VERDICT: From Software could have taken the lazy route and delivered more of the same, but instead they have really listened, and have strived to give us something that steps away from the established Dark souls 2 template. With nods to the previous games, it makes you wonder what else they have up their sleeve. Probably more genius, tucked up there like a spare hanky. Anyway, now for that 3/10. Oh, it’s too late. You’ve already bought it.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Despite the fact that it stars a WWE Superstar, a CGI raccoon, and Vin Diesel lending his guttural vocal talents to an anthropomorphic tree, Guardians of the Galaxy has been a wildly successful new entry to the Marvel cinematic universe, taking one of the more kooky, left-field superhero teams in their canon and slotting them into a well-received, good humoured old-school romp.

The same way other key Marvel-verse movies and characters have been transformed into kick-ass pinball tables, Zen Studios have released a tie-in effort, which takes choice elements from the source comic material, as well as the new celluloid treat. Serving as both a fine way to familiarise yourself with the oddball quintet, and a downright excellent game of pinball in its own right, this is yet another tick in the win column for Zen, and quite comfortably sits alongside the Infinity Gauntlet as the best Marvel entry yet.

Kicking off each game with an instant minute-long multiball is a hell of a bold move – but this shocking tactic works a treat – as you are immediately put in control of four balls, each one designed to identify with a corresponding Guardian, in a wild free-for-all as you bust the gang out of their Kyln prison, and even attempt to salvage Star-Lord’s cassette tape of 1970s chart toppers. It is an awesome way to open proceedings, grasping your attention and setting the scene with a series of excellently-voiced one liners courtesy of Mr Quill, the irrepressible Rocket and the rumbling tones of Groot. Even though the voice talent from the flick aren’t participating here – those that are provide an excellently cheesy script to accompany proceedings.

Once the action gets underway, incorporating an imaginative skill-shot mechanic, you enter a superbly designed table – tricky yet fair springs to mind – which entertains a number of cracking set-pieces including shootouts and hand to hand combat with Ronan the Accuser, a puzzling mini-table where you light up flags to help Gomora defeat Nebula, and defending yourself from a full-on Necrocraft assault. There are numerous opportunities for further multiball thrills, including a Collector-themed mode which can reap huge rewards if you manage to lock down three Guardian balls.

The table does get quite busy at times – with plenty going on, various animated characters hopping around, shooting and trading blows with each other – but it never becomes too much of a distraction, and it looks excellent as you would expect from Zen – whether you are playing in HD on one of your big consoles or on the smart OLED of the Vita.

VERDICT: Some may argue that having to begin each play-through with the multiball sequence becomes a bit of a chore, but the opportunities to rack up big points early doors should appeal to old school pinball heads, and hey: at least it’s something a bit different – just like the skill-shot that heralds the start of each ball is something we have never seen before. This is another brilliant table from Zen, who seem to have developed a knack for both innovative table design and how to put a licence to good use.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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2008’s Sacred 2: Fallen Angel was a fun but flawed action-RPG that attempted to borrow elements from Diablo and Dungeon Siege and transpose them into its own high fantasy world. Hampered by an interface designed for PC and crudely butchered to suit a gamepad, an open world that was a little too open and a general sense that the adventure was simply too big and too sprawling to maintain interest, it nevertheless delivered a fairly deep and addictive experience brimming with skills and loot and magic and hokum.

Fans of Ascaron’s lootathon – and indeed the genre as a whole – were expectedly excited at the announcement of Sacred 3, a direct sequel to Fallen Angel that would continue the story of Ancaria where the last game left off. However, those expecting a similarly deep and expansive experience will be disappointed. Sacred 3 is like an incredibly feature-light Diablo 3 clone. Little other than a button-mashing brawler, it just about manages to remain entertaining despite a frustrating lack of depth.

You enter Ancaria as one of four characters (or five if you get the day one assassin DLC): a warrior, a lancer, an archer, and a Seraphim (the iconic angelic class synonymous with the series). You can’t customise your character in any way, and there are no skill values to manage or abilities to choose from. You’re rudely plunged into the action and told that your quest is to stop an evil warlord called Zane from acquiring the legendary Heart of Ancaria because, well, reasons.

On the surface, the characters appear to be very different. In practice, however, there isn’t much between them. Hammering A delivers your attack, while B evades and X “bashes”, which breaks shields. You then have two special moves mapped to RB and LB, which can be swapped out as more talents are unlocked and upgraded. The skill trees aren’t overly imaginative, granting you several Light and Heavy abilities and then allowing you to upgrade them in various ways at the cost of gold. Likewise, your natural abilities like blocking and evading can also be upgraded and improved.

Quite distressingly for fans of the series, there is no random loot. In fact, there’s no loot at all besides resource refills and gold. Weapons are unlocked between missions as you increase in level, and your armour changes organically as you get stronger. There isn’t even much of a leap in quality between weapons, either, meaning you’ll often unlock a new sword or bow and find it’s more beneficial to stay as you are, which is rather disheartening.

Missions generally take the form of mass slaughters, either alone or with friends. You’re required to do little more than wade through jostling clusters of enemies, occasionally breaking a shield or stunning a caster, avoiding falling lava, cannonballs, boulders (a distressingly overused hazard), and various traps that will harm or stun you. Quite often, simply abusing the A button while hitting X whenever you see a white shield icon and spamming the shoulder bumpers will see you through. There were moments when I literally drifted off into a daydream during a fight only to refocus on a pile of dead bodies like some kind of mild-mannered Viking berserker.

The repetitive nature of the missions is not helped by one of the most irritating scripts I’ve seen or heard in a long time. Anachronistic slang is often forgivable, but relentless one-liners and awkwardly-delivered jokes are not. Your guide, Aria, is as annoying as any squeaky JRPG brat, constantly doling out turgid gags in a horribly modern American accent. Somehow, the Weapon Spirits manage to be even worse. These are equippable elements that confer a buff to the party and a debuff to the individual, or vice versa, and can be found throughout the world. They repeatedly comment on what you’re doing with the same looped lines, which is teeth-grinding enough – but nothing on Earth or in the Hells below will prepare you for the Weapon Spirit that sings everything, over and over and over again.

Somehow, despite a collection of mind-boggling design choices, there is something strangely playable about Sacred 3. Joining up with friends doesn’t so much change the game as make it more bearable, although, lofty claims aside, there is nothing tactical about any of the co-op. You simply mash buttons together until your weary, battered controllers cry out in unison against the inhuman abuse being visited upon them. I swear when I laid my pad down after an hour or so of playing, I could hear it quietly weeping into the couch cushions.

VERDICT: Sacred 3 is not an Action-RPG, although it wears the uniform. It’s an outright hack ‘n’ slash adventure game with a throwaway story, barely-developed characters, and a once-rich fantasy world now so washed-out it’s become almost nondescript. Quite valiantly, new developers Keen Games maintain a level of playability that just about carries it through, but rather unsurprisingly the sheer joy of bludgeoning wave after wave of cut-paste monsters to death for little or no reward begins to wear off after a few hours. Go into it ready to accept it for what it is, and you’ll find a harmless but deliberately dull hack ‘n’ slasher, but don’t expect anything as deep or interesting as what has gone before.

