Having played plenty of indie games with lackluster stealth mechanics, I was surprised at just how satisfying the stealth is in this game. Steel Seed is Storm in a Teacup Studios’ first game, and yet the Hitman DNA seeps through this indie game’s veins providing refined stealth gameplay. Basic enemies have predictable patrol patterns, making it a frustration-free experience to sneak up and stealth kill them.

I particularly enjoy baiting enemies with a sound pulse as I hide behind cover only to take them out as they approach. Each enemy encounter you have in the game supplies you with plenty of obstacles to hide behind. There’s even patches of holographic grass that fully cloaks you when you’re crouched. You unlock an ability that remotely deploys these batches of holo grass later on which becomes particularly useful in densely populated zones. And what I like is how organic the areas manage to look despite the obvious gaminess here, and that’s thanks to the fantastic level design, which we’ll get into in a bit.

"Patches of holographic grass cloaks your visibility when you’re crouched."

Of course, stealth becomes broken and frustrating if the enemy AI isn’t adequate, and in this, Steel Seed doesn’t disappoint. Enemies catch you in their line of sight if you try rushing things, alerting others in the area of your presence. You can’t just crouch back in the grass or duck behind cover and hope enemies will immediately forget and retreat. They attack you until you completely leave the area or find a good enough hiding spot like a climbable tower above their heads. The smart enemy AI really compels the player to analyze the surrounding area for adequate hiding spots and evac routes in case things go wrong.

Thankfully, it’s easy to get a broad environmental mapping of any situation. Enemies have levels of alertness, with a red exclamation mark indicating pursuit and a yellow question mark prompting them to investigate. One of the main ways to avoid enemy patrols is marking them individually with Koby’s flight mode. You also unlock a patrol path marker ability later that shows each enemy’s specific patrol route.

To top things off, Koby can scan the environment for climbable ledges and hiding spots. You really do feel like Batman with all the intel at your disposal, and that’s mostly thanks to Koby. I also really like using Koby as a kind of shoulder turret. If you’ve played games with similar mechanics, you know how satisfying having your own ranged drone attacker is. Koby gets a number of skills throughout the game. Converting enemies to my side through the hacking skill in particular never gets old.

"Each skill has a prerequisite challenge checklist in order to unlock."

Each skill has a prerequisite challenge checklist in order to unlock. Getting the Skull Piercer skill requires you to destroy 10 enemies’ weak points, for example. This is a neat way to reward skillful play and encourage exploration of the game’s various mechanics. There’s a bunch of other stealth tools at your disposal that get unlocked in the skill tree as well, so I won’t spoil them all here. But you don’t have to rely solely on your perception and stealth IQ in Steel Seed; close quarters combat is also a viable, though less enjoyable, option.

I didn’t find the combat as engaging or interesting as stealth. You’re equipped with a single neon-lit laser sword and of course your ranged drone companion Koby for turret cover. There’s no blocking or parrying in Steel Seed. Nor can you change or upgrade your weapon.

The game instead hones in on dodging and brute force. Perfect dodges are especially crucial considering the brutal amount of damage each hit sustains to Zoe. On the normal difficulty setting, two to three normal hits KO you. And with no block options, dodging is the only way to avoid getting steamrolled. Timing a perfect dodge rewards you with a follow-up heavy attack and some energy restoration, if you unlocked it on the skill tree.

"There’s no blocking or parrying in Steel Seed."

My main source of apathy regarding combat isn’t with controls or anything, but the limited amount of melee options. You have a light attack and strong attack, each with one combo, but you cannot string the two types together smoothly. There’s no light attack dash or light aerial slam attacks either, which further limits melee options.

At least the lock-on works well enough and the general movement feels responsive. While combat isn’t necessarily terrible, it does leave one wanting a bit more out of close encounters, especially since hits are incredibly punishing with little defensive kit to offset it. This is something that’s easy to look past considering the game’s enjoyable and varied stealth mechanics, but it’s still felt when caught up in those close quarters situations where there’s little else but well-timed dodges to fall back on.

Unfortunately, the foes you engage with aren’t any more interesting than your melee options. The game severely lacks in enemy variety. This first five hours has almost nothing but common patrol robots and it doesn’t get much more varied from there. There’s not too many boss fights in the game either, which I’m okay with considering the larger emphasis on stealth overshadowing pure melee encounters. It’s likely the small enemy variety is due in part to the intelligent AI given to each enemy type. They focused on quality and not quantity regarding enemy design, which I can appreciate to an extent.

"It’s a good thing the basic controls are as tight as they are since you’ll be platforming through a sizable portion of the game."

Combat variety aside, Steel Seed is just plain fun to control. Movement is snappy and Zoe’s turn radius is razer sharp. She has a double jump that gets her parkouring across the terrain with a breeze. I do wish there was a mid-air dodge, but the slick slide-to-crouch and general dodge roll suffice well enough in most situations. I can’t even complain about the camera control, which was erratic pre-patch, but has since been greatly smoothed out with its own sensitivity settings. And it’s a good thing the basic controls are as tight as they are since you’ll be platforming through a sizable portion of the game.

