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Rocksteady have created a significant and impressive trend with their critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham series. Since the launch of the surprisingly excellent Arkham Asylum, there's been Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Alien: Isolation, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron and numerous other excellent licensed games- something that can be rarely said in the medium of gaming. With Arkham Knight comes the senses **** conclusion to this brilliant franchise (or Rocksteady's involvement in it anyway) and it's just as much of a masterpiece as would be expected. And while this review may be late (even if I did receive the game on launch day), in retrospect it's just as brilliant looking back as it was playing it. The Arkham games have always held a place of honour in the mythos of the Dark Knight. While they may be removed from standard Detective Comics continuity, they portray the same level of excellence and depth as many of the hero's finest works, such as the Killing Joke and the Dark Knight Returns. The games also pay attention to the history of the bat-loving, bad guy basher with many references to iconic moments and Batman's past mostly mirrors that of in the comics (yet what shouldn't be expected is a brighter era like the 50's or 60's). Arkham Knight is a perfect example of how to craft a mature and well written Batman story that implements both emotional elements and a plot that sees the Batman out to save his city as well. While I won't spoil anything major, the basic plot overview is that Scarcrow is back from his brief journey onto Croc's dinner menu near the end of Asylum and he wants revenge for the injuries he sustained and the embarrassment he experienced- not at the hands of Croc but at those of the Dark Knight himself. Partnering with a mysterious armoured figure known as the Arkham Knight, who has his own private army and a seemingly limitless amount of money to spend, he sets out to not just kill the Batman, but to completely break him mentally and physically as he tears down his city and everyone he loves. As such, his terrorist threats against the people of Gotham see them evacuated from the city and into the outer reaches, which while being a very good set up to ensure Batman can tear around the streets in his new set of wheels, is also an effective way to get the ball rolling. It's a fast paced and incredibly interesting narrative, though you should also be aware for some slower paced and character building scenarios. And of course there are plot twists- many in abundance and some that completely change the way the game plays out. Last but not least, the identity of the Arkham Knight. It's been controversial to say the least, as many are disappointed by the obvious allusions towards the face behind the mask. In my opinion it was an effective retelling of a famous Batman story arc and so found it to make the story even better. Moving onto the gameplay and while no major additions have been implemented into the combat and air traversal components, these mechanics are at their greatest height and seeing them perfected is a sign of how far the series has come. The Freeflow system is faster and features better animations, as well as the ability to pick up weapons and use environmental takedowns among other things. Grappling is faster and I even noticed Batman has better agility with some animations seeing him bouncing off walls. Stealth has also been mixed up with new Fear Takedowns and a greater range of options open in Detective mode. Being the ultimate Predator has never been so much fun! Of course it's the Batmobile that makes this entry stand out the most though and for good reason. Despite everyone's claims of it being overused and the combat being repetitive, I believe that the car is bloody awesome! It handles well and can deftly drift around corners, while also having a boost system and suspension that is unbelievable. Switching into Battle Mode is simple with the tap of a button (on a different control scheme that is) and the amount of weapons and enemy types available is great. It's challenging yet enjoyable and mixes it up from standard fights. Arkham Knight is jam packed with content, including tonnes of varied side missions, a fair amount of new AR challenges and a New Game Plus option that will definitely encourage you to replay it. To see the game's true ending though, you also need to complete most of the side missions. Complete them all and you can see the TRUE, true ending. This may annoy some as it requires you to get every single Riddler trophy and all of the villain's puzzles as well, but I found these more varied and easier to get than before and they are also in shorter supply so it's not a massive task. It's too early to call Arkham Knight game of the generation (though the graphics are the best I've seen yet) and it has some strong competition this year with Witcher 3 and MGSV. But after 61 hours with the game and seeing everything, it's the best I've played.

9.5 out of 10 (rounded up to 10) Battlefield is one of the most authentic shooting experiences on the market, priding itself on realistic graphics, amazing audioscapes and heart pounding, fist pumping bouts of destructive gameplay. Bad Company removes the overtly serious tone of the series, while retaining the same great mechanics and expanding upon them when needed. The first game proved to be an excellent start for a sub series that had indomitable potential. Its follow up is even better, uniting multiple disparate elements into a whole and proving itself to be one of the most enjoyable shooters ever created. Multiplayer has long been the strongest pillar of the Battlefield tower and that trend continues in this entry with more enjoyable modes (better than the singular one in the first) and a larger amount of unlocks and rewards. The games remain tense and somewhat strategic, as you work your way through large maps and pay great attention to your surroundings so as not to end up with a sniper's bullet lodged in the back of your skull. Gunplay is still fast and sudden, most firefights ending quickly and the ones that are stretched out always have a habit of concluding with one opponent getting killed by someone else in the world. Conquest is still the greatest mode of all, uniting many ideas into a successful and completely epic mission as you shoot your way through the largest scale version of Domination out of any multiplayer shooter. Destruction proved to be one of the most solid fearures of the last game and it is only improved upon here. Whole buildings can be toppled as you attempt to kill your camping foes. With the use of various explosive devices, you have multiple options open in how you work through the environment and how you approach your objectives. This makes the combat even more exciting and never knowing whether or not your seemingly impenetrable defences can come crashing down is such a thrilling moment of despair and uncertainty and the graphical fidelity remains impressive while online with dozens of other players. Traversal and navigation remains amazing on foot or in a vehicle, with incredibly realistic movement and handling in either land or air vehicles. Using tanks empowers you and gives you a sense of superiority over your rivals on the battlefield. While jets and helicopters require a little bit of skill to control, you are sure to eventually get the hang of things. Mantling and running is also excellent and it works in conjunction with the use of the gadgets and various other weapons in multiplayer. As I said before, gunplay is just great and the amount of variety within the armaments you can use is astounding and impressive. But while multiplayer may be the bread and butter of this experience, Bad Company 2 still supplies what is easily the best campaign in Battlefield history... Preston Marlowe and the rest of B-Company returns after the brilliant ending of the previous game and this time they're going up against a new Russian enemy. He's surprisingly memorable for a shooter antagonist (even though he's not on the level of Makarov from MW or Vaas from Far Cry) and while his grand plan is all about crippling the United States with nukes and his army, the history the game spans (starting in WWII) is fairly inspired. Travelling forwards in time and while the motives behind the return of the squad are a little mixed, I instantly loved being reacquainted with these excellent characters due to their nice sense of humour that keeps the dialogue out of the cliched and melodramatic category. That said, it does feel like this game has lost a little of its identity due to the darker tone and general lack of very funny moments. The level design in this game is nowhere near as open as it was in the first game and so it gains a fair amount of linearity to its objectives. However, this isn't really a bad thing. Confronting multiple objectives at once ensured the game lost some of its story structure and it removed the probability of big set piece moments. They are in abundance here, with a thrilling solo trek through the tundra, an open desert level that encourages vehicle use and the obligatory sniper level, which turns out to be fairly original in feeling. The campaign is a bit too short though and lacks the same great replay value as the first. Bad Company 2 is the ideal return for such an impressive sub series and with the improved campaign and standard for multiplayer shooters in the online space, it is an excellent step up from the starting experience. While it may lack in the same general sense of identity and open feeling that the first game had in abundance, it more than makes up for that with polished gameplay mechanics and a destructibility system that proves to be fairly innovative. Sure I love Battlefield 3, 4 and Hardline, but I'm still waiting for the next great sequel in this exciting sub series.

Licensed games have never gotten a particularly good rap, due to the fact that most of them are handled by developers without any real respect and confidence in the source material. But what if developers decided that rather than release a complete tie in, they could bring a movie to one of their existing and somewhat related games through the use of DLC? This is the case with Forza Horizon 2 presents Fast and Furious (a somewhat clunky title that should have been replaced with something like Forza: Furious 7). Rather than decide to create a linear arcade racer/action game, Sumo Digital (or Playground Games if you are on Xbox One) have combined the cars and characters of the popular film franchise with the gameplay and setting of the iconic racer. It may feel like a 4 hour glorified demo (especially when it is free for the first two weeks to celebrate the movie's release), yet I didn't mind when I was having such fun. The story utilises the vocal talents of Ludacris, who plays Tej Parker in the movies. His connection instantly gives this more of an identity and it's through him that all of the narrative is delivered. He gets a little over the top sometimes, but his joyous recordings add greatly to the brightness of tone for this expansion. Basically you play as the Horizon Festival 2014 winner and after your satisfying victory people have started to take notice of you. One of those people is Tej who needs your help in delivering ten select cars to his oft-mentioned crew (though there are 12 in total in the game). By completing a series of events and coming in the top spot you can win these much chased after rides and complete your goal. However, depending on the rarity and power of the vehicle you may have to complete more and more missions. The Plymouth Cuda is accessible after a race and another rather simple type of game mode. The Bugatti Veyron can only be obtained after you have won it in a race, set a cool speed record and travelled back to your garage with some slight perimeters. Every time you get one of the cars, you must take it back to the garage to basically finish the quest line. It may start off repetitive but when the fast travel option comes out it is infinitely more enjoyable than going through the process of driving kilometres back to your hideout can be a little annoying. The 3 hour campaign is diverse and well designed and while the story is by no means a deep and layered plot (are you expecting one from a Fast and Furious DLC pack?), it just works and it works so well that it almost feels like a proper single player story for Horizon. The events themselves are quite enjoyable with epic point to point races, lap based races, drag races (complete with nitrous), showcases and even sections where you must smash down objects within an allotted time limit. Racing a cargo plane or an army helicopter through the streets is thrilling and calls to mind the epic set pieces of the film series. You rarely feel like you're playing through an event similar to the one earlier on and this is also probably due to the fact that every one of the 12 unlockable cars feels remarkably different. They all handle in a unique way and you get to experiment with each one by being put into your new car straight away after you have won it. Every event has a predetermined car you must race in, but this just helps to let you get the feel of the vehicles. It you are expecting a levelling and popularity system then you may be disappointed. You simply earn skill points for the purpose of gaining easy achievements with no unlockable events by progressing through the ranks. This isn't a negative as this downloadable already has enough stuff going on- it's moreso a warning for those preparing for a big progression system. You also can't customize your cars, but each one is pre tuned and in a relatively good colour (though I wish I could change the wheels on my GTR). The side content on offer mostly consists of collectibles. There is one easy barn find and twenty reward signs, each gifting you with an awesome car. The signs themselves are well hidden and added more play time to my rather lengthy 100% run through (4 hours and 40 min). There are 134 roads as well, along with 11 speed traps/cameras. The open world itself is rather large and varied, even if it does generate from an area from Horizon 2. It fits well with the Fast and Furious locations, though depending on your console preference it may look a little different. On a One it's stunning. On 360 there are some bland textures, poor draw distances and less offroad areas. However, the great cars and cool songs remain no matter what version and there are even some new bucketlist challenges, which can be difficult. FH2: Fast and Furious may appear to be a rather showy demo, but the homages to both franchises it shows off make it worth a play if you're into either... or better yet both! The combination of both franchises is successful and completely fun in many ways!!!