POOR. Games tagged 4/10 will be playable, perhaps even enjoyable, but will be let down by a slew of negative elements that undermine their quality and value. Best avoided by any but hardcore genre fans.

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There are some games for which rose-tinted glasses are not required. No matter how far back through the time tunnel you’re squinting, they still runneth over with quality. Oddworld Inhabitants’ Abe’s Oddysee is one such title, a classic puzzle platformer with added stealth elements and unique mechanics that put it firmly ahead of its time.

The story is one of fate and heroism as you guide Abe in his attempt to escape the meat processing plant he works at, following his discovery that the meat his employers are putting into the innovative New ‘n’ Tasty recipe is harvested from the Mudokon workers. This realisation – and Abe’s subsequent mild-mannered rebellion – leads him towards his destiny as the Chosen One.

Given the sterling work done by Just Add Water in re-skinning and updating the excellent Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath, expectations were high for their reinvigoration of Abe’s first adventure, and it’s safe to say that those expectations have been exceeded. A game that didn’t have many faults to begin with is now close to flawless.

Without going back and playing the original, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what those faults were, but New ‘n’ Tasty presents such a polished package that it’s really quite unimportant now. The 2.5D world is highly detailed and beautifully rendered, brought up to date with the level of care and attention for which J.A.W are fast becoming known.

Such is the competence of the port that newcomers would be forgiven for thinking New ‘n’ Tasty was an original game, but if anything betrays the old school roots it’s the difficulty. Levels consist of freeing Abe’s fellow Mudokons and solving environmental puzzles, and sharp difficulty spikes abound. Abe is squishy, see, and has very few defensive or offensive capabilities. As a result, the Slig guards and wild, viciousScrabs must be avoided at all costs – not to mention a gameworld that really, really wants Abe dead.

New ‘n’ Tasty throws obstacles at you thick and fast, from motion trackers that will punish you with instant-death if you set them off, to deadly mines and falling boulders. Often timing is the key to success, but the death traps will lead unavoidably to an element of trial and error, facilitated by a fairly lenient checkpoint system. Creeping past a sleeping Slig is tense every time, and Abe’s ability to communicate via whistles, one-word inflections, and passing gas lead to some interesting interactions with NPCs.

Despite Abe’s gentle disposition, he’s not entirely helpless. Being the chosen one grants certain benefits, like being able to open sacred bird portals through which his Mudokon allies can escape, and through which he can fast travel to other areas. Holding down L2 and R2 will activate the chant, which can also possess the bodies of unsuspecting Sligs, enabling Abe to execute or disorientate his enemies. You can also find a variety of projectiles, from rare grenades to enemy-distracting stones.

If there’s a noticeable hangover from the original incarnation it’s in the platforming itself, which is still occasionally sluggish and imprecise. It’s a minor gripe, really, as the checkpoints are close and it’s only a real issue if you’re rushing – which is something you won’t often be called to do.

The “one life each” co-op mode returns, and is one of the most grin-inducing nods to the game’s antique nature. In a more modern twist, there are now leaderboards to satisfy all the die-hard competitors out there who simply must climb those ladders. More than this though, it’s to facilitate speed-running, which New ‘n’ Tasty is practically built for.

Of course, the graphical update is beautiful, presenting rich and varied environments that look like they’re part of a bigger world, and the sound design is largely untouched, retaining the same voice work and sound effects. The charm is palpable, seeping from New ‘n’ Tasty’s every pore, reminding us why we fell in love with Abe’s Oddysee in the first place.

VERDICT: If anyone knows how to bring a classic onto modern stage, it’s Just Add Water. Not just an excellent port of a great title, but a solid game in its own right, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is fully able to proudly rub shoulders with any puzzle-platformer released in the last ten years.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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Indie games coming to major consoles were unheard of until a few years ago. Microsoft took the initiative in getting some really creative and great independent games to the Xbox 360 and it really paid off. Fast forward to now and Sony is doing the same. A platform once thought of as unapproachable and closed is hosting some of the most interesting games around, second only to Steam. Transistor from Super Giant Games launched on PS4 and PC at the same time; times are changing. There is a distinct group of gamers that only plays on consoles, however, and because of this, many games go unnoticed. Rogue Legacy launched on PC over a year ago and has now made the transition to PSN-based platforms, like so many others.

Rogue Legacy was always a controller game. I didn’t much care for the keyboard controls at all on Steam, and found myself using a controller to play it. The name comes from the fact that it is has roguelike elements in the truest sense, and because bloodlines are a key mechanic. At heart, it is a difficult platformer with excellent attention to detail. The aim of the game is to explore a randomly generated castle dungeon and defeat bosses. This sounds simple and ordinary, but this is where things gets really interesting. As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time playing Spelunky, I didn’t think it would be a big deal to die a lot, but it is. You have to defeat four bosses to unlock the final boss, and each boss is in a different and unique area.

In most games, once you die, nothing carries over. But Rogue Legacy builds on your legacy. Once you die, your descendants that have unique traits carry forth. These traits range from colour-blindness (making everything monochrome), far-sightedness (where a small area around your character is blurred), all the way to OCD, where you recover MP by basically trying to swipe at everything and more. The implementation is great and there is a bit of humour thrown in for every descendant, and each one also looks noticeably different. When you die, you see parting words from your character and are taken to the main menu. The only things that carry over are gold and the various upgrades you have unlocked.

Jumping, slashing with your sword, and magic skills are your main abilities. More unlock as your collect additional gold from within the dungeon. There are quite a few things to look out for in addition to basically not dying while exploring areas. You find blueprints that can be used to create new equipment by the blacksmith, and runes found in fairy chests unlock more abilities. Once you have enough gold to unlock the architect, he can lock the castle so you can continue playing the same dungeon over and over to finally have a chance at defeating the bosses. Gold found within the dungeon by hitting furniture and opening chests (among other things) is supremely important. This gold can be used to upgrade your own class, weapons, armour, and to unlock a plethora of new mechanics. There are also random health and mana drops from furniture and other items you slash with your sword. Your descendant will only be allowed to enter the castle after surrendering all gold to the gatekeeper, so spending as much as possible on upgrades is preferred.

The enemy design in Rogue Legacy is annoyingly good. Enemies often feel way too overpowered at first because of the sheer variety you encounter as you traverse the dungeon. Each type of enemy has unique skills, and some are just there to kill you and make you want to fling your controller at the screen. There’s a reason the difficulty is compared to the Souls series. The best part about the different enemy types is how your unique descendant character traits change the mechanics to some extent. There is also a training dummy before you enter the castle that you can use to see how much damage you do. Striking it will reward you with some funny dialogue, including “Do you even lift?”.

Rogue Legacy excels in the audio department, too. The soundtrack is great and it draws influences from early Final Fantasy games for boss battle music. Along with audio cues, visual icons are really important to tell which enemy is approaching or in the next area. The visuals of the game are not on par with the audio and overall design, but they’re serviceable.

VERDICT: Rogue Legacy is full of surprises. When you’re not attempting to kill a difficult boss, you’ll find yourself trying to solve a platforming puzzle to unlock a special chest, discovering seemingly hidden or unexplored areas, and more. The game is incredibly hard at first, but it rewards perseverance. Even with the old school design, Rogue Legacy is filled with a sense of discovery that helps make it so great. This is something that I will be playing for a long time, and you should too – it is that damn good.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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We weren’t huge fans of Tales of Xillia here at God is a Geek. Nope, not huge fans at all. The game was far too staid, sticking to painful JRPG genre conventions in terms of characterisation and world construction to the point that, if it weren’t for the trademark Tales combat, the game would be fairly irredeemable. As it stood, it was merely unremarkable.