3D platformers are among my favorite genres, and I’ve got to say I was surprised how well Steel Seed scratched that itch. I went in expecting a slow paced stealth game, but there’s plenty here to satisfy the parkour crowd too. The monolithic subterranean robot facility you’ll be adventuring through is a platforming paradise. It’s filled to the brim with balance beams, precarious platforms, deadly gaps, wall-run panels, and towering structures with everyone’s favorite yellow paint dotting climbable ledges.

"Every area has unique visuals and challenges, providing a fresh experience all the way to the end."

There’s a good amount of environmental storytelling throughout these platforming sections too. Each process of robot manufacturing gets explored in detail with refineries glowing with red heat and intricate caves housing dark secrets. Each environment dovetails into the next in an organic way too, making the large robotic facility feel all the more immersive to journey through. Something else that impresses me is the variety between environments. I never got fatigued by any repetitiveness at all (well, except in enemy variety); every area has unique visuals and challenges, providing a fresh experience all the way to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the 3D platforming aspect of the game, so much so that it sits alongside the stealth as my favorite feature that Steel Seed exhibits. That brings me to the game’s overall structure and flow.

You see, Steel Seed isn’t strictly linear but it’s not open-world in its design either. You’re going to hate me for using the dreaded comparison, but it’s by far the closest I can think of. Steel Seed’s levels are structured in a Soulslike manner, Demon’s Souls in particular. Fast-travel checkpoints compartmentalize each of the large zones (or Nodes as the game terms it) into levels.

While there’s very little of the classic looping design from Soulslikes here, there’s plenty of secrets off the beaten path with some branching areas here and there. The fast-travel stations, called S4VI or Savi, restore health in return for respawning the area’s enemies. It’s also here where you unlock skills and save the game. The game does autosave as you go, but your only manual option is at these S4VI stations. Oh, and fast travel stations indicate the completion percentage for each level, giving completionists even more incentive to scour every nook and cranny. I found the gameplay loop of platforming and stealthing my way from one S4VI station to the next to be quite addicting and fun.

"Fast travel stations indicate the completion percentage for each level, giving completionists even more incentive to scour every nook and cranny."

There’s also a hub area that you return to after retrieving each game’s major plot shards. Interestingly enough, the hub is home to a piano minigame. If you’ve played Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, you’ll instantly recognize the interface and function as it’s practically identical. Although there’s no sheet music to play to, you can play basic melodies using scales and chords and even alter the pitch range. Currently, the chords don’t show notation for anything outside of basic major and minor harmonies, and the F note is always sharped for some reason, but it’s a cool music minigame nonetheless.

Anyway, once you’re done tinkering the ivories, you’ll notice that the hub acts as the home for a majority of the game’s plot and progression. Your core objective throughout the game is retrieving four shards to bring your dad, and the future of humanity, back from a devastating cataclysm. While the hub provides a lot of the core plot progression, there’s more to be found through exploration. Data journals are scattered across levels helping shed more light on the massive facility and its history.

Being that this is a post-cataclysmic setting, there’s not a ton of plot advancement throughout the game. You’re retrieving the four McGuffins to save humanity and that’s largely the gist of it. I appreciate the simplistic plot device because the game does a good job filling out the background lore of Zoe’s scientist dad and his managing of the facility well. And despite being a post-cataclysm, the journey doesn’t feel totally silent or lonely either. Zoe and her droid companion banter and interact throughout the game in an endearing way that didn’t grate or irritate me.

The voice acting is good across the board and never felt out of place or overdone either. From a gameplay perspective though, the forced walking sequences during exposition and character reactions slow things down to a crawl, and the real bummer? There’s no way to skip them. I’d much rather have traditional skippable cutscenes than unskippable slow walk sequences, especially since many of them are placed right before a tough battle or parkour sequence where reloads are sure to occur due to a mistake or five.

"The forced walking sequences during exposition and character reactions slow things down to a crawl."

I’ve got to say, I’m thoroughly surprised by Steel Seed. It’s a very competent stealth action platformer from a new indie studio. The atmosphere and level design is awe-inspiring at times and the moment to moment action feels great thanks to responsive controls and fun stealth mechanics. More melee options would’ve helped vary the gameplay up a lot, but it’s serviceable as is. If you’re looking to scratch that stealth action itch, or someone who’s desperately clinging to anything resembling 3D platforming collectathons, like me, Steel Seed comes highly recommended.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

That said, Bionic Bay isn’t strictly a puzzle game or strictly a precision platformer. Super Meat Boy this is not. Sure, there’s plenty of challenging sections, but there’s usually a slower physics-based puzzle right around the corner to mix up the pacing a bit. Freezing time to briefly platform across a series of spinning saw blades forced me to put on my Meat Boy or Celeste hat, only to require a slower methodical approach to a seemingly inaccessible cliff minutes later.

"Bionic Bay encourages active play through its dynamic physics engine to solve problems."

I never found myself sitting there away from my controller thinking of solutions though. Bionic Bay encourages active play through its dynamic physics engine to solve problems. Every object, including a majority of environmental platforms, bends and moves when pressed with enough weight. My favorite example of this is the subtle way railing and outcroppings bend when the player hangs onto its edge. And the game gives you some fun abilities to manipulate all these environmental objects. The one you’ll use the most is the Swap ability.

You simply tag an object and hit the swap button to switch places with the tagged object. A surprising amount of objects can be swapped, from large asteroid-like platforms to small batteries. It’s fun just to play around with various objects and see how they interact with the environment.