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

For me, Assassin's Creed III was the one entry in the series that really made me sit up and just appreciate how good everything about the franchise is. What many didn't know however is that a spinoff PS Vita game was released at the same time with the subtitle of Liberation. It featured the first AC female protagonist, was set in New Orleans and took place around the same time as the events of Connor's quest, however it did feature more of a focus on the French Revolution as well. In this time of constant remasters and re-releases it is no surprise that a HD port of the game has been released. This is a great idea, as many die hard AC fans missed out on this game when it was exclusively released on Vita (however, many do love the series so much it's enough to get them to buy the new handheld...). But for those who have already bought the game, is it enough to warrant another purchase? In short, probably not unless you are a huge Creed lover, though those who haven't tried it should get right to it... First up, the improvements on offer, Being that it is in the title, high definition obviously plays into the visual improvements of this entry. Everything is so much prettier and it looks almost as good if not just as good as ACIII. The character models are more detailed, more attention has been payed to the environments and the animation work is more advanced. Along with this, you can expect a smooth experience with barely any bugs at all. I love it when my games look better, but what about new content? There are a few new side missions with each one catering towards the multiple personality game mechanic that makes this such an innovative entry in the series. That's about an hour of new stuff and there are some new collectibles, but none of it is outstanding. The real fun still comes from the main campaign and the gameplay which has thankfully retained all of its allure. The story centres around Aveline De Grandpre- a half French, half American lady who becomes caught up in the cause of the Assassins after the disappearance of her mother when she was young. You don't see Aveline go from a naive teenager to a mature adult killer across the course of the game and this is extremely refreshing. I was expecting another origin story that explains why Aveline wants to kill a tonne of Templars. What we get instead is a lack of overwrought exposition and that is probably the best thing about it all- this game assumes you've played a Creed title before and unlike other titles in the series it won't hold your hand for 3 hours. ACIII has a necessarily slow start, while this has a quick one. This diversity ensures that it can stand out from the game it is spinning off from. The length of the game is about 8 or so hours and as per usual there is a load of replayabilty if you plan on completing all of the sync challenges. The twist at the end is also great and recalls the stunning conclusion of the first Assassin's Creed. I won't spoil it any further, but I can say that this is a very accomplished, interesting narrative and while there are no present day missions, the future of the, well, future is looking good! Liberation is just as smooth to play as its bigger predecessors and this is great as the transition to consoles seems to have gone without a hitch. Combat is very similar to that of III, though Aveline is noticeably lighter and faster than Connor. She has plenty of new animations and while she doesn't come with a trusty Tomahawk, she has a small sugar machete, a blowpipe and other weapons and gadgets that make fighting both tactical and enjoyable. The counter and attack system just works well and I love pulling off brutal finishing moves on enemies. Stealth is given a small focus with missions that require you to not get detected, but this is more of a fast paced action game than a slower paced, sneaky one. Parkour is also very much like the systems of III and Black Flag, with responsive movements and great free running. The real innovation comes in the form of Aveline's three personas- the Slave, the Lady and the Assassin. The style you pick determines your method of gameplay and the side activities you complete. The side content itself is rather unremarkable, with some recruitment and assassination missions and collectibles that unlock cool bonuses, but nothing really noteworthy. The mission design is also a bit repetitive, with some chase and tail sequences that don't really stand alongside the greater moments of AC, like the battlefield attacks of III and the Queen Anne's Revenge part of IV. There are some stupid decisions as well, like the lack of parkour while playing as the Lady persona. Liberation is probably my least favourite in the Creed series and it certainly doesn't reach the staggering heights of the fourth of fifth games. Still, I would recommend it to anyone who loves the franchise or is interested in a more unique kind of Assassin's game- its greatest strength is difference from the others.

Far Cry has always flirted with supernatural themes and ideas. The third and fourth games featured hallucinogenic sequences and spinoff Blood Dragon was a ridiculous 80's themed neon adventure with giant creatures that roamed the lands. Valley of the Yetis is the supposedly final add on for Far Cry 4, offering the most complete expansion of the game to date after a frenetic mode, a day one side mission, a multiplayer pack and a 2 hour expansion that includes all of the 5 preorder missions and weapons. It offers up new tower defence mechanics, a large new enemy and even a campaign that takes the story of Ajay Ghale in exciting directions. It resets all of your progression and feels like a completely new Far Cry game in some instances. You don't even access it in game- Valley appears on the Chronicles side of the main menu, just under Escape from Durghesh if you did end up buying that as well. Of course the best part of this expansion comes through the use of the titular mythical beasts. They don't show up in the open world until after the second mission and my first two encounters were both scripted (the second relic mission tasked me with escaping one while I killed my first in the next mission). My favourite confrontations came in the open world and my first one saw me frantically bolting as I was chased by a rampaging Yeti. I was simply on the prowl for a side mission that was at the top of a mountain, when an inhuman roar came from behind me. The Yetis are highly intimidating, about twice the size of heavily armoured enemies and twice as tough. While I could quickly weaken them with four shots from my handheld grenade launcher, you never get rid of that sense of tension and I was always a little fearful as one of the beasts began to approach me. Once they are weakened you can jump on their backs for quick time finishing moves that will net you a bucketload of XP. The Yetis are introduced through the campaign and it is very interesting. Ajay wakes up in the titular valley after his chopper crashes in the frantic Escape from Durghesh. With his pilot gone and his gear taken, he must work his way through the lands to find his ally and build up his armoury once again. A mysterious cult stalks him, constantly trying to capture and sacrifice him to their mysterious gods, the Awakened (or the Yetis). Ajay begins to realise that everything is caused by a dangerous relic that must be destroyed before things get out of hand. With no help coming anytime soon and all communications cut off he must shoot his way through hordes of foes...alone! I love the set up of the story and while it ends abruptly, the cliffhanger finale is memorable and leaves the whole thing at a cool place. The mission design is fairly varied as well- I performed a prison breakout, escaped a dangerous cave and ambushed a convoy across the 5 hour runtime. It doesn't feel rushed and too short, like AC:Unity-Dead Kings and the length is just right. The thing I hate is that it doesn't have a memorable villain. The creepy Master Sandesh sounds appropriately insane and I saw a bit of potential in his menace, but you only talk to him over a radio and you never meet him. Plus, his motivations are a little mixed. There are 6 Relic missions, but the best quests come in the form of the 5 Night Raid missions that are placed in between each main campaign objective. They incorporate great tower defence elements and building up your relay station that you unlock after the first mission is rewarding and addictive. It's basically like controlling your own outpost and the sense of progression is great. You can buy most of the traps from the start, but taking on the 9 enjoyable (if repetitive) upgrade quests will gift you with some free parts to use back at the base. Each night gets progressively harder and the strategy associated with each one makes you look forward to them. While the Yetis make them even harder, these missions never get tiring and I wish there was an option to replay them after completion. On the topic of side content and there is noticeably a lack of meaningful activities to partake in. There are the aforementioned upgrade quests and there are some small convoy and assassination events, but there are no outposts outside of the relay station takedown and some small establishments in the open world with alarms, but there are no true bases to take over. This ****, as these are my favourite parts of Far Cry and so is the progression system. While earning my skills all over again doesn't bother me too much as you get experience at a fast rate, finding weapons in the valley or waiting for them to unlock can leave you at a disadvantage and I wish there were maps to buy, as finding skin chests for the rare skins can be annoying. Valley of the Yetis removes outposts, resets your progression and has the lack of a cool bad guy, but the tower defence, the yetis themselves and the beautiful snow covered world makes up for those few shortcomings.

