Gaming
Games
5 games you must play this week
Silly season is in full swing, as several big hitters land at once. Wallets at the ready…
Far Cry 4
© Ubisoft
If last week was crammed with big games, this week is emphatically overstuffed, as publishers desperately vie for your hard-earned cash. It’s even better – or worse, depending on your standpoint – if you’re in the US, with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U launching alongside this little lot. You might want to book a couple of weeks off to get through all these…
Far Cry 4 (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
Far Cry 4
© Ubisoft
What is it? Flamboyant despot Pagan Min violently captures you as you enter the fictional Himalayan region of Kyrat to scatter your dead mother’s ashes. After escaping his clutches, you join a faction within the rebel organisation with which he’s currently embroiled in civil war.
In practice, that’s a fairly flimsy excuse to explore a vast open world, shooting men and hunting wild animals. Kyrat is a beautifully diverse environment, allowing you to glide down from its peaks in a wingsuit before riding an elephant into an enemy stronghold. It’s heartily silly, hugely immersive escapist entertainment.
What the critics say: “Far Cry 4 does all the things that its predecessor did and more - more weapons, more vehicles, more modes, more ground to cover - so if all you're looking for is a big old wide open space to tear up with a friend, go forth and make merry with mortar.” - Eurogamer
“Most of what's great about Far Cry 4 is emergent in a way that doesn't need to be attached to a story or locale, so in most of the ways that matter, Far Cry 4 is more of Far Cry 3. But the little additions and co-op play do make meaningful differences, and on its own terms, Far Cry 4 is a great time.” – Giant Bomb
Dragon Age: Inquisition (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
Dragon Age: Inquisition
© BioWare
What is it? After the mixed reaction to Dragon Age 2, Bioware has gone all-out with the third in the series, placing you in the middle of a sprawling fantasy world that is tearing itself apart. Naturally, it’s up to you to put it together again, but you’ll need some help. Your party begins as a band of rebels, but as you complete story missions and side quests, you’ll gain the game’s key resource – power – thus enabling you to convince others to join your cause. But Inquisition has much more than a strong sense of progression: its story has an epic sweep, the combat is as satisfying as it is deep and Bioware knows how to make your choices feel like they matter.
What the critics say: “It’s a surprisingly huge, dense world, and I soon realised there were still entire sandboxes I hadn’t even set foot in. Even in my hundredth hour, I’m still discovering. Despite its less than compelling plot, I still want to go back to explore and fight through every nook and cranny of Dragon Age: Inquisition, until every dragon’s skull is mounted on my wall.” – IGN
“Dragon Age: Inquisition puts the fate of the world in your hands in a way that few role-playing games have done before. And even after another 80 hours devoted to it, it's a world I cannot wait to return to in whatever BioWare does next. I don't know what higher praise I could give.” – Polygon
Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox One, PlayStation 4)
GTA V
© Rockstar Games
What is it? A year after its auspicious debut, Rockstar’s opus lands on eighth-generation hardware, with a number of tweaks. For the most part, they’re visual improvements – Los Santos is more densely populated and detailed.
More dramatic, however, is the addition of a first-person mode, which feels oddly transformative: such a familiar perspective shouldn’t feel like a novelty, though it undoubtedly is for GTA. You can also eat peyote to experience a psychoactive episode where you randomly transform into animals, from gulls to mountain lions. And there are extra treats in store for PS4 owners: the DualShock 4’s light flashes red and blue when you’re being pursued by the police, while phone calls come through the speaker in the controller. Nice.
What the critics say: “An incredibly ambitious upgrade that not only improves the visuals and gameplay but, through the new first person view, offers a new way to play the best GTA ever.” – Metro UK
“By now you'll have almost certainly made your mind up on GTA V, and probably this remaster as well. If you enjoyed it the first time around, you'll love it even more. It's worth double-dipping just to walk around in the world.” – Videogamer
LittleBigPlanet 3 (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3)
Little Big Planet 3
© Sony
What is it? The loveable Sackboy returns, and this time he’s tasked with saving the hand-crafted world of Bunkum from three Titans who want to take away its creativity. With Media Molecule busy working on Tearaway Unfolded, Sheffield studio Sumo Digital has taken control of one of PlayStation’s best-loved mascots, and the results are very promising.
The new characters – a bird, a wall-running dog, and a friendly giant who can shrink – add welcome variety, while the creative side of the game is taught in practical lessons that ask you to solve puzzles by making things. Hopefully the planned day-one patch will iron out some obvious kinks in the code, but bugs aside, this is a terrific threequel.
What the critics say: “A tricky and challenging single-player game, joyously mad multiplayer action, and an incredibly in-depth creator mode combine to deliver what is without doubt, the best LittleBigPlanet game yet. Wonderful stuff.” – USGamer
“The world that's been forged out of the enormous toy box this time around has never been more vibrant and inviting, but it's only a miniscule portion of what's now possible. As ever, LittleBigPlanet 3 is a foundation upon which eager minds can start building even more inspiring content, and that process has been made more accessible than ever before.” – Joystiq
Never Alone (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)
Never Alone
© Upper One Games
What is it? Made in conjunction with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, an organisation that works with indigenous groups living in Alaska's urban areas, this narrative-led puzzle-platformer is a brave attempt to bring Alaskan indigenous folklore to a wider audience, to promote empathy and understanding among those unfamiliar with the culture.
You play as a young Iñupiaq girl named Nuna and her Arctic Fox companion, helping one another to bypass tricky obstacles and avoid various other environmental hazards. It’s not without its flaws, but this is a worthy and often beautiful game, whose story and themes compensate for its few mechanical weaknesses.
What the critics say: “Never Alone is a game that has gone from hardly being on the radar, to something that could quite possibly be a Game of the Year contender. Those who take a chance on this game will come away knowing they have been part of a unique experience that shows that games can be used as a serious vehicle for storytelling.” – Gamestyle
“Nuna & Fox’s story is wonderfully told through the native tongue of the Iñupiat, accompanied by artwork inspired by the tribe’s drawings and etchings, and brought to life by the beautiful design of the environments and characters.” – TheSixthAxis