A lot of the unpredictable fun involved with these interactions hinges on the impressive animations and effects built into the 2D engine. Lasers burn away surfaces creating individual spark particles, and what the deadly objects do to your character is downright slapstick. Your character’s limbs move independently, resulting in hilarious death animations. There’s a meticulous attention to detail regarding how elements like fire, ice, and the like affect objects.

"Your character’s limbs move independently, resulting in hilarious death animations."

One of my favorite demonstrations of these elemental affects is using the Swap ability to move a series of rock platforms directly in front of a rotating ice laser, creating a frozen staircase for me to climb across. Individual frost particles dust off of the platforms, which just goes the extra mile enhancing the game’s 2D presentation. There are many other creative ways the game uses elemental effects with your physics-based abilities.

But again, it isn’t all about puzzles. The game uses these physics-based tools to create nail-biting platform sequences. Using Swap in rapid succession to narrowly escape a quickly advancing sawblade deeply satisfied the precision platformer fan in me. And the fact that the game spreads these challenging moments between methodical puzzles just makes me appreciate them all the more.

Speaking of precision, the movement controls are snappy and responsive. Your character turns on a dime and you can adjust movement mid-air with ease. Due to the character’s loose limb animations, movement isn’t quite as direct as, say, Mega Man 11 or Celeste, but it’s certainly responsive enough to thread the needle in any situation. If you narrowly miss a platform, your character will automatically hang on ledges until you climb up or decide to fall downward. There’s also a very speedy roll that can be spammed in quick succession, not unlike the modern Donkey Kong Country games.

My only gripe, aside from the loose limb animations sometimes obfuscating precision, is that the game has no camera control to speak of at all. While the general zoomed-out perspective does a fair job letting you see around your character, there’s still some occasional trial and error regarding where you can and cannot go. There’s several times where the way forward is beyond visible range, requiring a leap of faith. There are other times when it seems like the way is down, when actually leaping downward leads to a bottomless pit. Giving the player some manual camera control to know if a pit leads to death or not would help eliminate this occasional trial and error.

"There’s several times where the way forward is beyond visible range, requiring a leap of faith."

In a similar vein, the amount of environmental detail in the foreground and backgrounds, while rich and atmospheric, can make it difficult at times to tell what is interactable and what’s decoration. The game is usually good about differentiating foreground from background objects, but I did die trying to jump on a biomechanical plant a couple times due to these occasional depth perception issues.
Thankfully, the player won’t waste too much time backtracking to their previous spot due to persistent checkpointing. I never once had a checkpoint so far back that I had to repeat anything substantial. Every obstacle has a checkpoint before it that loads you back in your spot instantly. The fast loading and frequent checkpoints certainly lessons the blow of those trial and error moments.

Much like the seamless blending of platforming and puzzles, the levels themselves feel contiguous. In fact, I didn’t realize the game even had levels until I returned to the main menu and saw the chapter select screen. You’ll know you’ve hit the end of a level when you go through one of the tubes or narrow tunnels leading to very brief loading screen. Part of the seamlessness is due to levels carrying over some of the backgrounds and aesthetics into the next area.

The world feels organic and natural without clear shifts in theme and mechanics between levels. Still, Bionic Bay is about as linear as platformers come. You typically just have one path forward and there’s no routing or side areas to speak of in the game. There’s also no collectables, which may bring a tear to collectathon fans, but this game tries to make up for it in other ways.

Bionic Bay is adequately replayable despite its linearity. This is because its brilliantly catered to speed running. The physics render most situations highly variable, which means cheesing certain puzzles is possible. I love how there’s various ways to go about a situation, yet it’s not so open-ended it breaks the game. You still have to bring some skill to platforming sequences.

"Bionic Bay Online has a seasonal rotation of time trials going through snippets from the game’s levels."

To accommodate how speed run-friendly this game is, there’s a dedicated time trial mode just for that purpose, though it’s currently online in nature. Bionic Bay Online has a seasonal rotation of time trials going through snippets from the game’s levels. It’s a great way to squeeze more replayability out of the game by speed running sections and posting results on the leader boards.

But it isn’t the leaderboards or times that I’ll remember Bionic Bay for, it’s the unique atmosphere and tone. The devs cited Another World as a key inspiration, and it shows. The atmospheric storytelling is prevalent, though not so overt and in-your-face as to feel ‘gamey’. You’ll notice subtle little oddities along the way that get you thinking about what happened to this world.

The game addresses some questions through occasional data logs, which often provide small bits of background info, but not a whole lot. Like Limbo and Inside, Bionic Bay leaves it up to the player to piece together what happened using contextual clues and environmental details. And again, there’s nothing too crazy in the environment, but enough subtlety to provide some context.

"You’ll notice subtle little oddities along the way that get you thinking about what happened to this world."

Helping sell the environments is, of course, the meticulous pixel art across every screen. I love the biomechanical designs of the backgrounds, even if they repeat between levels a quite a bit. The creepy sound effects add to the atmosphere a lot too, though I do sometimes wish there was more music to punctuate the ambience. Some players may feel that sections go on for too long without any music. The game takes a Half-Life approach to its music, which works at times, but made the soundscape feel a tad emptier than I’d have liked.

