James Marshall
The best part in being free-to-play will be that Neverwinter is there for those looking to try and there's certainly no harm in paddling in Cryptic's pool. The number of players encountered is a testament to its accessibility. However, veteran MMO players may find it too easy; newcomers may disagree with the payoff vs. time spent. Either way it's worth venturing in - just don't expect a tale for the ages.
In taking and refining the best bits of previous games, Ubisoft is admittedly treading water and, some would say, stagnating. The eavesdropping should really be, well, dropped but those moments of frustration and repetition are far outweighed by the lure of the sea. Not a flagship title for the series then, but one that will delight fans and newcomers alike.
By no means a bad game, Shadow Fall instead feels consumable, there to be experienced and then forgotten. Enjoyment is there in spades, although each moment of awe is fleeting with no lasting impact. Killzone has finally become part of the Sony legacy - not as a franchise of compelling depth, nor in delivering iconic gameplay. Instead its legacy will be one of visual fidelity - a legacy that Shadow Fall attempts to rise above but to which it seems eternally bound.
Knack seems to have no ambition beyond wowing you with rendering lots of objects, making it feel like an overlong tech demo. If parents are looking for some cartoon fun to keep the children occupied... well... the PlayStation 4 has a knack for playing blurays, too.
In bringing the challenging subject of slavery to the forefront of such a blockbuster franchise, Ubisoft has shown that games are the perfect vehicle to reopen discussion and confront darker moments of history. Freedom Cry may not be particularly long or radically different from Black Flag but as a companion piece it feels important, imbuing its protagonist with a desire for retribution and justice that bleeds through the screen and inhabits your own persona. For that reason alone it deserves your attention.
It doesn't do anything new and it doesn't feel next-gen but Dead Rising 3 is a solid and welcome return to gleeful, quirky zombie killing. Like the rotting corpses that populate its streets, Dead Rising 3 has a long life after it's finished. The game is one to which, amidst a barren forthcoming release schedule, you'll keep revisiting.
Fighter Within doesn't just tarnish the tenuous franchise that Ubisoft seems to be attempting to forge. It does motion-controlled brawlers a disservice, writing off a genre that probably shouldn't exist anyway. Even worse it tarnishes Microsoft's shiny new Kinect as well as the black box to which it's leashed.
As it stands, this first part passes the time, promises more but ultimately devolves into a third-person shooter peppered with fetch quests. Like the combination weapons it proudly (and rightly) brandishes, Operation Broken Eagle seems hastily constructed but not half as entertaining.
Although a greatest hits in a sense ' what with chocobos, Moogles and more ' Lightning Returns can't shake the feeling of a track on repeat. Time is of the essence in real terms as well; time to move on, perhaps.
If a few new weapons are enough to part you with your cash then Fallen Angel is an expensive addition worth a look. If it's content you seek, look elsewhere - this expansion is so lacking in thought that even Dead Rising's brain-craving zombies would pass it by.
Yes it's available on nearly every other platform but that means that everyone can experience the expert level design, constant surprise and cheerful glee that is Rayman Legends.
Chaos Rising is probably the most fun of the three episodes so far, but their similarity in everything from structure down to animation does little to endear the player to these hastily-sketched caricatures. There's every likelihood that the next episode will follow the same pattern but an hour is enough to draw an intriguing character. We haven't seen one yet - perhaps Capcom Vancouver are saving the best for last? We can but hope.
It's another lacklustre, characterless cash-in and one that solidifies Dead Rising's downloadable output as dismal, only appealing to those who haven't bought another game since or die-hard fans of pointless tasks. It's better than Chaos Rising but by capping off a promising mini-campaign with such disappointment, The Last Agent retrospectively tarnishes the whole wretched endeavour.
Lazy, shoddy and rushed this is a Spider that could do with a good blast of Raid.
Maybe it's the graphics, the outstanding soundtrack or just the charm that calls you back time after time. A Realm Reborn has been born anew and it remains one of the best MMOs on the market.
It might not be original but it's polished and practical; not the most effusive of compliments, but a recommendation nonetheless.
It comes across as a budget title - both graphically and thanks to the bugs that make it feel unfinished. This used to be acceptable - it was, after all, the epitome of a guilty pleasure, some gory ridiculousness to pass the time. Now it feels overstretched and too reliant on that gimmick, diluting the core sniper experience. In the shadow of Wolfenstein: The New Order, even shooting a digital Hitler (and, yes, even the legend that is Charlie Brooker) feels underwhelming. A greater focus on ballistics, not ballsacks, would serve Rebellion well.
Wrapped in the grainy trappings of detail-perfect environments, Creative Assembly have done devout fans proud, managing to create a game that fits the right tone. It's a love letter for the fans - one so delicately written that it's fun to imagine what the studio would do with other films.
In doing this, Unity is not the huge leap forward that a next-gen Assassin's Creed promised it would be - rather it's a familiar adventure dressed in exceptional decoration. The artistry to be found in Paris far outweighs the by-the-numbers story. In essence it's more Assassin's Creed, then - that will tell you all you need to know if you're mulling over a purchase. Perhaps this is why this Assassin's Creed feels as though, like its time-spanning storyline, it has one foot in the future and one in the past.
It's not going to surpass Rock Band as the de facto music party game, neither is it going to save Kinect. But, as a potential swansong to Microsoft's neglected camera, Fantasia: Music Evolved is more than worthy.