Reviews
41
The Escapists offers almost no help with its steep learning curve but stick around long enough for it to dig its claws into you and you won't be able to escape (ha!) its grip. Fiendish, fun and maddening in a brilliant way.
It's Far Cry 3 in new clothing. That isn’t inherently such a terrible thing, of course, and there are enough tweaks to the overall package - however subtle they be - that there’s more than enough reason for hopping in for another adventure.
Improvements more or less across the board make this not only a cracking remake of one of the series’ more divisive games but one of the best Pokemon games available. With over 700 Pokemon to round up, you’ll be wandering Hoenn for a long time before you even come close to catching ’em all. And thanks to the great new mechanics, there’s plenty to see and do on your way to becoming a Pokemon master.
Improvements more or less across the board make this not only a cracking remake of one of the series’ more divisive games but one of the best Pokemon games available. With over 700 Pokemon to round up, you’ll be wandering Hoenn for a long time before you even come close to catching ’em all. And thanks to the great new mechanics, there’s plenty to see and do on your way to becoming a Pokemon master.
MegaTen IV is a solid RPG, one of the most thoughtful and nuanced on the 3DS, with an interesting philosophical slant and a battle system that exceeds its peers. Held back only by slow intro and a few reductional overworld choices.
Advanced Warfare has kept the core Call Of Duty gameplay intact, merged it with a couple of new innovations and the result is a fun but strangely familiar experience. But it isn’t going to be the industry revolution that Modern Warfare managed to become, so only time will tell if it has the legs to compete with the likes of Titanfall and Destiny.
Lords Of The Fallen is proof that the Dark Souls template can work outside of Dark Souls, and this current-gen equivalent will get people salivating for more like it. It's just a bit of a shame that such technical issues hold it back, while its story isn't nearly as well crafted or considered as its forebear.
All the comparisons pointed to ahead of release really are valid here: Ratchet & Clank for the weapons, Jet Set Radio for the traversal and Crackdown for the collectibles. Thankfully it’s easy to ignore the awful characters and crappy humour in favour of just having a good time with the gameplay itself.
Civilization: Beyond Earth is at once familiar and unfamiliar, and that’s enough to make it a valid, separate release outside of the standard Civilization vein. Yet its biggest success is its dynamism, making for subtly varied games each time you restart.
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes And Punishments is a thoroughly engaging and varied puzzle adventure game, and a considerable improvement for the franchise. If Frogwares continues in this vein, it could end up with a series every gamer would revere. As it stands it's a game designed for adventure fans, and unlikely to appeal to many others.