All in all, Bionic Bay is a brilliant puzzle platformer. It’s got an equal serving of precision platforming challenge and thought-provoking puzzles and mixes these two styles up well. Whether you’re in the mood for an atmospheric experience like Inside or want to stretch your platforming skills with some physics tools, Bionic Bay is the surprise gem that satisfies both cravings beautifully.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

It’s a simple and straightforward beat ’em up that doesn’t have anything better to offer from its competitors other than its IP. That and there’s some gameplay issues and bugs that hinder this promising blast from the past from reaching a mainstream audience as others in the genre have. But despite some issues, there’s just a lot of retro charm here that just might make the price tag worth it if you’re itching for this kind of game.

If you enjoy lightning-quick movement in your beat ’em ups, Wrath of Cobra’s control scheme will satisfy … unless you like precise control of your characters. It’s fun zipping across rooms and knocking over mobs, but the movement sensitivity is almost non-existent. You’re either running very fast or Olympic sprinting with no way to walk or gradually control speed. Like a majority of side-scrolling beat ’em ups, Wrath of Cobra prioritizes its horizontal movement, exclusively advancing through level from left to right with some vertical positioning. Your vertical acrobatics are limited, with no way to sprint or directionally attack up or down.

Speaking of attacks, the cast of six heroes each possess a respectable five or six different attacks, with a small cluster of combos you can pull off between them. I mostly relied on the sprint and jump attacks for all the characters due to their damage output and positioning advantage, though heavies such as Roadblock and Duke achieve better results blocking with follow-ups most of the time.

"Each character has their own special ability that does quad damage across a wide area."

Fans of G.I. Joe will enjoy the lineup of playable characters well enough. Duke, Scarlett, Roadblock, and Snake Eyes form the initial quartet, while the two secret characters get unlocked by collecting floppy disks. Each of the character’s special attacks feel cool to pull off and are balanced well between the cast. Also, I know character stats don’t amount to too much in a game like this, but I appreciate the attempt at differentiating the characteristics for each of them, nonetheless.

Thankfully for completionists, the floppy collectables are a breezy to snatch up, flying out of defeated enemies like candy as they constantly do. They’re not too much of a grind to collect, but expect to complete the game’s 12 stages more than once to unlock everything. It’s worth noting that I experienced a couple soft locks when picking up enemies and throwing them. The throwing animation amid all the chaos can endlessly loop, preventing further progression. Hopefully, such bugs get squashed with future patches. Oh, and I was playing single player when these happened, so I imagine four-player co-op would prompt soft locks even more. Overall, the controls and general gameplay are fun enough to enjoy for bursts of fun, but the simplistic foundation relies on good level design and interesting enemy encounters to prop up how rudimentary and basic they are.

"Cobra boxes contain useful health and ammo pickups and are laid out evenly throughout the levels."

And it’s in that level design and enemy variety where Wrath of the Cobra disappoints. Each of the 12 levels may look distinct, yet they lack any real variety in their gameplay content. You’re going to be running from left to right engaging in combat screens full of repetitive Cobra troops no matter if it’s through an aircraft carrier or a dank cave system. The one breakable environmental object looks different across levels, sure, but the result is the same regardless. The environmental objects in this game exist merely to give the player the illusion of level intractability, without any tangible reward or benefit. Your real item pickups come from the convenient Cobra boxes scattered throughout stages, containing full heath restoratives and perishable firearms. Invincibility pickups are rare, but very useful for the waves of enemies that persist throughout the game’s second half.

If there’s one thing I’ll praise about the levels design, it’s the placement and pacing of pickups; right when you’re hanging on for dear life following a barrage of Cobra waves, there’s always a handy health box on the next screen. I also like how pickups are not super frequent either, balancing the difficulty of the game’s combat nicely.

There’s nothing more to really talk about regarding the level design in Wrath of Cobra; it’s as straightforward as a beat ’em up can get with its left-to-right stages. I don’t mind a simple side-scrolling beat ’em up, but it needs a little bit more enemy variety than what Wrath of Cobra offers to feel particularly engaging and fun. You’ll find yourself fighting wave after wave of the same old Cobra enemy units. As you progress further in the stages, new units appear such as the invisible ninjas and those annoying throwing star guys, but the basic Cobra unit from the beginning of the game are a very common mob that you’ll inevitably get bored fighting.

"Most of the mini-bosses are a slog to get through due to overly padded health and repetitive attacks."

And then there’s the mini-boss enemies, which I loathe for their tankiness and padded health. There’s a Cobra-headed mech that frankly feels like a waste of time yet is a necessary hurdle to overcome time and again. This giant annoyance has a strong stomp move and a straight laser, both of which are easy to dodge and block. The problem with this tanky enemy type is how much health it has in comparison to how much damage you can deal. Performing a punch and then block, punch, block, etc., gets old fast, especially if you don’t have a partner along for the ride.