Far Cry 4 has a season pass, pretty much like every single big game these days. Thing is, Ubisoft are taking a rather unique approach to it. While there is still the obligatory pack that includes all of the pre-order bonuses (though that Hurk Deluxe pack is surprisingly awesome), there is a multiplayer centric add on, an exclusive day one mission, a new campaign and then this- the Escape from Durghesh Prison mode. It uses permadeath, a time limit and reset progression to make it the most challenging Far Cry experience in the series' history. However, not all of these mechanics work to the advantage of the add on and that's before you see the ridiculous price that it's going for out of the pass... You play as Ajay Ghale once again, waking up in a bell tower as the voice of Pagan Min rings in your ears. As you get up he tells you that you are stuck in the area of Durghesh and that a Golden Path extraction team will be at a specific spot in the place within half an hour. The thing is, you start with no weapons, no skills and only your wingsuit, grappling hook and machete to help. You even have to recraft all of your pouch upgrades! This actually suits the DLC though and building up Ajay in less than 2 hours is a rewarding yet frantic experience. Speaking of 2 hours, you can stretch the gameplay out to that time. As Pagan explains, every activity you partake in will net you with bonuses like better weapons, skill points and of course sizeable amounts of more time. You can try your hand at liberating a smaller outpost, complete a Karma event, do a small assassination or hostage rescue quest or even just find some collectibles like propaganda and mani wheels. There is a great amount of variety and all of this content can keep you playing until you have hours left on the clock and the online leaderboards actually persuade you to play the mode for as long as you possibly can. The game does use permadeath though and this can make things frustrating. The 10 minute extraction time is way too long as 10 minutes of straight fighting is tiresome and too difficult. When you die with only 1 minute left, then you'll see how unforgiving the experience is at you are sent all the way back to the start, though you do get to keep all of your skills, weapons and crafting materials. There are just way too many mechanics in this DLC that are making it harder than it needs to be. Remove the permadeath and keep the time limit and extraction time or just do the reverse, but all of these features shouldn't be crammed in at the same time. I also don't like how expensive it all is. $15 for a maximum of 2 hours and maybe some replayability is way too much, especially when the 6 hour Yeti campaign is going for the same price. If you're gonna get it, buy the season pass first. In the end I do believe that the best way to play this is in co-op as going through the mode with another player is more rewarding and suits the style of this mode than it does the main game. I liked Escape and the mechanics are interesting, but they do make it way too frustrating and that pricing is ridiculous and I think it should go for a third of the actual amount of money. If you desperately want some more Far Cry, have a friend to play through it with, are looking for a new form of shooting mode or just have the season pass then I would recommend this to you, but if you prefer traditional Far Cry or like value for money, then I would skip this. It's still pretty though, controls well and the area is an expanded version of the northern part of the base game, but the ideas don't always back it up well enough. The what if? scenario does help to make it more enticing, but Valley of the Yetis is where it's at...

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The Call of Duty series was fairly mediocre when it came to DLC... but then the original Black Ops turned up and surprised everyone. Its sequel had an even better run, though Infinity Ward didn't have as much luck with an underwhelming set of add ons. However, IW was redeemed with a rather good take on extra content for its rather disappointing new gen effort, Ghosts. Seeing as how Advanced Warfare is the best in the series (at least in my opinion anyway), will it deliver just as good a set of packs to live up to the main game? Or will its ambition cause it to fall foul of a bad season pass run? Well, going off this first pack, it certainly seems like Sledgehammer knows what they are doing... Starting with the new gun and it's one of the coolest weapons in the game- I'd say it's the best of the four previous DLC guns to show up in the COD add ons. The AE4 is a laser gun with unlimited ammo, great reload times and a nice damage count. It also has a pretty good fire rate, even if it overheats quickly. No matter as it's still awesome and the futuristic yellow/red design makes it stand out even more. It also has a variant in the form of the Widowmaker, which is a blue version that comes in a supply drop. Overall it's a great gun, neither overpowered or weak and just right. Now onto the maps. The first one is Sideshow and it's my least favourite- then again, every map in this pack is so good that this one is still great fun to play on. It's set at an abandoned clown inn off the side of a busy highway. It is delightfully creepy and my phobia of clowns means that whenever I enter a room full of them, I get pretty creeped out. It encourages all forms of play, with great lines of sight for snipers, plenty of cover for mid range gunners and some tight interiors that are great for those who want to get up close and personal. I didn't like how empty some parts can feel and some kills can be cheap, but the unique dynamic event when bombs pop out of the clown sign is pretty silly, but can also turn almost any game mode into Uplink. The explosive results are pretty entertaining. The next map,Drift, is the standard snow map to come with the DLC. It is my second least favourite/third favourite due to the fact that it feels like it should have been bundled in with the main game and that it isn't inspired enough to really stand out. Aside from those negatives, it is actually pretty damn amazing. There are two cool features that make it worth you time though- a carousel that spins you around 360 degrees for maximum view of the wide environment and an avalanche that comes in at a certain time to wipe out players and to change up the environment with a snow covered design. There are multiple buildings to go inside, a fair few levels and a train at the end that can be jumped on (it is stationary though). There is a lot of cover and some good close quarters action, making this a fairly solid map. I'm kind of tied as to my favourites on the last two maps, so I'll start with Core. It initially appears bland, with its wrecked environments and the large amount of sand. The few purple areas are pretty, but that's it. Then you realise how much verticality is available. Jumping around in the exosuit is fun and this encourages you to. The drills are also pretty cool and can change up your shooting if you put a few bullets under them, while there are some winding puzzles and a scorestreak that summons a 'clean up crew'... The final map is Urban and i would liken it to the Nuketown of Advanced Warfare. It's small and futuristic and is full of some great action packed moments, with tonnes of close and mid range shooting to be had. It's a little static and I wish I could ride the hoverbike at the centre of it, but the neon blues and future-like ads surrounding the place makes it a fairly unique choice, even if the map name is pretty generic. The final piece of content in this pack is... Exo Zombies! The popular mode is back with its first new chapter- Outbreak. While it kind of **** that Advanced Warfare doesn't have its own unique co-op mode with Zombies and Survival appearing in other games, but this experience is so different from anything that's come before. You can play as any one of the four celebrities- John Malkovich, Bill Paxton, Jon Berthnal and Rose Mcgowan- and there is yet another big Easter egg to work through if you want to obtain the final prize. There are new perks like Exo Soldier, as well as new power ups like Security, new wonder weapons like the CEL-6 Cauterizer and new zombie types. The Exo suit brings the most improvements, even though you don't start with it and must instead trek across the place for a few rounds to reach it. It's a small, tight and tough map, but I love it! I've put 5 hours into this and can't wait to play more of it. Havoc is a brilliant start to the season, with four great maps, an awesome new weapon and the best Zombies mode yet. In fact I wouldn't buy this if you don't like zombies.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Survival horror has come back in a big way over the last two years. Amnesia and Outlast are leading the charge with indie scares, while the triple A creeps of the Evil Within and Alien:Isolation have ensured that the big publishers are still interested in delivering quality horror games. Steam Greenlight is one of the many services that is encouraging small developers to bring out their dream projects and Scott Cawthon is one of the many developers to embrace this service. Five Nights at Freddy's embraces the current trend of not allowing you to fight back against your enemies... and that takes that further by not allowing you to run or hide either. It's a silly sounding premise with evil teddy bears and bunnies after you, but this is one of the greatest horror games of our time... and it's all built on jump scares. You play as security guard, Mike Schmidt. He has taken a low wage job at the popular eatery Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. It's a lovely place during the day and brings joy to many children, with its kid-friendly design and "cute" animatronic animals. Then it goes dark. When it reaches 12am... things start to happen. You've taken the night shift and you simply have to sit in your office and watch cameras. However, the animals seem to move and some of them move fast... It is a very simple premise, but the game builds up its story through some deceptive phone messages that also tutorials and also through the environment. Apparently, the animals are so evil because a man stole a Freddy suit in 1987 and abducted a bunch of children- all of who were never seen again. Apparently they stop their charge for human blood at 6am for unknown reasons. Apparently they stuff you into an empty suit when you caught... and put a metal skeleton through you. It's some creepy stuff and after this game, you'll never look at animatronics the same way again. Gameplay-wise, there is almost nothing to this game. You sit in an office the whole time, checking cameras, turning your head and clicking buttons to turn on lights and at the worst possible time, shut doors. You need to survive for around 8 or 10 minutes in real time and the only way to do this is to monitor the creatures. When they get close you shut the doors. However, you have to be quick with the fast Foxy and the massive Freddy. Once the animals get in the room, you cop a jump scare. So what's to keep you from shutting the doors the whole time- power. You have a constantly dwindling power supply and every action saps your electricity budget. Even staying still and not touching anything will drain power, due to a constantly running light and fan. When all the power runs out, you are pretty much doomed unless it quickly hits the magical number of 6am and the night ends. But once you see the screaming face of an animal on your screen... you're already dead. After the third night where things really hit the peak, it becomes very repetitive. The game never fully advances and you don't learn any new skills or moves. While the animals become more active and you're more likely to be killed by Foxy or Freddy, there are some really cheap deaths on display and the game can become immensely frustrating. The main five night campaign takes around 1 hour, but you also unlock a 6th night and a more inviting Custom Night. The thing is, once you've finished all of this and earned three stars, you won't want to really play this again and you may not even get through the bonuses. The only seeming Easter Egg is an annoying Golden Freddy who crashes the game and he's easily unlockable. The graphics are also very poor. It may be a one man team making this, but this looks like something out of the 90's. The sound design is very good though, with a haunting atmosphere, a darkly creepy voice over from "Phone Guy" and a startling amount of screams and yells. Play this with headphones if you want nightmares. Five Nights is only around $5 which is a good price for what you get. It is definitely scary in some places and is designed well, but repetition and a lack of replayability hold it back. If the next time we go to Freddy's manages to innovate a little, then Scott will have a real winner on his hands.