Tales of Xillia 2 has a lot to prove, and my approach was laced with trepidation. It’s with genuine relief, then, that Tales of Xillia 2 makes a far improved initial impact than its predecessor. It’s no renaissance for the genre, but Tales of Xillia 2 is at least a more compelling adventure than what came before and, at most, a JRPG tale that is occasionally mind-meltingly ambitious.

The game deals with alternate timelines, you see, and the role of your character, Ludger Kresnik, as someone with a particular interest in regards to their existence. The game doesn’t start with tragedy, it instead starts with confusion, a fat cat, and a mobster loan.

Of course, you play as an androgynous male with fabulous hair, but he’s a silent headstrong type that just wants to do his brother proud, and gets entangled in some glorious timey-wimey shenanigans in the process. It’s a huge step up from Xillia’s predictable narrative angle.

Sadly, Xillia 2 can’t escape from many of Xillia’s issues, such as its characters. Xillia’s characters were a typical JRPG crew, and Xillia 2 has you bumping into many of them, as you’d expect from a straight sequel (the game is only set a year on from the first). That said, Xillia 2 focuses on individual drives and narratives which is, again, more compelling than Xillia’s typical “crew of misfits saves the world” tale.

Other issues aren’t so easily shrugged off. For example, technically Xillia 2 is still questionable, with pop-up during town sequences being a reminder of the last game’s lazy presentation. I said it back when I previewed Xillia and I say it again now: it’s unacceptable that a game with Tales of Xillia 2’s looks and pedigree in 2014 suffers from such technical foibles.

Then there are the “choices” you must react to in story segments; this or that questions. These are less choices and more flavouring, certainly nothing for BioWare to lose sleep about. Example: “Do you want to follow the girl onto the train? Yes or no?” Say yes and Ludger leaps into action. Say no and Ludger looks away only for a woman’s scream to grab his attention and cause him to leap into action. The scene will conclude the same no matter how you choose to act (and this is true for every scene I played), you’re just embellishing the flow ever so slightly. Do you want chocolate sprinkles on your vanilla ice cream, or strawberry? Doesn’t really matter much, you still end up with a vanilla ice cream puddle at the end.

But then you get into a scrap and, as was the case with Xillia 1, you remember why you play Tales games. The quick and nippy real-time scraps of the Tales series are here and represented as strongly as ever with some cute adjustments and tweaks. Xillia’s free-run is back and as thrilling as ever, while a side step is also included that’s similar to the one present in Tales of Graces, making large encounters even more reactive than before. In fact, Tales of Xillia 2 might have the best combat of any Tales game to date.

By and large, Tales of Xillia 2 manages to be exactly what it needs to be: a departure. Sure it’s set within the Xillia world, but there’s a creativity present in the narrative already that’s both unbelievably complicated but also lighter-hearted than its predecessor. It’s a real testament to how a tweaked set up can be all that’s needed to make a JRPG feel fresh again.

The post Tales of Xillia 2 Preview – A Fresh Approach appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

The PlayStation Vita is a really interesting device. It’s almost like an anti-backlog console. My Steam backlog is shamefully large at this point. The Swapper by Facepalm Games has been on my to play list for a long time and I’ve been told things like “I can’t believe you haven’t played this yet” and “why wasn’t this on your GOTY list last year?” Despite owning The Swapper for months on Steam, I never played it barring my usual 30 minute stint after installing it. I got really excited once it was announced for PSN, and I’m pretty blown away after completing it on Vita.

The Swapper is a puzzle platformer, and a very dark and moody one at that. It has phenomenal art and music. The visuals are unlike any other game, with actual clay models used throughout; subtle piano pieces played as you progress the story combine with dark synth patches to set the tone for the game. Unlike Fez, The Swapper doesn’t have any puzzles that require too much time to solve (remember that clocktower puzzle that required you to wait for a few days in real time?). It has puzzles ranging from easy in the tutorial to really hard towards the end of the game as new mechanics are introduced. Every puzzle feels solvable, and I never felt helpless.

You play as someone stranded on the damaged space station Theseus, looking for a way out. Some areas are behind locked doors that require encryption orb, which are the aim for almost every puzzle in the game. The Swapper makes you start contemplating decisions very soon with its mechanics. The first tutorial area takes you around a few rooms and finally gives you the titular gun. Creating clones of yourself, destroying said clones for your benefit, and using clones to get further ahead are things you need to get used to, and there are memory terminals scattered across areas that give you some backstory.

The game begins with a cutscene explaining very little of the story. Even towards the end of the game, your understanding of the narrative will depend on how much you have explored areas. The basic game mechanics involve creating a clone by pressing L and swapping to it by pressing R while targetting it. There are different light sections that make your life difficult. You can’t create clones in blue light, red light cuts off your swapper rays and purple light limits both. Puzzles involve using floor buttons and blocks to control the lighting so you can switch to a clone and collect the encryption orbs.

The game has very little dialogue and voice acting. Certain puzzle sections trigger voice over events and as you pass giant rocks in the background, messages are displayed on the screen while slowing down your movement. The story is very cryptic in nature and there are loads of discussion threads online for individual perceptions of The Swapper – at times, it’s perhaps a little too cryptic.

Thankfully, it’s a visually incredible game. The dark atmosphere and amazing lighting coupled with the PlayStation Vita screen make for a euphoric experience for your senses. Text scales well on the small screen as well. The audio design and overall music in the game are haunting. In Gone Home, the sound effects always created the sense of someone else being there with you, but in The Swapper, you see others in the space station but feel alone throughout thanks to the stirring piano playing in the background.

Having played The Swapper on PC, I was curious to see how the controls translated to Vita and PS3 with a controller. The use of the mouse is really important in the game since the curser is basically your target for the Swapper device, which you control with the right analogue stick – the Vita also has the advantage of a touchscreen, which really helped. Swiping along the touchscreen to move the cursor is really great, but I would have preferred a touch-to-target system more. There is a slight slowdown issue in some areas on the Vita but it isn’t particularly annoying.

The PSN version supports trophies and if you’re a trophy hunter, you’re in for a world of disappointment. The trophies are the same as the Steam achievements and all 10 are unlocked by discovering hidden terminals. The game supports cross play, save, and buy, and syncing your saves across PS3 and Vita is painless. The crashes I experienced 3 times in my complete playthrough were a bit disappointing, but hopefully these will be fixed in a patch.

VERDICT: I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the puzzles and story since I completed The Swapper. For a game so cryptic, I’m surprised at how much it impacted me. The ending in particular will stay with you for a long time. The Vita’s small screen did wonders for the immersion, despite the beauty of The Swapper’s unique art style. My advice is turning the lights off, grabbing a good pair of noise-removing headphones, and getting completely and utterly enveloped in The Swapper. It is the triumvirate of visual, aural, and mental bliss.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post The Swapper Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Season Two of The Walking Dead hasn’t been quite the runaway success that the first season was. It has come under some criticism for not deviating enough from the pattern laid down in the first series, for suffering from uneven pacing, and not delivering the same sort of really gut-wrenching decisions that really set the game apart for other titles. Amid the Ruins attempts to address as many of these issues as possible, but it doesn’t convincingly deliver in every way.