This easy and repetitive method of defeating artificially padded enemies extends to some of the bosses as well. Each stage has a boss awaiting you at the end, and let me tell you, these are some of the lamest boss fights in any beat ’em up I’ve played. The game’s bosses have three moves at most, four if it’s one of the better ones. I was instantly disappointed by the first boss’s bog-standard shooting pattern. It felt just like fighting a regular Cobra mook, albeit with a ton more health and higher damage per hit. What’s worse, the bosses don’t vary up their style or have stages to their fights, resulting fights that feel like glorified mob enemies from earlier in the same level. Some bosses can be cheesed by just whacking them on the edge of the screen repeatedly. I’m a sucker for unintentional ways to cheese fights (like the Mega Man 1 pause trick), but it feels more like a QA oversight in this game than a fun way to manipulate the game. While I’ll give credit to a couple of fun bosses, Wrath of Cobra doesn’t do anything special overall, failing to eclipse many of the older beat ’em ups from the 90s with its tepid boss mechanics.

"Visually, Wrath of Cobra is strikingly colorful with its sprite-based art style. The world of G.I. Joe is captured well by the game’s sights and sounds."

Where Wrath of Cobra shines is in its sprite-based visuals and energetic chiptune soundtrack. Each environment and character is lovingly crafted with an attractive color palette. Characters behave just as you’d expect them to with animations true to the source material, though it’d be nice to have some more characteristic sounds from each of them. My ears were delighted with 90s-inspired tunes the whole way, so I guess lack of character voices isn’t a complete deal-breaker. Big props for each level having its own separate musical track; I’m always on the lookout for games that attach a distinct theme to each environment, so Wrath of Cobra earns my praise in that aspect. Similarly, each stage features unique background objects and vistas that give them their own unique vibe and theme. Regretfully, this artistic enjoyment is let down by constant screen tearing on the PS5 version of the game. It runs at a pretty constant 60 FPS, but man that screen tear is brutal.

As a fan of old school beat ’em ups, I want to love this game as much as TMNT Shredder’s Revenge or Streets of Rage 4, but it lacks the kind of variety and polish that those games have. Wrath of Cobra feels more like a recently discovered game from an old era of beat ’em ups than a modern classic, and not one of the better ones. I’d still recommend this to any fan of this genre or the G.I. Joe IP, but the lack of modern bells and whistles and polish knock it down below most contemporary attempts.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

The fundamental core of Die by the Blade lies in its 1v1 duels against fellow players and AI opponents. The game’s modes are structured between Offline, Online, and Single Player. None of the Versus or Tournament modes have any story or progression to speak of, instead giving you exactly what it describes: 1v1 duels. Winning bouts against friends and AI opponents rewards you with XP and currency. However, I found the pool of rewards and unlockable content pretty dry, failing to whet the appetite or offer satisfying progression. Single Player mode isn’t any more exciting than the Offline and Online modes, merely containing a tutorial, practice mode, and a very barebones Challenge mode.

"Challenge Mode is just a marathon of one 1v1 fight after another. There’s no set of interesting challenges or a checklist of stuff to accomplish here."

I was pretty pumped to finally unlock Challenge mode. It’s a mode just sitting there in the Single Player tab waiting to be unlocked upon reaching level 7. But alas, after hours of bouts and grinding, I was promptly disappointed by its scant offerings. Challenge is not at all what you initially think it’ll be; it’s just a last-man-standing string of bouts, and that’s it. There are no actual ‘challenges’ to speak of, nor are there any scenarios or varied ways to experience Die by the Blade‘s 1v1 content. It was precisely when I unlocked Challenge mode when I was struck by just how shallow Die by the Blade’s content actually is. Every mode is just the same 1v1 duel wrapped in a different menu. The only real variety present in Die by the Blade are the cosmetic items you can purchase with currency obtained through duels.

"You can customize the cosmetics of your characters and various weapon skins."

The Customize menu contains all purchasable weapon skins, character apparel, banners, and taunts. Thankfully, Die by the Blade offers a generous variety of outfits and weapons to purchase so you can look cool winning all those ranked matches. Even better, there’s no microtransactions or online purchases here to speak of, which is always something worth praising considering the state of the industry. There’s not much else to say regarding customization, other than this game has it. I just wish character faces had any semblance of emotion or animation to them so I could actually enjoy looking at the cosmetics worn by characters. The team at Grindstone has addressed the facial animation issue, stating that they’re patching it near release, but I’m not holding my breath for a markedly drastic improvement.

But on to the real reason anyone will want to play this game in the first place: the fighting mechanics. Die by the Blade’s battles are 1 versus 1 duels where a single stab or slice spells defeat. You must rely on twitch reflexes and samurai concentration to win these lightning-fast bouts. Switching between the high, mid, and low stances should be seamless in a swordfighting game like this, but it feels a tad clunkier than it should due to stances locking during attacks. You can queue up another stance when it’s locked, but I found this to disrupt triplet links (combos), hurting combat flow as a result.

"Combo finishers break through enemy stamina and win the fight with a gory spectacle, but they’re irritating to pull off."

Linked triplets are devastating combos that break through auto blocks, cost less stamina, and strike quicker. It’s yet another technique that should feel seamless to execute, yet rarely is. There’s no indication when to time your attack chains, so it comes down to trial and error. Other fighting games give the player intuitive ways to perceive attack timings that combos require, whether through blinking lights, indicative sound cues, or unique animations; Die by the Blade has none of that to aid you in executing combos. In particular, I found the vertical slices the most stubborn to link with combos. To the game’s credit, each weapon type has its own unique combos; good luck memorizing all their unintuitive timings.