Let me start by saying Ghosts is my least favourite Call of Duty. Yes I still am giving it an 8 and as I have mentioned in previous reviews, I am not a fanboy for COD or Battlefield. I like both series and simply believe that while Ghosts is not the most innovative entry in the series, it still provides plenty of fun and it certainly shows the strength of this series when my least favourite entry gets a high score. The real reason that Ghosts doesn't impress me as much as other entries- it is the first COD to come to new gen systems and it completely messes up this opportunity. Rather than bringing revolutionary new innovation to the new platforms like the original MW did, we get the same old multiplayer, the same old campaign and the same old co-op modes. But that doesn't mean it ****... As per usual, I will start with the most important part of the game- the multiplayer. It retains the scorestreak systems of BLOPSII which is great, but the lack of the excellent Pick 10 system feels like a step back. That said, the Create A Class options are greatly expanded and now you can have multiple characters with each one having up to 6 loadouts. While it will take a lot of time to unlock all of these options, the progression has now been enhanced so that a new Squad Points system rewards you per game and per achievements. With the points you can unlock plenty of gear which is similar to the BLOPSII points system, but it all feels more accessible. Back to the customization and now you can finally pick the uniforms for your characters, their names, their tags and best of all... their genre. I had a great time creating my dream soldier and while the options still have room for improvement, the amount of content on display is even more enriching than per usual. What else is new? A companion app gives you even more options when it comes to creating and customizing your clan and the online features encourage eSports greatly. The maps are probably the most advanced part of the MP with the new dynamic events ranging from cool to gimmicky. There are plenty of good maps, but I am yet to find an instant classic after playing every one of them. The new modes are fun, but will hardly affect the great amount of TDM, FFA and CTF matches. Blitz and Cranked are fun, fast paced modes that take advantage of the mortality of the player, but I still prefer the standard modes. Along with this, Field Orders are now a part of the game and these challenges show up after the first kill. Obtain the blue, floating briefcase, complete the feat (headshots, 3 consecutive kills etc.) and you'll earn a care package. I like the idea of this, but it isn't a game changer. In the end, Ghosts is the same old COD MP and that is alright because it is some of the best multiplayer on the market, but it certainly leaves you feeling like the series is in need of a rethink... that's why we have Advanced Warfare I suppose, but anyway back to Ghosts and the mixed results of the campaign... In the previews for it, this game seemed to display something COD rarely achieves- a good campaign. Apparently you would play as the same character for the whole game (not true), the dog Riley would be a big part of it (uh-uh) and the story would be a family drive drama (I'm gonna laugh at that!). Ghosts doesn't try to be something it's not, but I'm not sure if I support that. I would have liked to see a bit of depth in the characters, even if it did feel forced, but the hollow shell of a protagonist and the cliched story makes this feel like a compilation of every average shooter campaign across the course of the last five years. The locations and set pieces are still inspired and I like the idea of a crack military team called the "Ghosts", but the weak story and repetitive design make this a campaign that won't stand out as a COD favourite. There are four modes in Ghosts instead of three, with the ambitious Squads a mix between multiplayer and co-op. I still don't get the entire premise. Basically you and your clan build a squad and spare spots are left to the AI. You take your squad online to fight others after that and level up. It's a nice premise but it isn't fleshed out enough to be a worthy diversion from MP. However, it is your gateway to playing the returning Survival mode which is always a great option. The final mode is called Extinction and its a campaign that sees you fighting off waves of weird aliens to defend a drill that completes your objectives. It's a little Left 4 Dead, a little COD: Zombies and its can be fun with three other friends, but it isn't as accessible as the Zombies mode and the lack of a feeling progress when you die is annoying. Best of all however, you can rank up, unlock weapons and gadgets and also purchase skills for your select class. Nice! Ghosts is fun. However, the lack of innovation and fleshed out ideas in every mode shows why this series was in desperate need of change before Advanced Warfare...

Every year a new Call of Duty releases. Every year they sell over 20 million copies and break new records. Every year they receive their fair share of haters and naysayers, but the next year those same people will buy it again. While COD has only recently innovated in Advanced Warfare (7 years after the most revolutionary title in the series, Modern Warfare), each entry is fun and worth a play- even if we get a dud here and there like with last year's Ghosts. In my opinion though, no title has been anywhere near as good as the game I am currently reviewing- Black Ops II. It is easily the best game in the entire series and is one of my favourite games. Why? Well there are three reasons- the multilayered campaign, the addictive multiplayer and the ever amazing Zombies mode... Let's start with the multiplayer. The standard levelling and progression systems remain, but it isn't like they need an overhaul. However, this time better bonuses and unlockables can be acquired and the amount of content is still staggering. However, it is never overwhelming due to a user friendly interface and layout. New modes are also featured, with Hardpoint being a fairly good option for a few games. The new maps are just as memorable as that of the first as well. A map set at a rocket base, a map within a Hollywood mansion, a map within a cruise ship... Nuketown returns as a free DLC with its own 2025 makeover as well! The design of the maps is inspired and while you will spend most of your time running around and shooting people, Easter Eggs are hidden within each location as well. You can play a game of basketball on Raid or find Batman on Hijacked... The work within these maps is staggering. Of course, there is still plenty of innovation at work with a new Scorestreak system that encourages you to help your team and complete objectives so that you can earn UAVs, Care Packages or even Chopper Gunners. I like this new system and Create A Class has managed to advance a lot by taking things away- particularly the amount of stuff you can take. You can pick 10 slots, whether it be perks, weapons or attachments and while this option can be changed offline, it encourages you to think when playing online. Speaking of offline, it is still worth playing locally for a few hours if you're in the mood for some brainless fun with friends. Multiplayer is the go to mode for this game, just like it is with every COD, but the campaign is finally amazing... The real innovation in the story for this game is that it lets you pick how the narrative plays out. There are only three major choices to take, with the smaller ones only changing a few cutscenes or lines of dialogue. However, these three choices lead to separate endings that will dramatically affect the outcome of the characters. I love this style of decisions that aren't apparent and that will subtly change the game originally, before completely ripping it apart. As for the story, well, it's excellent! Starting off in the 1980s, it charts a personal story throughout the Mason family. Raul Menendez is one of the most sympathetic villains in COD history and is easily the best. He has a large story arc and you spend a whole level as him just to see what it's like in his shoes. He was a key villain throughout the early Cold War and now he wishes to begin a new one decades later in the near future setting of 2025. Of course Alex has a son and his youngster, David, is there to stop his father's old foe. Familiar faces return like Woods and Reznov and they provide exposition to the story, but also enhance it in a great manner. Surprisingly, there is an emotional depth and an amount of gravitas in this story that has never been seen in COD and that is what makes this campaign stick out. Of course, enough innovation has been provided so that this campaign is the most varied and advanced in the history of the franchise. You now have the option to pick your loadouts before missions and collectibles actually have an impact on the narrative. There are also real-time strategy missions that see you directing squads and jumping between soldiers, trying to attack or defend or a point. They also change the outcome of your campaign and remain for a limited time so you really have to jump into them straight away. Along with this, the set pieces are bigger and better than ever. An opening boat chase, a drone run through the streets and an infiltration mission on a futuristic resort... COD is still the Micheal Bay of games. Along with this, the beloved Zombies mode returns with a new open world "Tranzit" design that fleshes out the narrative, provides a new boss and puts you in the roles of likeable new characters. There are also smaller maps and more modes and the new guns and perks are appreciated. I've always liked Zombies and while the DLC maps are way better, the base ones are still worth a play. BLOPSII is awesome and is my favourite Call of Duty. The campaign, the online, the Zombies...play it!