The following review assumes you have played the previous episodes, though spoilers are (as always) kept to a minimum.

Being the penultimate episode in the season, you’d expect that the seeds sewn in early episodes would be showing by now. And to some extent that is true, but the main issue that episode four seems to suffer from is the feeling that your decisions don’t seem to make much of a difference in where the story is going. Most of the decisions in this episode are skin-deep, and often proven to be only superficial within minutes of making your choice.

Amid the Ruins follows directly from where we left Clementine, when we were faced with a terrible decision to make regarding a bite. The consequences of that decision bear fruit immediately, which is pleasing to see, but it also seems to negate your decision-making somewhat, and feels as though whatever you chose doesn’t really matter. Whilst it does successfully show how Clementine has developed as a survivor, perhaps something slightly more unique would have been a more interesting development.

Throughout the episode, the pregnancy of Rebecca is at the forefront, and the group have to try and pull together to help bring a small ray of light into their very bleak world. As such, you might expect the pace of the episode to suffer, and this to become a more conversational episode. Episode four does manage to fit in some much-needed character development for some of the newer members of the survivors, but it also ticks along at a pretty good pace. In fact, I felt that a little too much happens in this episode.

There are a lot of difficult moments packed into this instalment (be prepared for a lot of grisly moments) but you might also need to be ready for the fact that you might not care all that much. You quickly realise that if a character seems useless and like dead weight, that will probably be the case, thus you might have written them off in your head to some extent. So if anything happens to them, its a minor development as you were already prepared for it.

Also, with such a large group of survivors there are inevitably some who you become more attached to, and others who you don’t. Deaths are always a big thing, but if it is an under-developed character, it comes as no real surprise and seems like an easy option. It is the surprise tragedies that hit home and carry the real weight. The Walking Dead season one was very difficult to predict and Telltale proved that they weren’t scared to take a risk – but season two feels far closer to a traditional Zombie story where the obvious expendable characters tend to bite the bullet, and some of the emotional impact is lost.

That isn’t to say that Amid the Ruins is bad, it’s just that Telltale have simply set high standards for themselves, narratively. The fact they flesh out the new character’s personalities more will allow for a stronger finish to the series, and perhaps the aim of episode four was to set up the grand finale, rather than be a strong entry in its own right. It should also be said that the game has never performed better, with the slow-down and stuttering problems that have plagued them for years seemingly a thing of the past.

One major issue, however, is the way in which Clementine is treated by the other characters. Of course she will be the focal point for the series as players have developed such a strong bond with her, but it begins to put a strain on believability when in every little decision, and every difficult situation, all of the adults turn to Clem for guidance. Yes, we know that she is stronger and more competent than the majority or adults in the series, but it becomes a little silly when each time a hard choice has to be made, Clem seems to be responsible.

VERDICT: Amid the Ruins has its fair share of shortcomings, but it also ticks most of the boxes of what we have been asking for in the past. It maintains a good pace throughout, and avoids getting bogged down with trivialities. It also manages to provide a mix of action sections, emotional scenes, and conversational passages – yet we also get some much-appreciated character development.

In the first season of The Walking Dead, you really had to worry about each and every choice, whereas here there seems to be a tragic inevitability about everything. It’s hard to say whether that is actually an issue, or a reflection of the harsh world Clementine finds herself in. Maybe by making it seem like everything will go wrong, despite your best efforts, Telltale are trying to show just how hopeless the situation has become. This might be a stretch of the imagination, but if it is intended to make us feel numb to the horrors of the world, then they have played a master stroke. Time will tell on that front.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Blasting a high calibre round through Hitler’s one remaining testicle is the boyhood dream of many, and the new DLC for Sniper Elite 3, Hunt the Grey Wolf, lets you do just that – provided your set-up is meticulous. A standalone mission previously released as a pre-order bonus, Hunt the Grey Wolf sees you dropped into the grounds of a desert settlement to track down a man who may or may not be the Führer.

The lay out is exactly the same as you’ve already seen in the main game, with vantage points, sniper nests and ambush points galore. The setting is a multi-level rabbit warren of side corridors and alternate routes, and Rebellion stuff it absolutely full of patrolling guards. Getting through unscathed and unseen is no laughing matter.

The mission begins with recon as you rush to confirm that Hitler really is en route. Once you have the info, the objective is to break through security and await his arrival, whereupon you get to choose your vantage point and prepare for the big one. There’s a sense of immense satisfaction in killing the evil sod, especially as it can immediately trigger a massive fire-fight with his huge entourage, depending on your choices. Of course, you can avoid most collateral damage if you’re careful and patient, and all you need do to end the level is escape.

As a slice of extra content it’s a nice extension of the main game, but a fairly short one. Rushing through and plugging everyone will see you done inside half an hour, while a more considered, steady approach might stretch it to around 50 minutes – though, again, this depends on which way you choose to slot the git. The enemy presence seems slightly more ruthless, but that could be a result of the tighter spaces and high troop numbers. The fact that there are seven different ways to execute Hitler adds a decent amount of replayability – but that’s only if you really care enough to find all of them.

VERDICT: Hunt the Grey Wolf is a solid extra mission, but that’s really all it is. Worth picking up if you’re desperate for some more, and given the replayability factor of the campaign as a whole and the seven possible ways to ship Adolf to the farm, it might last you a little while if you’re the type who chases those leaderboards or loves to squeeze every drop out of every mission.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Meet Abyss Odyssey, a roguelike fighter platformer. I just like to say that: “roguelike fighter platformer”. It’s like someone’s dipped into my brain, plucked out a concept and went “sure, we’ll make that”. A roguelike, where death is harshely punished. A fighter, where combat prowess is tested. A platformer, where you jump, accurately, onto things, and do a spot of climbing. Abyss Odyssey is all of those things.

OK, so, it’s not a complete success, but it is a marvellous experiment. It calls itself a fighter, but the mechanics are a touch light. It’s a platformer in so far as you jump around, but it feels a touch lightweight due to a lack of variety or testing obstacles. Yet for its flaws, there’s something undeniably compelling about Abyss Odyssey.

Narratively Abyss Odyssey is simple: there’s a big evil at the bottom of the abyss, go smush it. The game is more of a character piece as trips down the labyrinth will see you meet and greet a number of curious, melancholy individuals, including instrument playing skeletons and dying soldiers. There is a story to uncover through collectible journal pages, too, but it’s all largely light framing. Abyss Odyssey is more about the doing and the moment than the overarching tale.

The gameplay is where Abyss Oddysey’s strengths truly lie. Getting to the bottom of the Abyss isn’t a huge task – one to two hours work at most – but you must complete it in one sitting, and multiple completions are rewarded. Losing your health in battle will put you in a danger state, and failure to find an altar when in trouble results in a restart. As a roguelike, Abyss Odyssey falls on the kind side, as progress is still made beyond death. Characters level up, fighters are unlocked and paths open independently of successful attempts, but you will lose your accrued gear, and your next attempt will see you tackle a different set of rooms.