After 5 hours of play, I still found linking triplets to be a clunky risk not worth mastering. The disruptive stance locking, lack of input cues, and general pace of the combat flow make Die by the Blade a bigger hassle than it’s worth at times.

"Parrying attacks is smooth and reliable in Die by the Blade."

By far the most fun and reliable way to fight in Die by the Blade is countering by matching stances with your opponent. As long as your opponent doesn’t execute a finisher, you can auto-block attacks merely by matching your opponent’s stance. Parries are executed by tapping L1 right as your opponent lands a strike. Just be wary of your stamina; if it depletes, your blocks will get broken and you won’t be able to attack. Canceling your attack mid-swing, also known as a feint, feels pretty good in this game, especially when you’re duking it out against other intelligent human players in PvP.

At the end of the day, I just never found the combat in Die by the Blade to feel particularly fluid, fun, or exciting. Achieving winning streaks after pulling off triplet finishers failed to reward me with a sense of accomplishment and dopamine, at least less than I’d have expected. Let’s analyze why.

The combat in Die by the Blade rarely rises above its rock-paper-scissors DNA. Sure, you can string combos and do things like roll around in four directions, but with how unintuitive and unreliable combos are to pull off, you’ll find yourself sticking to the tried and true reactionary parry strategy. Winning matches comes down to reacting to other players’ movements and whittling down their stamina. This combat pattern is fun to master for a time, but it starts feeling repetitive pretty quick. Even with the different weapon types and combos available, there’s a lack of depth here, making it feel like a glorified rock-paper-scissors game of fast twitch reflexes. It doesn’t help that movement feels slow and stiff, with no way to run or jump and an excruciating walking pace accompanying every move.

"Die by the Blade may lack story, but character bios hint at some samurai-punk worldbuilding that I wish was in the actual game."

Unfortunately, Die by the Blade doesn’t have any other content that can mitigate its combat shortcomings. There’s no campaign mode to speak of, and the scant amount of story and lore are relegated to brief character and weapon bios written in a shoddy translation. Reading the character bios makes it pretty clear that the developers wanted to worldbuild and give each character unique backgrounds and motivations. Whether due to time constraints or the limited Kickstarter budget, the seeds of worldbuilding within the character bios don’t get used anywhere else in the game. An absence of cutscenes and story isn’t necessarily a bad thing in such a combat-oriented game, but it does put more pressure on the core combat to hold this game up, which it fails to do after the initial novelty wears off.

The most succinct way I can sum up Die by the Blade is ‘lost potential’. The core combat can be fun in quick spurts, but the frustrating combo system and lack of meaningful progression and modes render it incapable of holding up the game by itself. I found myself failing to find any kernel of joy I could out of this game. By the end of such a contemplation, it dawned on me that the local multiplayer novelty is at least something worth celebrating. The best thing I can say about Die by the Blade is that it feels like a cool, slightly more fleshed-out version of the samurai mini-game from Kirby Super Star. Distilled to its fundamental essence, Die by the Blade is a reaction-based 1v1 samurai dueler. It’s decently fun for some quick skirmishes with friends, but the novelty only lasts so long before you leave it behind to play a game with more meat on its bones.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

Payday 2 has one single premise. Execute a grand mass of robberies and heists, in order to make your way up the ladder to the status of master criminal. These can range from anything to robbing a jewelry store or a more deadly scenarios such as a cracking the vault of a bank heist while fending off police, or waging war with mobsters over a meth lab. Where Payday 2 succeeds however, is not just in the variety of locations that’s on offer to perform grand theft. But in the amount of detail that goes in to the planning stages and the structure of the missions themselves.

" Execute a grand mass of robberies and heists, in order to make your way up the ladder to the status of master criminal. "

Nothing is or will ever be a simple break in and break out situation, making off with the cash without anybody knowing. It’s always going to be a crazy situation whether the player likes it or not. And they should, because that’s what makes the game so great. Presented before each and every mission players will be given a planning stage before entering the level.

This contains aspects of player customization and weapon loadouts as well as how they plan to execute the heist. This is where the game manages to immerse the player and it forces them to think carefully about their role and character class. Within the actual mission there will be certain objectives that must be undertaken before, during and after the mission. This is where the immersion factor plays a larger role and tricks the player in to thinking their in control. And if their not, well, they’ll learn to adjust.

Every mission feels like a heist gone wrong and that’s exactly how it’s supposed to feel, even when choosing the route of stealth. During a mission in which I was required to disassemble a bomb, while doing battle with the military forces that seeked to put an end to my demise, it didn’t become apparent to me as to just how much time I had sunk in to the mission until it actually ended.

"This contains aspects of player customization and weapon loadouts as well as how they plan to execute the heist."

It’s incredibly easy to lose track of time within the game, and since pressure and intensity are two things that play directly against the players mindset, it’s intimidating as it is entertaining. One minute I’m stealing paintings from an art gallery and the next, I’m lowering a hose in to a train wreck to secure the pressure of a bomb, so I can dismantle it in to multiple pieces and sell it to a contractor. Payday 2 knows how to take itself seriously while still making no sense whatsoever.