9.5 out of 10 (rounded up to 10) Treyarch has been wrongly criticized in the past. While Infinity Ward gives us Modern Warfare, Treyarch just sticks with a World At War. While Inifinity Ward decides to stomp on innovation, Treyarch experiments with new things- not always to success, but who blames them? With Black Ops, fans finally accepted Treyarch, even though they still stuck to the past. The thing is, they crawled out of their muddy trench to deliver an intense Cold war thriller that doesn't pull any punches and also provides the right amount of innovation to propel this series for another year. Between a brilliant campaign, addictive multiplayer and the outrageously fun Zombies mode, Black Ops triumphs as the fourth best COD in the series... Let's begin with the main attraction, the multiplayer. While it certainly isn't a revolution, it is an utterly polished and infinitely replayable experience. The new modes are fast paced and fun and TDM and FFA are still excellent. Rather than sticking to my guns, I experimented with new modes for fun and found myself enjoying the game even more. The levelling and progression systems haven't innovated too much, but they are still well designed and easier to comprehend than Battlefield (before anybody screams hate at me for saying that, I am not a fanboy for either of them and believe they are as good as one another). The Create A Class and customization options are where this game really shines, where the better interfaces and menus make for a more accessible experience. The large range of perks and scorestreaks means that your experience can be incredibly different from anyone else's and there is a large amount of gear that just caters to newbies (or noobies). As for the guns- by god are they amazing! Each one feels different and the awesome amount of upgrades and levelling turns this into an RPG for weapons. You can get your weapons gold or diamond and the amount of clan options makes this mode an even more desired option. The party modes are also great, with gun game easily being the best. While all of this may be amazing, the maps are some of the best in COD history. Nuketown is an excellent setting and is an instant classic, with its bright colours and small, intense design. While there are a few too many snow maps, Firing Range is another classic and the jungle and city set maps are also great. Black Ops embraces the intense, close quarters combat of the series and this is its greatest strength. Then there are the zombies. One of the most surprising things about World At War was its unlockable Zombies mode and that returns for BLOPS, but you can play one of the maps from the start while the other two are only obtainable after completing the campaign. This is agood design decision, as this is one of the best co-op experiences in all of history. It starts off easy, but as you progress, the zombies get faster, the hordes get larger and hellhounds appear. The main map is nothing compared to BLOPSII and its Transit, but it is arguably more focused and just better. The amount of hidden secrets constantly encourages replayability and this mode has that "just one more go" mentality about it. It keeps the money and weapons systems and the intense difficulty and isn't a large step up form WAW, but who cares? Zombies!!! The last of the three modes in BLOPs is the campaign. While it isn't as shocking as MW2, it is just as good. The set pieces continue to increase in size and scale, with a crossbow focused snow level, the opening sequence and the final attack being particular highlights. There are the usual collectibles and replaying the campaign isn't a bad option, but this an experience to be had just once, simply because the final twist just doesn't have the same impact the second time around. The story sees you playing as Alex Mason- a soldier who has been captured and is undergoing interrogation, due to his suspicious behaviour and potential involvement in a terrorist attack. The whole game recounts his adventures, but you will occasionally switch roles for a greater narrative base. The characters are memorable and the fairly good looking graphics engine ensures that it can all be pulled off in an incredibly realistic and atmospheric way. The Cold War backdrop is what really give this game its legs, what with it seemingly being the perfect time period for a COD game. I love this campaign and it is easily one of the best in the series. Everything about BLOPs is polished and well executed. It controls well, the performances and score are brilliant and it looks great as well- even 4 years on. The campaign, multiplayer and Zombies mode still aren't highly innovative, but who cares? This is some of the best fun in COD in years. Treyarch is better than Infinity Ward anyway...

9.5 out of 10 (rounded up to 10). When the first Modern Warfare came out, it was a well received, game changing, revolutionary title. When the second Modern Warfare came out, it broke all kinds of commercial records and was critically acclaimed, even if it was nowhere near as innovative as the original. MW3 is another incredibly polished, endlessly fun title that may not change the series too much but is amazing in its own way, due to the fact that Infinity Ward encountered numerous layoffs, the firing of its leads and multiple legal troubles. The fact that it has come out as the fifth best COD title around makes it all the better and the fact that it broke even more records than the previous game has insured that there will be plenty more Call of Duty games to come from Infinity Ward. The story picks up straight after the end of MW2, with Soap rushed to a hidden base as he slowly bleeds out. As the defibrillators crackle to life, the title flashes onto the screen. It's an atmospheric beginning and itt certainly sets up the dark, yet explosive journey ahead. If you have ever played a COD before, you'll know what to expect- multiple plot twists, bombastic set pieces, quick time events... The thing is, it is possible to become emotionally invested in this campaign as multiple characters die and Makarov's end game comes to light. He is truly one of the scariest villains in all of gaming and the armed forces fight to stop him is noble and long (even if the campaign is only 6 or so hours). The acting is still fairly impressive and the level design is linear, if entertaining. The set pieces continue to increase in scale and size as well. You'll engage in a thrilling car chase, a submarine take down and the destruction of the Eiffel Tower in a decimated Paris. It is like three Micheal Bay blockbusters wrapped up in a shiny disc and case. As per usual, the levels have multiple collectibles, varying difficulty levels and a few Easter Eggs so the replayability is still fairly high. The bite sized levels certainly suit this style. The campaign may be fun, but come on! Most people play these games for the multilayer. A bunch of new modes feature and each one is fairly good. Infected is the real standout and the cat and mouse gameplay built into it makes it tense and rewarding, as you fight to become the last man standing on the map. The maps themselves are well designed and a few really stand out. Dome in particular is tiny, but can be drawn in comparison to Nuketown. It's a fast and frenetic map and one that has become an instant classic. However, there are also maps set in train stations and (of course) war torn villages. There isn't a truly bad map, with each one accommodating to various play styles. But let's talk shooting. It has barely changed from the previous games- in fact, I don't think it has changed at all. The controls and specs are the same, but the new weapons and gear help to change up the experience. It still plays silky smooth and is still buckets of fun. The customization hasn't really changed, with the same Create a Class and killstreaks systems and it keeps the renowned progression and levelling mechanics of the previous entries. There are plenty of options and a lot of content. In short, MW3 is essential if you're one to get addicted to multiplayer easy. However, there is one more section to sum up... Spec Ops return and they are still challenging, yet addictive. There are multiple new objectives, ranging from obtaining kills, to completing a level in a time limit, to just making it through a section in one piece. They are still perfect for co-op play and split screen is great with a friend. The set piece moments and variety will keep you coming back and the online competition is ripe. But there is still one more mode within this section. While the Chaos mode is DLC focused, Survival is one of the best parts of the game. Many would say that it is basically Zombies with humans, but while the large maps, increasing difficulty, wave based system and starting pistol swing the pendulum into the middle, the levelling system, large amount of unlockables and character variety make it stand out as the more content packed mode. The ability to pick any one of a load of weapons also separates it and while money can be earned, it can buy more than weapons and can also buy you killstreaks and gadgets. Survival is the real standout part of MW3 and playing with a friend is almost essential. MW3 keeps the money train rolling with an explosive and sincere campaign, brilliant multiplayer, highly replayable Spec Ops and an addictive Survival mode. What it lacks in innovation, it more than makes up for with content and fun. Be prepared to answer the Call of Duty.

