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Last reviewed: Mina the Hollower · 5 days ago
A referential and joyful deep dive into the world of Batman, the latest LEGO effort from TT Games is elite brick gaming. Legacy of the Dark Knight just wants to be an enjoyable time, and it refuses to falter from that commitment. This new LEGO Batman will be some of the best fun you have all year.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an excellent action RPG that offers an even more hardcore take on the increasingly popular Soulslike formula. It's fast, frenetic, and hits like a truck, with one of the most mesmeric combat systems we've ever had the pleasure to master. It might scare off more casual players, but those looking for a challenge, well - you can stop looking.
Magicka 2 makes a good transition to the PS4 – the controls map nicely to the controller and it all looks nice on a big television. It's an oddity in that it really shines when you have two or more players, but is much less fun when playing alone. Overall, there is much to commend in this magical blaster – just make sure that you bring a friend.
As expected, House of Wolves sticks with the pack when it comes to story missions, strikes, and new multiplayer maps, but it still represents a point in Destiny's life where Bungie has tried to push things forward, attempting to leave behind the mistakes of the past in the process. Both Prison of Elders and Trials of Osiris are welcome additions to the formula, and are the real reasons to invest in the DLC – even if the asking price remains a little too steep and the title's core problems persist.
Sparkle Unleashed is a solid puzzle game with a few new ideas – but not enough to truly feel fresh. We can't criticise the controls or gameplay here, but the feeling of familiarity that pervades the whole experience lets it down. If you want a timewaster to fill a few minutes here or there, then this is well worth a shot. Otherwise, you can give this one a miss.
The Escapists is excellent at what it does, there's no doubt about that, and it's cornered a market that nobody else dares to touch. It's generous with content, it's deep, and, at times, it's extremely satisfying. Still, it can be very tedious, and as such, unless you're actually in prison and have time to kill, there are probably better ways to spend your limited gaming hours. If the premise intrigues you then by all means give it a go – otherwise, you may want to refrain from spending your time behind bars.
The return of zombies was an exciting part of the previous release, but the continuation of that and the lack of any standout maps makes Ascendance a less interesting prospect than its predecessor. That doesn't mean that it's bad, though, and fans will lap up the fresh environments. However, the next pack will need to go above and beyond if it wants to keep people excited ahead of Black Ops 3 in November.
Nom Nom Galaxy has an odd premise that's been blended into a surprisingly interesting sandbox experience. While some of the gameplay ingredients don't necessarily work that well together – with the combat in particular leaving a bitter aftertaste – you'll at least be able to cleanse your palate with another draft of its fun base building and resource management, and that'll keep you coming back for more servings.
Its story of unlikely friendship isn't up to par with The Fox and the Hound, just as its attempt at black humour never hits Harold and Maude, but Lost Orbit knows how to give one hell of an adrenaline rush. Speed runners, risk takers, and thrill seekers will all be sorely disappointed to miss out here – but everyone else can pass.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt sets a new standard for open world RPGs. Its shockingly cohesive world is as beautiful as it is demanding, and it's packed full of mature content that throws you from one emotional response to the next. Its storytelling is superb, its combat is grippingly refined, and its often unforgiving nature only lends itself to a brilliantly rewarding experience. In an industry that's flooded with so many by-the-book open world titles, Wild Hunt stands out as a true labour of love from a developer that's uncompromisingly passionate about its creative freedom. Geralt's incredible adventure is nothing short of a masterpiece.
We weren't particularly sold on the first two episodes of Life Is Strange, but we could see the kernel of potential that was hiding beneath the surface. Episode 3 – Chaos Theory is where that promise finally bursts to the forefront, delivering an almost perfect balance of tense storytelling, organic dialogue, and improved gameplay – all while setting up a potentially brilliant follow-up episode. This series is finally delivering what we always thought it could, and that makes us hella happy.
Once you get the controls where you want them, your car exactly how you like it, and your race day tactics tightened up, it delivers an exhilarating ride, but few will have the patience – or, indeed, the willpower – to reach that point, and thus it's hard to imagine this outing achieving the mainstream success of other competing motoring series.
Terrible textures aside, there's a beauty to Toren's art and audio direction that's worth beholding. The problem is that outside of these assets, Swordtales' two hour adventure falls short. A plethora of technical problems and uninteresting level design win out over the positive aspects, and this experience is below par as a consequence. Listen and look at it by all means – just try to avoid actually playing it.
Color Guardians is a charming little title that will be appreciated by endless runner fans. The inconsistent difficulty is a problem, and its lack of variety means that it's best played in short bursts – but if you want something simple to brighten up your day, then this will do the job adequately.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood has its fair share of problems – but it's still worth playing. With an enormous amount of content available for such a slender sum, fans of The New Order shouldn't hesitate when it comes to this alternate history treat.
There are already a ton of platformers to choose from on both of Sony's current home consoles, but the good news is that Aaru's Awakening is free to anyone with PlayStation Plus for the time being. If you fancy something artsy and with some challenging gameplay, then we think that you should consider giving it a shot. Everyone else will want to pass on this one.
LA Cops has inoffensive intentions, but its execution is as flawed as its characters' fashion sense. The pleasant presentation represents the still-edible icing on this otherwise stale, circular snack – but glaring design issues have left us close to dialling 911.