It’s genuine fun. Had the game been released in the 90s it would have been trading blows with Mortal Kombat and Grand Theft Auto, over which game influences the most bad behaviour in the teenage male demographic. Adding attention to detail outside of the missions is the design of the games actual menus. Everything holds the aesthetic of a blueprint or a map that the player will navigate through when assigning weapons, gadgets, or deciding where to plan their attack. It may be considered quite small to some, but it’s the fine attention to detail that goes a long way.

Since Payday 2 is at its best when being played online co-operatively, A.I. team mates are essentially useless outside of waving a gun. This means everything that requires an objective undertaking such as setting up a C4, picking a lock, or setting up a drill to crack a safe of a bank is all on the player. Going forward with the series, I would like to see a great deal of attention being placed on the A.I. team mates, as the simple commands that you’re able to instruct aren’t in anyway ideal nor beneficial for assisting in a heist.

"Since Payday 2 is at its best when being played online co-operatively, A.I. team mates are essentially useless outside of waving a gun."

While the single-player is without a doubt fun and engaging, it’s always a case of “I’m planning to steal $90,000 worth of jewelry, threaten the bystanders, and murder anyone who attempts to stop me. Oh yeah…these three idiots will be joining me.” In terms of gameplay, this is the only fault that players can expect from the game, but either way it’s still entertaining.

As it stands however, this is a HD remaster of Payday 2, which means the core gameplay remains the same. What’s new to this edition comes in the form of additional content that was formerly available to the PC. Where past HD remasters have only been given a visual overhaul with minor expansion packs barely worthy of the name, Payday 2: Crimewave Edition delivers on everything. With that being said, there’s nothing new here that PC players should be considering as this is strictly aimed for last-generation console players.

These new additions primarily consist of more heists, weapons, weapon modifications, masks, costumes, characters, and a skill tree. And while that may not sound like much on the surface, the breath of content that’s actually in the game could easily spawn in to its own standalone title. The game adds missions based on Dennaton Games’ Hotline Miami. Take a deep breath. And if that wasn’t enough, John Wick is also a playable character. Everything is better with Keanu Reeves.

"And if that wasn't enough, John Wick is also a playable character."

Where the game continues to standout as being something other than a High Definition heist isn’t just purely down to the amount of content though. It’s the way in which it has been changed in regards to mission structure. The pre-planning phase of the game which takes place before heading in to a mission, allows players to strategize and prepare themselves before hand, adding a new level of complexity to the overall gameplay.

This works well in practice and the fact that it’s added a new gameplay mechanic in the form of an update as opposed to doing so in a sequel, makes it all the more enjoyable. It’s the small iterations here that deserve some respect and it clearly demonstrates that the studio knows exactly what it’s doing with the game.

As said previously, characters now have a skill tree system. This means that the more you play the more you’ll earn. Literally. And not just in the way of cash. It gives players the ability to equip specialized perks, equipment, and character traits to their respectful class. As the game is heavily focused on co-operative play, gamers who take the game seriously will gain fulfillment in watching their character truly progress.

"This means that the more you play the more you'll earn."

Last on the list is the new contract systems that’s in place. Taking on missions set by crime-bosses and contractors adds a new level of dynamism to the game as it differs from the standard run of the mill heists. These contract missions have multiple stages to them, each with different objectives that can lead to random outcomes. When pulled off correctly it can feel rewarding, and it aids in further engaging the player in to its world.

Payday 2: Crimewave Edition is a vigorous, exciting, and heart-wrenching game. It delivers on everything that made the base version of the game so great to begin with, and it gives a compelling reason for its current-generation re-release. The only issue I had with the game was something that I hoped would be resolved, now that it’s on reasonably more powerful hardware. The frame rate.

A silky, smooth thirty frames-per-second. No, just no. Something has to be said over this Neverland fantasy of 1080p gaming for the current console generation. The fact that as journalists we’ve been inclined to bring it up in reviews and general news coverage so often, when it was barely mentioned in the generations prior means it is a big problem.

"A silky, smooth thirty frames-per-second. "

1080p isn’t compelling, it’s a compromise. Had the developers dropped the resolution to 900p or such, which would have had no meaningful effect on the visuals anyway, and then ramped the frame-rate up to sixty, the game would have felt much more responsive and much more enjoyable. Payday 2 is a good looking game, but it isn’t at all graphically demanding.

It’s not necessarily a question of “Why is it running at thirty?” It’s more a question of “How is not running at sixty?” Payday has always felt like a PC game that console players where just lucky enough to receive. But the fact that it’s running at thirty as opposed to sixty is fairly disappointing.

It’s a worthy step-up from it’s last-gen iteration and I see no reason other than the obvious, to not recommend it to fans of the series. New heists, new mechanics, and new methods of character progression, Payday 2: Crimewave Edition is ludicrous enjoyment.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

The Bullseye pack is the meatiest and most engaging addition. Two maps are the centerpiece, with Pitfall, a remake of Halo 3’s The Pit being of initial note. Not much has changed in the map outside of a grav lift being added and a more rusted aesthetic, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Pit was the unsung hero of the base Halo 3 experience, sporting tense sniper tower duels, long corridor battles of attrition and that one guy who always camped the bloody sword room. It’s nice to see it return once more with a new lick of paint, but I would argue that it’s a little having half of the maps in the bundle taken up by a remake.