9.5 out of 10 (rounded up to 10). When did Call of Duty become the ultimate cash cow franchise? Many claim it was with the original Modern Warfare, but the dud that came in the next year, World At War, proved that the series may have just been a one hit wonder. Then came MW2. This series wasn't going to hold back just because it hadn't made it as big on one entry. Modern Warfare 2 is the ideal sequel. It has better graphics, a better story, better set pieces, better gunplay and of course, better multiplayer. While it isn't a massive step forward for the series and is content to rest on its laurels in some spots, this is simply because it was so far ahead of any competition at the time. The thing that makes Call of Duty so popular is its accessibility. At almost any time, you can just pick up a controller and start playing. The gunplay is easy to get the hang of, but incredibly difficult to master. No two guns feel the same and no matter if you're hip firing or looking through a sight, it just reacts quickly and plays smoothly. The movement handles in the right way and while there isn't a sticky cover system like in Gears of War, crouching and returning fire is just as satisfying. Melee an enemy and while the impact is unrealistic, the quick stab is perfect if you want to end things quickly. COD may be lacklustre nowadays, but its gameplay is still as smooth and polished as possible. But while we can talk all we want about the controls and the shooting, what about the actual content? The campaign itself is no longer than that of the original and while it may not have the complexity or originality of the first game, it certainly ratchets up the tension with shocking twists, crazy set pieces and cool new characters. It continues directly on from the original game, except now a new enemy has arisen. Makarov is undoubtedly one of the scariest villains in all of gaming and the lengths he will go to to attain what he wants makes this as much a thriller as it is a shooter. One oof the first few levels in this game firmly makes that point stick in your mind, as you are forced to watch hundreds of innocent civilians get mowed down. The infamous "No Russian" level still holds up and is still difficult to get through. While you may have played GTA, that series is based around the point of going out and killing plenty of people in crazy ways. The realistic terrorism themes at the heart of COD make this more controversial than it needs to be. That level aside, the game is truly amazing and the story is blistering and action-packed. While no level may ever reach the heights of "All Ghillied Up", a certain few come close here and the set pieces range from an attack on the white house, to a stealth level in the snow to a final showdown on jet skis. This is action at its absolute best and not many series do explosions and shootouts better than Call of Duty. There is certainly a large amount of replayability to the game, what with the multiple collectibles, the many difficulty levels and the Epilogue level in a Call of Duty museum, but one mode takes replayability to its extremes. Spec Ops consists of a series of mini objectives that have a score and ranking system. Every challenge can be completed in co-op and a select few make teaming up with a buddy essential. There are even a few Spec Ops missions that recall the original game's sniper level and this is even better when played with a buddy. You can easily put as much, if not more time, into this mode as you do in the single player campaign. It's a bonus that most of these are really fun and endlessly enjoyable. But I can't put it off any longer- it's time to talk about multiplayer. The best part of COD gets even better in MW2, with a range of new modes, unlockables and maps, including some instant classics such as the rather large "Terminal". In all, the new features aren't a massive step forward, but the Create A Class system is a large enhancement and the range of perks and scorestreaks is impressive. Sniping is one of the strengths online and learning how to handle a scoped rifle may be key to your success. However, you really do have multiple options when it comes to fighting. You can run and gun, pick off enemies at long range or (if you're a really annoying player) camp. The options open are vast and while you may run into some fairly rage worthy situations, the game is consistently entertaining. The RPG like levelling system is still well handles and the offline levelling means that you can enjoy your split screen even more. Modern Warfare 2 is fantastic and is easily the second best COD. It could be said that the series fell into a monotonous rut here, but back in 2009 it was incredibly impressive. In all fairness, it still is and deserves a large amount of recognition.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The last few Transformers games have been surprisingly excellent. War for Cybertron was great, Dark of the Moon was alright and Fall of Cybertron is one of the best licensed games ever, this side of Batman: Arkham City.Rise of the Dark Spark is in a very tricky position. It is a movie tie in game. The story sees it combining the Micheal Bay and High Moon universes. It's the first Transformers game on new gen consoles. It is releasing after the superb Fall of Cybertron. It isn't developed by High Moon Studios. Frankly, you would be hard pressed to find a greater amount of problems. In the end, Dark Spark succumbs to the pressure, even if it does put up one hell of a fight to stay above the average bar it has so easily slunk into. The gameplay of Dark Spark is probably the best part- so long as you stay in robot form. The characters all feel different and respond really well. They move fine and while I rarely dashed or ran, it's all there if you need it. What I mean is that the combat is simply outstanding. There is an amazingly diverse range of weapons, with each one having separate challenges, upgrades and unlockables. While they are all noticeably styled after real life forms of weapons (shotguns, assault rifle etc.), the heavy weapons are where things get really cool. There are guns that shoot blades, guns that shoot acid and even guns that allow you to mind control your foes. While the game is astoundingly hard (mostly due to poor design choices which we'll get to later), I always enjoyed trying out new weapons and taking out hordes of bad guys (so long as they were standard bots). The melee is rarely needed, but it usually results in an insta kill and Optimus Prime has a devastating spinning attack. Every character also has a special ability. Optimus has a useful shield, whereas Soundwave has two smaller bots inside of him that are only really used for story purposes. Then there's Drift- his dash blade attack looks cool, but sloppily functions and underperforms. While every character feels different, not every character has as much polish. There are a lot of Transformers in the game, with 25 Autobots and 19 Decepticons. While the 14 mission campaign only gives you access to around 13 characters, you can unlock the others through Gear Boxes for use in the online Escalation mode. Gear Boxes can be earned through completing challenges and levelling up. Initially I loved digging into a new box. Getting cool rewards like new guns and characters feels great, but as I proceeded I began to grow tired of cycling through the unlocks. This is mainly due to the fact that you eventually start to get the same unlocks from the same boxes, with the random structure of these rewarding cases meaning that you could get 4 IronHides or 10 Neutron Assault Rifles. There are a lot of challenges and distinctions, which function across both single player and online. There are also collectibles, so there is room for a lot of replayability in your pursuit to unlock everything and reach level 25. However, the lack of substantial rewards means that you'll probably leave the game before you get what you were going for. Story wise, the game varies. The Dark Spark is a great Macguffin and I absolutely loved some of the levels, such as Grimlock's. However, the joining of the two worlds is poorly explained and you only get to spend about 5/14 levels on Earth. With the other 9 being Cybertronian, it feels like a retread of the previous game and the boring villains and bland characterisation doesn't do much to differentiate it. While it isn't hugely convoluted, the plot is too over-the-top for it's own good. The graphics and sound certainly don't help. The bland and ugly Earth environments don't really make you feel like you're travelling the globe and most of Cybertron is spent indoors, rather than out in the mostly good looking spacious areas. The character models are fairly detailed, but for some reason the cutscenes look like they had a jar of vaseline smeared over them. The repetitive dialogue and score are also boring. Escalation mode is one of the highlights oof the game, with some well structured co-op and entertaining level design. The gradual difficulty increases are also nice. There's plenty to do, but unfortunately it gets very familiar, a lot like the rest of the game. You always feel like you've been there and done that, which is fairly upsetting. The old saying 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' doesn't apply here, as Edge of Reality have created more problems. In the end, Dark Spark has a lot of things hampering it. The fluctuating difficulty, horrible enemy AI and lack of diversity hurt. So does the bad checkpointing and repetitive gameplay. The ugly graphics, lack of key vehicle sections and bad sound design are nasty. While Escalation mode works well, the gameplay is fairly good and the amount of characters is great, the negatives mess with the positives so that Rise of the Dark Spark becomes average quickly.

Survival horror has had a great comeback as of late. This resurgence is mainly due to the defiant spirit of indie developers and their studios. Amnesia is one of the most popular horror games out and not only is this due to some interesting mechanics and a great grasp over fear, but also because the game has left out one feature that modern horror games seem to think is essential- combat. Rather than gearing up with some melee weapons and a shotgun, all you have in these types of run-and-hide games are your wits and your trusty lantern/torch/camera etc. It adds a unique twist to gameplay and makes Outlast the most terrifying game I have ever played. You play as Miles Upshur- an investigative journalist who gets a tip to take a trip to Mount Massive Asylum. A whistleblower has come out and expressed their disdain over the operations going down at the creepy establishment. The Asylum was closed down in the 70's, but Murkoff Advanced Systems reopened the place in 2009. The thing is, Murkoff isn't trustworthy and their experiments on the patients at the Asylum aren't exactly hidden to the public. If Miles can figure out what is going on, then his career will get the boost he's always wanted. That is if he can survive the night... The story isn't the standout part of Outlast. In fact, it is probably the weakest component and the reason it receives a 9. It starts off fairly intriguing and the continuing twists and turns led me to believe that this could be another cliched religious-fanatic-goes-crazy story, but it actually surprises- not in a good way though. I would have preferred the previous approach, as the final twist is cartoonish and outlandish and almost ruins the experience. It feels like the twist at the end of a Scooby Doo cartoon and that isn't cool. The repetitive objectives also don't help the storytelling. You normally have to activate three objects to proceed and this is certainly tense the first time. While activating generators appears to be tedious, the circumstances are absolutely, horrifyingly amazing. It's pitch black and a knife wielding maniac is after you, with the only light coming from your night vision camera or from the generators activated. However, it gets boring when you have to turn more pumps and valves and switches- of which there are plenty. So, story and objectives are a let down. Are the scares and gameplay? Absolutely not. They're almost perfect. As mentioned, you can't fight. You can only run and hide (and scream). Most of the time you'll be avoiding the hulking monster Chris Walker. If he gets a hold of you, it's an insta kill. He is certainly the most terrifying creature in the game. His mashed in head and giant figure certainly make him intimidating and your only clue as to his presence normally comes from a sound cue and the clink of his ball and chain. But Walker isn't the only thing after you. There are plenty of inmates out for you blood and more than a few set pieces put some nasty creatures after you. In particular, a doctor with a giant pair of scissors and two nude men with some deadly blades. I love the amount of variety in the character models and the monster designs, even if the patients start to look the same. Your greatest asset in Outlast is your trusty camera. Not only is it used to record events (which are like collectibles), but it also has a secondary night vision mode. Seeing as how most of the game is set in pitch black darkness, it certainly helps if you need to get your bearings. It also provides the terror of the game. Sneaking across a courtyard at night with only your camera to help you is terrifying and while you can switch the mode on and off to save battery, this is where most of the jump scares occur. Of course, you DO need to save battery. They are in supply and I normally had about 7 out of 10 batteries at a time, but even reaching 3 batteries made me nervous. Outlast always keeps you on the edge of your seat and this is just another terrifying technique. Outlast is so damn scary because the scares are nowhere near as predictable as the objectives. You never know when the next jump scare will occur, who your next foe will be and whether or not the patients will ignore you, run away from you or attack you. Outlast does horror and it does it damn good. While I played on the Normal difficulty, horror fanatics can always try Hard or (once they finish the game) the **** Nightmare mode. This makes enemies more aware of you, lessens your resistance to attacks and also limits batteries. The graphics in Outlast are surprisingly good for an indie developer (by good I mean realistic) and the sound design is outstanding. The controls are simple but work well and while it only took me 4 and a half hours to finish the game, it's more about the quality than the quantity. Outlast stumbles when it comes to story and variety, but it leaps and bounds as a horror experience. I plan on replaying it at night, with headphones... but not yet.