Abyss Odyssey has the usual roguelike charms, then, and traps do what they can to add a bit of spice to the admittedly simple platforming, but it’s the game’s combat system – heavily inspired by Super Smash Bros. – that gives it the bulk of its interest. Similarly to Smash Bros. your fighter has a standard attack that can be augmented with directional input, three special attacks – that you set from a selection – a block, a grab and a dodge. Attacks are nippy, and enemies are quick to fall over.

The game pins a lot of its “depth” on its cancel system. Very soon after starting you’ll gain access to three “cancels”,which let you immediately move from a standard attack to a dodge, or from a standard attack to a special one, or from a special attack to a dodge, etc. Thing is, you have to wait a short while for your cancels to return after use. So, do you use them to mount a strong offense? Should you tech out of your standard combo and away from an opponent’s counter? Do you use all three at once or try and save one for an imminent emergency? It should also go without saying that you can get some satisfying combos through the cancel system should your first attack connect…

It’s not a perfect system, as the game’s combat has some notable problems. The dodge, for instance, leaves you facing the “wrong” way, and sometimes character reactions can feel sluggish. You see, when you dodge you remain facing the way you were facing upon using the dodge, which is fine if you play the game in a Castlevania fencing style, but it means there’s no dodging “past” an opponent to attack them from behind, as you can’t swing around quick enough. Perhaps that’s just my Smash reactions wanting to do that.

Secondly, there are no “big” attacks. Super Smash Bros’ smash attacks are hugely satisfying gambits that add an important notch to combat strategy, but Abyss Odyssey only has a very standard pool of middling slaps and stabs. The combat lacks the punch, the pow, the whoomph that defines a strong counter or combo-ender, and this shows a fairly fundamental lack of understanding for the genre, alongside crippling the overall impact of Abyss Odyssey’s fighting credentials. What’s here is fun, but it feels like a lot of sentences without full stops. Combat happens, but you always feel that it’s just lacking those climactic moments.

Not that that’ll stop you playing. There’re enough surprises in Abyss Odyssey to keep you trying again, and the lure of more content to see once enough players run the labyrinth is enough temptation to keep you trying, and to jump online and help others too. It might not truly be the Smash Bros. combat-mimicking adventure it sets out to be, but it’s compelling stuff nonetheless.

VERDICT: Abyss Odyssey is absolutely the sum of its parts. While its platforming and fighter credentials might not hold up individually, their combination alongside the roguelike sensibilities and community co-operation help elevate these lacking mechanics to be something more compelling than they would be alone. A curious experiment, and one that’s well worth continued testing.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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The post Abyss Odyssey Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Forget the Gravity Gun, the Portal Gun or the BFG – if you want really interesting weaponry, you need look no further than Insomniac’s long-running Ratchet & Clank series. From guns that suck up and deposit pools of water, to mini nuclear rocket launchers and deadly plasma whips – if you can dream it up and put a trigger on it, there’s a safe bet that Insomniac have thought of it and tried to incorporate it somewhere.

Less well known than Jak & Daxter (which I find almost completely backwards), Sony’s other action-platforming duo totally out-performed the competition in the first three games, at least. While recent efforts All 4 One and Q-Force (or Full Frontal Assault to some) were less successful despite their attempts to integrate 4-player co-op and tower defence respectively, the original trilogy was near perfect in the PS2 days – a trend that continued through the subsequent releases right up until 2009’s A Crack in Time, often considered the last great Ratchet & Clank game.

Twelve years and over a dozen games on from the original 2002 release, Sony and Insomniac (in conjunction with Idol Minds and Mass Media Inc.) have brought the first three games (Ratchet & Clank, Ratchet & Clank 2: Going Commando and Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal) to PlayStation 3 and Vita. Quite unsurprisingly, they’re just as playable and just as likable as they were the first time around.

It’s a testament to Insomniac’s design that even the first game doesn’t feel particularly dated when played now. There are giveaways, certainly, like using Triangle to back up in menus – which always feels alien when we all know that Circle is the universal “back” button – and the cutscenes have a grainy and lethargic quality left-over from the PS2 originals. But the gameplay… Oh, my. The gameplay is still sublime.

The first game wastes no time throwing together the two heroes – defective robot Clank, created with more brains than brawn and wise-cracking mechanic Ratchet, always ready for an adventure – and from then on it’s a race to save the galaxy from the evil Chairman Drek, who plans to steal the best parts of inhabited planets to make a Frankenstein-like super-world. Yes, the premise is bonkers, but that’s the entire point. The sense of humour – sometimes puerile, often sarcastic and always aimed at players a few years higher than the age-rating would suggest – is a constant companion, wrapping itself around every facet of the series from the enemies and weapons to the script and characterisation.

The template remains mostly untouched throughout the trilogy: you take control of Ratchet and travel the galaxy with Clank completing side missions and pursuing the main story, while obsessively collecting the nuts and bolts that act as the universe’s currency. This is then used to buy new weapons with which to experiment and open up new areas. The puzzle element is kept light and unobtrusive, and the first two titles have a checkpoint system that make them both fairly simple endeavours. In Up Your Arsenal the checkpoints become slightly less fair to the point of occasional mild frustration – but it’s well compensated for in other areas, with improved aesthetics, tighter controls and more variety in enemies and locations.

Presented in a trilogy package, it actually makes good sense to play all three games as one continuous campaign. Each title is an evolution of the one before it rather than a great leap forward, offering newer, zanier weapons and more interesting predicaments for the heroes. For example, Going Commando introduces a levelling system for each individual gun, increasing their effectiveness with use. It adds a tactical sheen to the melee and ranged combat and resource gathering that can make it genuinely tough to decide between using a cool new gun and levelling up an old favourite. The core mechanics don’t alter much at all from one adventure to the next, mixing jumping and swinging with heaps of combat and side missions designed to break up potential monotony (races and arenas both feature as distracting highlights).

As with all great buddy-buddy action-platformers, the real stars of the show are the two leads themselves. The relationship between Ratchet & Clank begins out of necessity and grows into a powerful partnership, aided by a supporting cast of hammy evil villains and bumbling sidekicks (galactic hero Captain Qwark being a firm favourite). Their world is as media-driven as our own, and watching them become celebrity heroes living off the fame of their adventures is incredibly entertaining. The clever script and likeable cast combine as not only the icing on the cake, but also the creamy fondant that holds the whole glorious, sticky mess together.

VERDICT: Quite frankly, each game in the Ratchet & Clank trilogy is as charming and playable now as it was when first released. They won’t really tax experienced gamers, and there is a risk of repetition should you play often and for long periods, but overall there’s enough quality content here to keep you going for a good long while. All Sony need to do now is release a second trilogy bundle containing Tools of Destruction, Quest for Booty and A Crack in Time and my life will be complete.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Who knew shooting Nazis in the nuts would be so much fun? You would think that, regardless of the game, shooting anyone in anything repeatedly would eventually lose its lustre, but Rebellion seem intent on proving us wrong. Case in point: the somewhat bonkers slow-motion Nazi kill-cam in Sniper Elite V2 might well be the best thing to happen to games since random loot, adding a level of gratuitous self-satisfaction that had never been seen before in a shooter. Sure, the bits in between the actual sniping were utter pants and the AI was slightly less intelligent than a boiled egg, but the joy of executing a perfect shot and watching your bullet travel a hundred metres to punch, in slow motion and Mortal Kombat-style X-Ray vision, into your hapless target’s left eye was just wonderful.