Sorry about my previous review everyone. I did not write that review and did not mean to offend anybody. However, Minecraft is still a horrible game and does not deserve the recognition it has received. While you may like it at first due to the various options open and the scope that is available, it eventually get very boring and repetitive and after 1 hour I had made up my mind. It is one of the few games I truly hate and in fact, it is the worst game I have ever played. The graphics appear cool at first, but eventually get distracting and the South Park episode had it right- there is no logic to this game. Punch trees to get wood? What? Build a castle to survive a zombie onslaught? Huh? Minecraft is boring, overpriced and frankly, the PS3 edition is the worst one to get. Then again, any version of Minecraft is a worthless and annoying time waster that does not deserve $2.5 billion from Microsoft! Buy this, play this and hate this. I'm all for games that let you create what you want to, but this is an uninnovative and sloppy attempt.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Let's just get something out of the way. No, the graphics are not as good as when we first saw the game at E3 2012. Were they ever going to be? I doubt it. Ubisoft likes to show its games off on high-end PCs which are more graphically capable than home consoles. Look at Far Cry 3's original showing! The E3 demo was out before the company was likely to get its hands on a proper PS4 and the small section of the world in that showing is nothing compared to the large environment we get in the final game. All in all, Watch Dogs is still a magnificent looking game, with a beautiful city, realistic effects and well animated character models. It still looks next gen and that's what matters. With that out of the way, let's talk about what matters in the game... As you may know, Watch Dogs is an open world action game that uses one thing to differentiate itself from GTA (no it's not the city of Chicago). That one thing is hacking. While many outright condemned the game when it was revealed that one button would be responsible for all the crazy phone shenanigans, it makes for an interface that isn't crowded and an accessibility that will have many picking up the game and playing instantly. You can raise bridges, close and open gates and doors, change traffic lights, raise and lower blockers... and that's just the beginning! As you progress through the game, you'll earn experience points that can help advance your level and in doing so, gift you with skillpoints. You can use these points on any of the four trees which are Hacking (the one you'll want to go for first seeing as how it's what makes the game so unique and because it is what will open the most opportunities to you), Combat, Crafting (which is pretty cool and is definitely useful when you're in tight spots) and Driving. The other sides of the gameplay are also well implemented. Driving has received a mixed reaction and while I will say that it isn't as good as that of GTA V, the arcadey style is reminiscent of Need for Speed and feels great as you smash through the streets, knocking over poles, bins and occasionally civilians at high speeds. With the car on demand app, you can call pretty much any vehicle as soon as you've found it/bought it/unlocked it. This is a great idea and makes getting around easy. While you can't save or customize cars, you can get an endless supply of any chosen machine. The on foot controls are also excellent. Free running and parkour are lightly implemented and they can make the chases easy and exhilarating. The shooting and combat is amazing. The melee isn't really explored with one button and one weapon, but there are over 30 guns and they react differently yet well. I loved the silenced pistol you start off with, but often switched to my grenade launcher, ACR assault rifle and automatic shotgun. Slaughtering bad guys feels great and the weapon wheel responds well in real-time. But it isn't just crazy shooting, because there is a surprising amount of stealth options. Sneaking around with a suppressed gun, scoring headshots and lining up kills is awesome, but it's even better when you can take out a whole base through the use of well placed traps after a bit of camera hopping. Hacking truly is your weapon. The "slow time Focus" mechanic may be claimed from other games, but you won't care seeing as how you'll use it so often. Whether it's lining up a shot or slowing time to hack something at high speeds in a car, Focus is brilliant! The gameplay of Watch Dogs is highly smooth and is one of the best experiences I've had all year. But what about the story? Many have said that it's cliched and repetitive. Yes, Aiden Pearce does have a Batman voice and yes he is fairly bland, but at least his cause is justified and the supporting characters more than make up for his attitude. Clara Lille is sly and resourceful, T-Bone is cool and Jordi gives the game charisma. The narrative centres around Aiden going after a bunch of bad dudes who are responsible for killing his 6 year old niece. It starts off as a straightforward revenge tale and takes a while to warm up, but get halfway though Act II (there are 5 act) and you'll find the game hard to put down. I clocked the campaign at 31 hours and was **** you can see, it's a long game. The best thing about Watch Dogs is its side content. The city isn't massive, but each person has their own story and agenda which makes it feel more lifelike than San Andreas, Steelport or even Skyrim. There are a tonne of side missions, collectibles, investigations and mini games, along with cool digital trips that have their own missions and skill trees. The multiplayer is also great, with traditional games like CTF and Racing standing beside the imaginative Hacking and Tailing invasion modes that make the game feel like Dark Souls. Those two modes are free to play on any console as well which is great. I could go on, because Watch Dogs is truly a massive game. Don't believe the haters- It's great!

Beenox has had a bit of practice with Spidey. The Amazing Spider-man 2 is the fourth game that they have taken major development duties on and it represents a natural evolution of their established formula. **** Dimensions and Edge of Time were enjoyable linear games that respected the material, but their first tie-in (The Amazing Spider-man) took the hero back into the open world and gifted him with new web swinging and combat systems. Now, the sequel comes, but is it any good? Well, pretty much. The story is an alternate telling of events of the second movie, which is smart as it helps to avoid spoilers. The epilogue narrative spoiled the plot of the first movie in the original game and that was one of its few faults. This time, Spidey is going after his uncle's killer, only to find out that a new murderer called the Carnage Killer is bringing a special brand of justice to criminals. Not only is this causing trouble, but the Russian and American gangs are battling it out, with the Kingpin overseeing the operations and attempting to wipeout Spidey by ordering a bunch of criminals onto the hero. Plus, Electro is rising and the Green Goblin is beginning to step up. The plot is as bloated as that of the film counterpart, yet it is surprisingly easy to follow and makes up for its shortcomings with a nice amount of Easter eggs and references. Being the massive Spidey fan I am (did you really think I would give this game a 9 if I wasn't), I appreciated these little touches. The campaign isn't very long (around 7 hours) and the bosses aren't challenging, but I preferred this narrative to the previous game's- even if it feels like Electro and Gobby have been thrown in just for tie-in purposes. The gameplay is smooth and responsive, even if it does feel a little easy. Web swinging is amazing and is the best evolution of the system I've ever seen. Having played every Spider-man game from 2000 onwards, this feels like a natural extension of a system that was already great fun. The left and right trigger idea is nice and well done, even if some of the logic is a little out there at times (how can Spidey swing through Central Park?). The web rush system is also back and it's as fun as ever, with new upgrades and better functionality. Wall crawling is rarely used when you have such an amazing amount of aerial tools, but it works alright and running up the sides of buildings is something I've always loved in a Spidey game- it reminds me of the good old days. There is no doubt that this is one of the most effective traversal systems in gaming, but what about combat? It is very similar to that of the previous game, with Arkham-esque styles of attacking, countering and stunning (which is basically shooting bad guys with your webs). The animation is excellent and most of the time it is very responsive, even if you can build up combos a little too easily and take down foes quickly. I like the use of different webs, such as the seismic and ionic styles which can knock down foes and melt armour respectively. The upgrade system isn't very complicated, but it works and I was keen to earn all of them. The ability to pick up objects is a particularly useful tool... The stealth of the game is better than that of the last one, even if its logic baffles me. Sneaking up on foes is tense and it feels good to smash the enemies, but there is no real penalty, with Web Rush making it easy to escape and the foes never really learning their mistakes. They have horrible vision ranges as well and once I performed two takedowns in a row- even though I was in front of the second enemy! The open world isn't highly detailed and the civilians aren't interesting, but this isn't GTA V. The city does offer a plethora of activities and collectibles though and I love how your various suits have different upgrades and levels. I enjoyed the hideouts and while there are less comic pages, I still enjoy collecting them and the audio logs offer some valuable back story. The comics you unlock are great and can be easily accessed and read. There are also some difficult combat challenges and plenty of photo ops, meaning that the game will take over 12 hours to fully complete. I platinumed it at around 19 hours, so completionists don't need to put in too much time. One of the game's biggest talking points is its Hero or Menace system. To be frank, it is absolutely horrible and the reason this game doesn't deserve perfect marks- even from a staunch Spider-fan. While your level of reputation does give you bonuses and keeps the bad guys off your tail, the random crimes have too little a time limit and they get highly repetitive after a while. The system also doesn't impact the story or side missions and the lack o a clear goal makes it a worthless feature. I could see where Beenox was going with it, but they didn't have enough time to develop a good system. TASM 2 is a good game and deserves more than a 5. Beenox just needs more time for their games.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

9.5 out of 10 (rounded up to 10). Batman has never had a great videogame career. His original adventures weren't too bad, but they have slowly decreased in quality, descending to almost Superman 64 levels of badness. That all changes with Asylum. From the gripping story, to the extremely Batman-like gameplay, to the various Easter Eggs and references, this screams fan service and good gaming- a rare occurrence. The plot is set along its own line of continuity, but it feels like a rich part of Batman history that didn't make it into the comics. Yes, Joker is the main villain. Yes, Harley Quinn is helping him out. Yes, he has assembled an army of famous foes to wreak havoc on Gotham. But here's the catch- Batman is on an island away from Gotham and he never gets off of it. Rarely do we get to explore Arkham Asylum in the comics, but that is the main destination of this adventure. Joker also has a brand new plan that constantly gets crazier and crazier across the course of the night. It starts off with Batman taking his foe back to madhouse after a failed attack on the mayor. Sensing that things have been too easy, the Bat takes Joker into the institution personally. Soon, the crazed clown escapes and begins to tear his way across the island. With the help of his girlfriend in crime, he sets free the inmates and begins his plan of evil domination. The twists are unexpected, the villain reveals are perfect and the environment is so perfectly realised that you just want to see every inch of it. The asylum is beautiful and deadly at the same time. Every room has a story, with blood stains on walls, paperwork laying across the ground and artifacts from Batman lore often on display. The place isn't huge and it really isn't open world- it's more of open linearity. You can explore the place as much as you want at your own leisure, but he buildings aren't large and you can rarely reach the high areas. There are loading times when you enter the structures and the maps are split up. However, the detail more than makes up for the lack of a large open Gotham and I still enjoyed running around the island and taking out foes. The riddles persuade you to do this. There are 200 or so given out by Edward Nigma and they take the role of end game content. They range from environmental puzzles to collectibles and each one adds a layer to the game. They can be easy to find at first, but without a map you'll often be scratching your noggin. They provide challenge and love for the source material and they also give you bonuses, such as bios, character models and challenges. The gameplay is just as strong as the rest of the game and makes you feel like the Batman- this may sound stupid, but you never actually feel like the hero in most comic book games. The movement is perfect. Batman strides and runs like the badass he is and the gliding is easy and fluid. The grapnel gun is one of the greatest parts of the system, as it can lead to your disappearance in stealth gameplay or be used to pull down objects and walls. The combat is awesome, with the Freeflow mechanics easy to use. The attacking, stunning and countering is great and the upgrades can lead to new moves and more health. The takedowns are brutal and the animation work is fantastic. Stealth is one of the best parts, as you truly feel awesome stalking bad guys and knocking them out. The gadgets are key to the success of these components. Each one has a perfect use, from setting up takedowns with the explosive gel to knocking down enemies with the batarangs. There's a progressive system of unlocks and the earning of XP is well managed. The upgrades are essential and well thought out. The game doesn't have multiplayer, but you can compare scores on the challenge mode. There are a fair amount of them and they can be either combat or Predator, with normal and extreme classifications. They are addictive and contribute to your mastery over the mechanics. The lack of multiplayer is a good design decision, as Batman should fly solo on this journey. As is expected, the sound design is brilliant. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill deliver rousing performances and the score is exhilarating. The visuals are beautiful, with highly detailed character models and environments. One thing not well designed are the boss battles. The Scarecrow fights are good, but the final Joker one is a severe letdown. Arkham Asylum isn't perfect, but it is still an amazing game and one of the best superhero experiences out there. Even if you aren't a fan of the Batman, you'll still enjoy this for hours upon hours!

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

I loved Assassin's Creed. I adored Assassin's Creed II. I had the same feeling for Brotherhood and Revelations: remarkable. And for a few months, III was my favourite game of all time. It just felt like the perfect evolution of the series and was a remarkable game that certainly delivered upon its hype. But now we reach Black Flag- a numbered entry that has released a year after the last. But don't think for a second that it is a shameless cash grab. This is the best in the series by far and is my third favourite game in the series. It also helps that it is the first next-gen effort and is therefore massive in size and scope. The gameplay is key in this entry, mainly because it is nothing like the other games. On land familiarity soon sets in, with similar parkour mechanics and combat that isn't that different. Crafting is very reminiscent of Ubisoft's other open world smash, Far Cry 3, with the simple mechanics being a relief after III's complicated systems (well for some anyway). The economy is a little more barebones and there are no brotherhood mechanics. For the first two hours this seems like a slimmed back entry and not even better stealth can really help it. But just as you think you have been "Revelationsed", BOOM! It happens. The opening of the game comes back into play and you get set off onto the open seas with your own ship (The Jackdaw really is the second main character) and your cool uniform. This light years ahead of the third game's starting, seeing as how you don't have to go through 6 hours of tutorial. The ship is full of options, with customisation being key. You can unlock new statues and sails for it and also buy new weapons like mortars and various cannons. You can upgrade your carrying capacity and your durability- the theme of piracy is high, as money really is key to your successes. I don't know if it's just me or are we gamers getting money hungry, after th heists of GTA V and the appearance of money in MW3's multiplayer? Back on track now. The amount of control you have over your ship is amazing and the impacts on the gameplay are profound. I can definitely see AC continuing along this path in future spinoffs and entries. To go with your ship is a massive open world. There are over 50 main locations, with 3 main, large cities and hundreds of islands that are littered with treasures, collectibles and various other goodies. I don't know the exact stats, but is this bigger than GTA V's open world or are they about equal? Because it is friggin' large. The graphics are absolutely beautiful. As usual the characters and animation work is top of the line, but they are outshined by the open world. The colours are vibrant and uplifting and this is some of the most realistic water in gaming. There is hours upon hours of content here, with assassination contracts making a welcome return, along with plenty of naval missions and- wait for it- fortresses! They replace bases and are ridiculously good fun to take on. They have their own level just like ships and net you great bonuses. First you take out their defenses, then you dock and then you kill some captains, before brutally murdering the owner of the base (a gunshot to the head always works well). There are also Legendary ships, which are basically the best of the best. They are good fun to take on and embrace variation with each type. I haven't talked about the story yet, but that's because it is the weakest part. Well, not so much the story, just the missions. You see it is a well written, entertaining escapade, with great characters, a cool hero and some well conceived themes, along with accurate re-enactments of historical events. The missions are just so repetitive. The final acts are enjoyable, with good set pieces and fun assassination missions (Stealth is way better as I mentioned before), but there are just way too many tail and eavesdrop missions. They get repetitive and let the game down, but only slightly. I did like the present day sequences though, which are first person, highly immersive and rarely interrupt your gameplay, with most of the content being optional. The multiplayer is also strong, with ship battles not appearing but custom game modes being fun. I spent hours with the MP and actually loved it. AC IV isn't perfect, but it is the best in the series and for that I love it. With hours of great content, some spectacular gameplay and a good protagonist, this is one must buy game, no matter which gen of consoles you own!

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

9.5 (rounded up to 10). Revelations can be summed up in one word: remarkable. For a series that produces entries every year, it is amazing that things are this good. Skylanders is a major cash in and COD has been lacking innovation since MW2, but every Assassin's Creed has been amazing and addictive. Revelations is no exception. It kicks off with a beautiful cinematic, that sees an aged Ezio travelling to Masyaf to uncover the secrets of his ancestor Altair. Captured and about to be killed, he makes a brave escape and so begins the most memorable first level in series history, which gives us an assassination in the first hour. Once again, story is high priority. The present day sections are very disappointing (first person puzzle levels should be left to Portal), but Ezio is as entertaining as ever. This time he's in Constantiople (the smallest open world in series history, but also the most believable and lifelike) and he's got a few tasks to complete: he becomes embroiled in a war between two factions, is still after the Templars, is managing his duties as Master Assassin, is chasing down mysterious memory discs and is wooing a new woman. Busy fella! The story is longer than Brotherhood's and is more effective, even if there really isn't a main villain and way too many supporting characters. The gameplay has barely changed. The economy is simpler, but more refreshing, the combat hasn't really gotten any new features (weapons are all that changes the gameplay) and the free running is still as fluid, even if Ezio is about to pop out a hip bone. The hook blade is a great weapon though and zipping around town is a brilliant experience that thrills. So what is innovated- the brotherhood mechanics mostly. Gathering an army of assassins still feels empowering and levelling them up and giving them new gear is rewarding in its own little way. The base attacks are just plain bad though. The new tower defence mechanics are pretty polished and work well, but why are they in Assassin's Creed? It really feels like Ubisoft was **** the bottom of the barrel for new ideas before the innovative third numbered entry. Thankfully, I rarely had to do any. Multiplayer returns, with new modes, new missions and new characters. It still feels out of place in AC cannon, but at least it is better than those first person puzzles (I really don't like those). Some great moments can be produced, but I'd rather chase collectibles, assemble my factions and complete side missions in the main game. Don't believe the reviews because Revelations isn't the weakest entry in AC. It doesn't deserve a 7.5 or a 6, because it is still highly polished, with good graphics, great sound and plenty of content. Enjoy it for what it is, not what it could be!

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

These days Assassin's Creed has become a cultural phenomenon, with toys, books and an upcoming seventh entry. However, it all comes back to the humble first entry. As is expected, the story is imaginative and full of historical characters and events. It follows the life of Altair Ib'n La Ahad, a disgraced assassin who must reclaim his honour by killing nine men in the Holy Land. The story is gripping at the start and towards the end, but is a bit too predictable in the middle, much like the gameplay. The unique puppeteering control scheme is effective, the free running mechanics are highly advanced for the time and the combat is slightly tedious, if fun and full of some cool animation work. The game's greatest achievement is it's open world: a technological marvel even in this day and age and a consistently cool place to explore. With numerous collectibles, side missions and challenges, there is no doubt that this game is full of content. The investigation work is key to every one of the assassination sand these play out like small side tasks, but soon get monotonous. The first three assassinations are entertaining and while each kill is unique and entertaining, the work leading up to them isn't. It gets a little old, but this is the game's only fault. The present day sections are simple and evolve upon the story of the assassins and the Templars and they are no where near as faulted as they are today (looking at you Revelations). The story is enjoyable, the graphics are great (for its time), the score and voice work are both marvellous and the controls are excellent. If you're just jumping into the series now, make sure you start with the first to get the best impact- you will not be disappointed!