So it’s not much of a surprise that all anyone cared about when a sequel was announced (apart from the dropping of the V in the title), was whether or not Rebellion had improved on the kill-cam. And thankfully, they have. Big time. The XP system rewards you for hitting certain organs such as the heart, kidneys and gonads, and the sheer grotesque beauty of a super slow-mo X-Ray headshot has to be experienced to be believed. This is not a game for the kids. It’s ridiculously OTT at times and, quite possibly, a wee bit childish. A new addition is the option to snipe vehicles and enjoy the same slow-mo X-Ray display, which is a real treat when you watch a bullet tear into an engine and ignite it in a fiery ball of righteous fascist death.

The plot follows veteran sharpshooter Karl Fairburne as he guns his way through the North Africa Campaign of World War 2. The change of setting is refreshing, especially as very few WW2 games spend any time in Africa at all. The desert aesthetics are great on new-gen consoles, whether you’re squinting in the scorching sunshine, or lining up shots under the clear night sky. It’s a massive improvement over the all-pervading blandness of V2, despite occasional glitches ruining the experience now and then, with hyperactive corpses and some extreme clipping being prime examples.

The campaign isn’t as long as the last game, but it’s of considerably higher quality. Karl has a much more balanced repertoire now, and is able to employ stealth effectively while holding his own in a firefight. Movement is smoother and the animations more realistic, while the cover mechanic is better implemented. There are odd moments where you’ll bounce out of cover for no apparent reason, but it’s a minor complaint. Rebellion have taken pains to make the whole experience more even, but the real meat of the game is still the sniping. On your belly, sighting down the scope and holding your breath – that’s where Sniper Elite 3 wants you to be, and when it gets you there it’s the best example of its genre currently available.

Finding a crow’s nest or a shady little spot and setting up your one-man game of death dominoes is hugely entertaining – as is using mines and tripwires to booby trap your hiding place. As always though, Sniper Elite 3 is often better when it all goes wrong and you’re forced to relocate, leaving a last known location ghost behind and finding a new place to perch.

Holding the bumper slows time and causes Karl to hold his breath, allowing you to line up a shot using a red dot that tells you where the bullet will go in relation to the crosshair. Timing is important, as holding it too long or going too soon will cause you to miss. Often you’ll have to use environmental sounds to mask your shots or risk being rumbled and set upon by scores of angry Nazis – which no one wants. There’s still a slight problem with the AI possessing almost psychic powers, as sometimes you can pick off an entire plaza of bad guys with no trouble, and other times they’ll seem to sense your eyes on the back of their heads. Luckily, this only happened twice, and may even have been caused by a glitch.

If you do tire of the campaign (which you really shouldn’t as it only runs to around six or seven hours), you can hop into the challenges, which come in solo and co-op flavours. You can spend time just picking enemies off in a closed environment, work in tandem as a sniper and spotter team or go head-to-head with another shooter. They’re a great aside and work very well. Additionally, there’s the multiplayer. Team sniper games are always good fun, and while Sniper Elite 3 isn’t exactly brimming with modes, what’s on offer is solid and provides an enjoyable alternative to the campaign.

Customisable loadouts offer variety as you unlock new guns and upgrades, as you increase in level. Going back and replaying earlier missions with more advanced loadouts can yield interesting results, and gives the solo game a lot more longevity. It can take a while to really unlock the more impressive weapons and mods, but it’s worth the wait.

VERDICT: Sniper Elite 3 is the best example of its genre, full stop. A fantastic sharpshooting experience is interspersed with more considered, more competent stealth and action, and the array of tools and tricks available to Karl Fairburne is impressive indeed. While you’re not often able to go for broke and “play your own way”, there are enough routes through missions and enough open ground to really use the environment to your advantage. Overall, Sniper Elite 3 is a solid shooter that improves on everything that was good about Sniper Elite V2 and ditches most – though perhaps not all – of the bad. This should go down as a genuine triumph for Rebellion.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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Marketing executives have an awful lot to answer for. In fact, marketers of any kind have an awful lot to answer for. It’s quite easy to spin a line that hooks a certain type of person to a certain type of product, regardless of how accurate that line actually is.

Take the line, for example, that markets MouseCraft as a cross between Lemmings and Tetris. If you take the base concepts of both games as extremes and travel betwixt the two, then at some point upon the line between you will find MouseCraft, but it hardly uses the best parts of either.

In Crunching Koala’s game, you will be called, across 80 levels, to safely guide a trio of blind lab mice to a piece of cheese at the end of a small obstacle course. To aid you, you have a selection of blocks resembling Tetris pieces that you drop into the level to act as bridges, steps, barriers and safety nets for the mice, while collecting little bombs that remove blocks and a rare crystal substance that forms inside the test area.

Despite the cartoony visuals and the presence of a mad scientist cat named Schrödinger, there’s little context, or life, in what’s going on. It’s all very tame and straightforward. Quite why he has built such an elaborate machine is never entirely explained, nor is what it really does. There is a sinister undertone that never comes to fruition in any way, as the mice can only be killed by a handful of things, several of which are directly controlled by the player. It feels like a wasted opportunity not to be horribly cruel to the mice if you mess up, thus adding some kind of impact to your failures. As it is, being able to fail at all is almost totally moot.

You have as much time as you need to set a level up, and pressing Circle at any moment will undo your last move, or all your moves, meaning you can simply study a level and then use infinite retries until you get it right, at which point you’re graded on how many mice you saved and how many crystals you harvested – not the number of tries or how long it took. Obstacles are introduced as you progress, such as clockwork mice that will kill your rodent charges, and you’re given aids such as spongy blocks to cushion greater falls – but there aren’t a great many variables beyond these.

The four main zones aren’t particularly varied, and visual tedium sets in pretty quickly and then stays with you. It’s the same for the audio, sadly: if you play for more than a few levels a time it can all become quite irritating.

But it’s not all bad. The actual gameplay is somewhat idling, and despite the lack of a real fail-state. Some of the puzzles are very taxing, especially if you want to save all the mice and seize every single crystal in each level. Played in short chunks, it’s a nice time-waster for a commute, which makes it far better suited to the Vita than the home consoles or a PC.

If you do get bored, there is a level editor so you can build your own courses. It seems set up for PC and not all that slick to use with a pad instead of a mouse, but it’s pretty straightforward. As with many games of this type, you’ll probably end up getting more fun and challenge from community-made levels than those in the game.

VERDICT: MouseCraft is a likeable but simple puzzle game that barely touches the complexity of the two titles it claims to take inspiration from. Far too repetitive and too easy to work out, it’s better suited to a handheld than a larger console and isn’t likely to hold your interest for long unless you’re really hankering after a rodent-based puzzle game and can’t get hold of Lemmings. A little darkness and complexity would have gone a long way here, but as it stands MouseCraft just isn’t involving enough to heartily recommend.

DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

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When it comes to narrative driven games, you always expect a big pay off for your time invested. Telltale haven’t been in the limelight for that long really, but after proving they know how to end a season with The Walking Dead, hopes are high for The Wolf Among Us after a stellar penultimate episode – but nothing will prepare you for the choices you will face in this finale.

The following review assumes you have played the previous episodes, though spoilers are (as always) kept to a minimum.

Let’s be honest: what you want from a finale is closure, and Cry Wolf provides that – without shutting the door on the series as a whole. The sheer depth of the Fables universe ensures that, if Telltale choose to do so (and here’s hoping they do), this series could run and run.

But what we have here is a fitting close to a sublime opening season. Faced with some of the strongest choices yet, your nerves will be tested as Bigby Wolf – and there are moments that stand out, including the mother of all decisions. There are revelations, and thankfully there isn’t much left unexplained, although there’s a slight question over the very final scene, and you’ll be rewarded if you have a keen eye. There’s a strong argument to be made, also, for the choices on offer here being more important and having more impact than in The Walking Dead.

Illusion of choice was something The Walking Dead did well, but often upon close consideration, the seams would come apart and you’d realise you weren’t much more than a passenger, whereas The Wolf Among Us appears to actually change drastically depending on your actikons. In fact, the finale presents itself as a slight dilemma: as with most story driven games, you don’t often want to replay them, but Cry Wolf suggests there to be drastic differences depending on key decisions made.

To that end, it bares a few playthroughs, and despite being satisfied with the conclusion, there were major sections that had me wondering what the alternative path would lead to. It’s down to personal preference, really, but I felt like I wanted to play it again to fully understand everything, but that might be down to the breakneck pace Cry Wolf plays out at, rather than the way the story is told.

And there are moments in the series that have bugged me. As someone who has read Fables in its entirety, episode five is where the most fan-service lies, some of it subtle; some not so much. There are moments that speak directly to long-term readers, including one specific moment that is just so utterly rewarding, because it genuinely felt like it would never happen.

Cry Wolf wastes little time in getting down to business, either. Telltale dispense with the usual late-credits sequence and put you right back where you ended Episode Four. There are plenty of action sequences, and while In Sheep’s Clothing felt the most like an interactive story of all the recent episodes in Telltale’s library (it was the most gameplay-light to date), the finale puts you firmly back in control of the sheriff.

As with previous season endings, it’s a little shorter than the regular episodes. Clocking in at around an hour, it’s rewarding and satisfying, and there are options for revenge, justice, and humility. What I will say, however, is that the story is dealt with in an incredibly interesting way. It probably won’t be what you’re expecting, but due to the nature of The Wolf Among Us, I can’t really say much without spoiling things. It’s a very cleverly told story, overall.

That said, there were a few technical hitches I didn’t notice in previous episodes on the PC version, including the dreaded slowdown – so much so that I was concerned it had crashed on a few occasions. Obviously your mileage may vary, but it’s likely these issues are due to the volume of previous choices connecting together to the pre-ordained narrative paths, but it’s a shame nonetheless, and takes you out of the universe for a moment.

VERDICT: Telltale’s greatest accomplishment is delivering a worthwhile entry into the Fables cannon, keeping true to the ideals without taking any liberties whatsoever. Even though many fans will already know how the characters end up, The Wolf Among Us manages to be gripping from start to finish – there’s just no real weak point, and Cry Wolf is a fittingly great ending to a fantastic series.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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It must be incredibly hard to take an established, much-loved franchise and translate it into a video game that not only resonates with existing fans of the source, but also pulls in new interest from the outside. It must be hard, because so few developers get it right. An obvious example is Rocksteady, who did wonders with Batman, but a less-thought-of example is High Moon Studios, whose Transformers games (War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron) did a great job of bringing the universe to life without having to rely on Michael Bay’s movie adaptations.

Unfortunately, Rise of the Dark Spark – the third game in the series and the first by developers Edge of Reality – feels like a step too far. Attempting to link High Moon’s universe with Age of Extinction produces complications in a convoluted and barely coherent plot, and Edge of Reality haven’t really brought anything new of their own to the franchise.

It begins on Earth, where Optimus, Bumblebee and a handful of mid-tier Autobots are engaged in conflict with the Decepticons over the titular Dark Spark, the antithesis to the Matrix of Leadership. The story flits between different timelines as Optimus fights against both Megatron and Lockdown in his attempt to destroy the Spark. As in previous games, you’re forced into the treads of whichever Transformer is currently relevant to the story, so you’ll play as a wide variety of characters – none of which are particularly compelling until you finally get to run around burning everything as Dinobot Grimlock.

All things considered equal, the storyline is at least fit for purpose, but sadly the game suffers elsewhere. Guns lack impact, despite the variety on offer, and although we’ve all watched Transformers take a serious pummelling in the movies, here it takes a frustratingly small amount of direct damage to reduce you to a pile of rivets and cogs. As a result, the combat leaves you feeling cold – which is a major issue as there is so much of it. Inconsistent checkpointing is a hitch, too, as you can often find yourself overwhelmed by hordes of infinitely-spawning grunts while you try to complete some menial objective or another.

When the primary positive in a shooter campaign is that it’s quite short, you know you’ve got problems, but for most of Rise of the Dark Spark I found myself gritting my teeth and ploughing on despite the fact that I simply wasn’t enjoying it. At times, it’s simply lifeless – and a whole section a few hours in where you’re trying to shoot flying and leaping Insecticons that you can barely keep up with is rage-inducing. The writing is also cheesy, and above-par voice acting can’t prevent the occasional cringe when characters drop irritating one-liners or the same looped dialogue over and over again.

Graphically it’s a mess. The environments are bland and featureless, and the animations don’t seem to have moved on at all since Fall of Cybertron, while the cutscenes have a horrible, washed-out grainy quality that reminded me of the PS2 days. Visual glitches like enemies that fall through the floor and occasional slowdown are just unacceptable in a shooter that, frankly, shouldn’t be taxing the PlayStation 4 in the slightest.

If there’s a saving grace it’s the multiplayer. Escalation mode returns, which is basically Horde Mode renamed. You and three others defend against increasingly hard waves of enemies, using turrets and barricades to set up tactical chokepoints around the map. Although the appeal starts to wear thin after a while, the huge number of unlockable characters (over forty across the two factions), guns, and perks offer a decent amount of variety. Running around as a Dinobot feels different to tearing up the skies as Starscream, for example, and the hacks (difficulty modifiers you apply either pre-match or at weapon lockers) allow you to add an extra layer of challenge in both Escalation and the campaign should you need it.

Similarly to Mass Effect 3, levelling up (or completing passive challenges) rewards you with gear boxes, which contain random items, characters, hacks, and abilities. You never know what you’re going to get when you open one, and there’s always a moment of excitement when you spring a new character or weapon upgrade.

In fact, it’s a shame that Rise of the Dark Spark doesn’t make a bigger deal of its upgrade and Gear Box system, as the option to improve each weapon (available across any of your unlocked characters) and the difference made by special abilities and hacks add a great deal to an otherwise very vanilla experience. Sadly, most of the cool stuff is hidden away in menus and you’re never really talked through it or taught how to maximise efficiency and, as a result, you could easily play for hours before you even realise you can improve yourself.

VERDICT: Rise of the Dark Spark is a step back from Fall of Cybertron, and that’s an utter travesty. High Moon did wonders with the last game, and this feels almost like a tacked-on expansion rather than a decent game in its own right. Bland visuals, uninspiring combat and a messy story can’t be saved by an enjoyable multiplayer mode or a set of underused sub-systems that even Edge of Reality seem to have forgotten about. Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark isn’t an awful game, but it’s a long way short of the bar set by High Moon.

AVERAGE. The epitome of a 50/50 game, this title will be unspectacular but inoffensive, charmless but amiable. We aren’t condemning a game by scoring it a 5, but we certainly aren’t championing it, either.

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Indie games seem to be particularly ripe for the porting right now, what with Microsoft and Sony intent on plugging the noticeable gaps in their 12-month launch windows with the “Definitive Edition” of pretty much everything. This month it’s the turn of Drinkbox’s Guacamelee!, a side-scrolling metroid-vania-alike that’s hitting all the consoles – including last gen – in a new and improved Super Turbo Championship Edition.

Guacamelee! tells the story of Juan, a wannabe Luchadore who is tragically killed when the evil Carlos Calaca ascends from hell with an army of skeletons and starts laying waste to Juan’s tiny village. Resurrected by a magical wrestling mask, Juan sets off on his quest to rescue his love and bodyslam Calaca once and for all.

Progress through the game’s various environs is steady, regulated by the age-old rule of drip-fed abilities. As you pursue Calaca, Juan is granted new powers by a goat that turns into an old man (or an old man that turns into a goat), and the Combo Chicken, which is, well, a giant chicken that teaches you combos. Guided by a benign spirit named Tostada (who becomes your suplex buddy in co-op mode), you travel around using Juan’s various powers to destroy the colour-coded blocks that impede your way. As with other games of this ilk, the more powers you unlock the more paths you can open and the more power-ups you can find.

Controlling Juan is a joy as he sprints and springs and uppercuts and ground-pounds, comboing enemies and seamlessly switching between the lands of the living and the dead to solve environmental puzzles and circumnavigate obstacles. The platforming is tight and responsive and the level design is consistently clever enough to keep you thinking about where you’re going and what you’re doing.

For a more detailed breakdown, check out Adam’s glowing review of the original game, but it’s suffice to say that besides the inclusion of a tasty DLC bundle and a handful of new areas, the biggest change is the addition of the Intenso mode. Now, Juan has a new meter filled by defeating enemies, and activating it sends him into overdrive, bolstering his combo speed and damage. It makes an already frantic game completely bonkers for a few minutes, especially if you use Intenso on a screen-full of enemies all at once.

Elsewhere, new areas and bosses add freshness, and unlockable costumes – bought with silver coins found in pinatas – range from the snazzy to the absurd. You can also save multiple games now, which is handy if you have more than one person in your house who wants to play. An interesting tweak is the ability to switch dimensions independently in co-op mode, which makes fighting those pesky blacked-out enemies easier as you can work in tandem with your partner.

Graphically, the Super Turbo Championship Edition isn’t much different, though on PS4 it does seem to be much slicker. The aesthetic is wonderfully charming throughout, and works brilliantly in conjunction with the off-the-wall humour. None of the dialogue is spoken, but the sound effects and, notably, the music, do a great job of selling the atmosphere.

VERDICT: Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition doesn’t get much wrong throughout, and the inclusion of new levels and enemies adds longevity to an already great experience. It can be a little repetitive if played for long periods, but the unique and likeable art-style and effortlessly enjoyable combat carry it through.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Moto GP is perhaps the most entertaining of the major motorsports. Nascar involves exactly the same car turning left for hours and the occasional crash, Formula One is too reliant on the cars and not the drivers – but Moto GP features amazing machines with just as impressive drivers performing feats that, at times, look impossible. Recreating these feats in Moto GP 14 feels great, but hitting the perfect apex can be incredibly difficult.

In order to accommodate newer players, multiple physics and simulation levels have been included. The lowest setting is incredibly forgiving, and only truly stupid moves will result in you coming off the bike, whilst the higher physics levels scale quite well with the most extreme requiring almost perfect breaking and throttle control to stay on track.

For anyone who hasn’t played a Moto GP game before there will be a steep learning curve in order to understand the physics. Your first lap will probably result in coming off the bike more times than you will in any other race. If you do struggle with the physics, take some time to do some Moto 3 races, as coming off the bike is almost impossible on the easiest setting and it will help a lot. The steep learning curve was unexpected and really made the first hour or so quite unenjoyable, but once I started career mode and did some Moto 3 races the enjoyment levels shot up.

While the numerous physics options offer differing levels of simulation, there are some things that remain constant, which break the realism a little. If you come off your bike in the middle of a pack of racers, both you and your bike will clip through them, not affecting the other riders in any way. Although this stops massive pileups, it’s not particularly realistic. Going off track, regardless of the physics level, is also quite forgiving, and with the correct settings can actually give you an advantage. Again, it’s not game-breaking, but it’s not realistic, either.

The steep learning curve and questionable design choices may have somewhat of a negative impact, but the majority of the on-track action is a pleasure. The bikes handle incredibly well and the force of the accelerator can be felt constantly. Hitting an apex perfectly is no easy task but when you do, it feels amazing and it’s even better when you’re challenging for position at the same time. The AI isn’t the smartest, but it does a good enough job, and on higher difficulty levels provide an impressive challenge making races thrilling and a real fight to the finish.

As I mentioned earlier, starting career mode as soon as possible is a great idea as you begin as a newbie in Moto 3, which is much more forgiving than Moto GP. The bikes are easier to manage and the quality of competition is much lower, so it offers a great learning experience. Your created rider will sign to a team after partaking in a couple of wildcard races, and from there you’re free to climb the ranks of the sport, all the way up to becoming the Moto GP Champion. Career mode is probably where you’ll spend the majority of your time – getting to the top will take quite a few hours, but if feels very rewarding doing so.

The other game modes on offer include the standard Grand Prix mode, which allows you to set up a single race (or race weekend) and take part with any driver of your choice. There are also the predictable Time Trials and Instant Action modes, as well as the throwaway Safety Car mode, which sees you doing a time trial in a safety car that handles horrifically. Also included is the Real Events 2013 mode, which sees you try and recreate action from the 2013 season and challenge the champions, which allows you to take on former legends of the sport. Both split-screen and online multiplayer make an appearance as well. The game modes offer some variety, but for me the only real time-sink was the career.

Every track from the current Moto GP season is available to race around and, although they don’t quite have the same visual quality of other next gen racing games, they look and feel impressive, if not a little quiet around the outsides. The bikes and drivers (including ones from Moto 2, Moto 3, Moto GP 2013 and a slew of former champions) all look impressive and have incredibly high detail, and the drivers move around their bikes in a very convincing way.

VERDICT: Whilst Moto GP 14 is the closest many of us will get get to living out our dreams of taking a bike around iconic tracks such as Silverstone, it’s not quite a true simulation even on the highest physics settings. While to some this wont be an issue, others may find it irritating that it doesn’t match the sport quite as closely as it should do. However, that doesn’t stop Moto GP 14 from being a fine racing game once you get the hang of it. The on-track action is extremely satisfying and can be very challenging, making the reward of finishing first even sweeter.

The extensive modes offer hours of playtime and replayability (especially the career mode) and the inclusion of Moto 2 and Moto 3 not only offers even more playing options, but also a great way to introduce new players to the series. This is a game that will please the majority of Moto GP fans, but will also bring in a lot of new ones.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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