The other map, Vertigo, is actually new and features a smallish cliffside setting housing two central bases. The environment can be used to your advantage though, as each base has a button that, if shot, overloads the base’s electrics. This shorts out your shield if stood on the bases main platform, and it gives matches on Vertigo a better sense of flow than elsewhere in the game. Most maps see two teams camping the respective bases, but overloading a base forces its inhabitants out of cover in a way that leads to dynamic matches. Better players learn to watch out for it though, so it never feels overpowered.

"Donning the Mark V armour again is a joy and, though I generally dislike paid cosmetic upgrades, the addition of the Infinity Armour does no harm to the value of the Champions bundle."

The other part of the Bullseye pack is Ricochet, a mixture of conventional Halo objective modes and American Football in a new gametype with its own playlist. You have to grab a ball that spawns in the centre of the map and move it into your opponents’ base. You can throw the ball as you do a grenade, but running it into the base rewards the risk with extra points. It’s fun, frantic and has enough depth to keep things interesting. I never did get tired of throwing the ball at an oncoming adversary and watching as he suddenly found he wasn’t able to shoot with the ball in his hand. Priceless.

It doesn’t reinvent the game or anything, but it’s a great addition all the same.

It is with the cosmetic upgrades that things get a little worse. The Infinity Armour pack isn’t so bad, combining a slew of new and old armour types to really tickle the funny bones of Halo veterans. Donning the Mark V armour again is a joy and, though I generally dislike paid cosmetic upgrades, the addition of the Infinity Armour does no harm to the value of the Champions bundle.

It’s the Steel Skin pack that really loses the plot. Supposedly “steam punk” skins for Halo 4’s arsenal, it just paints your assault rifles and DMRs in increasingly dull shades of copper. Not only that but, as you don’t have to buy these with in-game credits, it also has the potential to break the game’s internal economy and upgrade systems. I’d rather it just wasn’t there at all.

"My issue with the Champions bundle is its reason for existence. The focus on cosmetic content pitches it as a pack for the dedicated fan, but the hardcore would already have most of this DLC from the season pass, or from their own dedication to the franchise."

There are a few extras thrown in exclusively for the Champions bundle. A variety of new stances are available to spice up your ID card, and the addition of the resistor passive ability allows you maintain full mobility, even when under fire. They aren’t total game changers or anything, but the truly dedicated Halo fans will no doubt feel obliged to get a hold of these extras.

My issue with the Champions bundle is its reason for existence. The focus on cosmetic content pitches it as a pack for the dedicated fan, but the hardcore would already have most of this DLC from the season pass, or from their own dedication to the franchise. If you’re a more on and off fan looking for new content, you’re much better off purchasing the Bullseye pack separately. At about half the price of the Champions bundle, it has the two maps and new mode that actually offer new content for the game. If you must have the new cosmetic items though, Champions will serve you well for the most part.

This game was reviewed on Xbox 360.

Taking place directly after the original game, players continue with the quest of Geron. As a bird keeper come mage/accidental hero, Geron sounds like he’d be an interesting character to control, but his sections tended to be where the game drags. You sadly begin as Geron, and the prologue leaves an accordingly sour taste. You start in a forest with no real direction, but it soon becomes apparent that Geron is seeking out a mage who has the power to undo a curse placed on his love.

Having never played the original I was somewhat baffled by this blunt and inconsiderate opening. It gets better when Geron meets the mage, as his demand of Geron is that he solve a riddle in return for the cure.

"Where the narrative dips into the abstract, the general logic holds up for the game's brainteasers; an accolade that can seldom be attributed to the point and click genre."

The riddle concerns the exploits of Sadja, a forgotten princess from hundreds of years in the past. You switch control to Sadja at various points in the game, and it is here where things pick up.

As a character, Sadja is far more switched on than Geron. The bird catcher just feels like a watered down George Stobart, but Sadja offers a compelling development as her dreams of grandeur through war take a variety of twists and turns. She’s also accompanied by a sarcastic magical staff endowed with the power of speech.

Take that common sense! It is here the writing gets into a good rhythm, with the banter between Sadja and her unconventional companion often raising a smile.

Where the narrative dips into the abstract, the general logic holds up for the game’s brainteasers; an accolade that can seldom be attributed to the point and click genre. The genre standards are all here, with a variety of items to find and piece together. A hotspot system prevents you from having to pixel hunt (thank the lord), and a persistent spell adorns each character’s inventory that is used in consistently creative ways. Puzzles are satisfying and don’t offer half the frustration normally associated with the adventure genre.

"If you love a good fantasy romp and point and clicks, you can do much worse than The Dark Eye: Memoria."

So we have decent gameplay and writing that is good at least half of the time. The ribbon on the present is equally appealing, with a unique visual style. It has a pseudo-papercraft aesthetic, capable of creating detailed and rich backgrounds. The animations aren’t quite so refined, and are made even worse by occasional frame rate dips. My system isn’t exactly a slouch, so this kind of juddering frame rate is hard to swallow. I dread to see how Memoria would perform on a laptop. Audio is mostly unmemorable, a fact not helped by Geron’s sedentary vocal performance. Sadja and her staff come more to life through their voices but, once again, the presentation is a hit and miss affair. The world comes to life through the visuals, even if the characters don’t seem quite so wholesome.

Memoria is a decent point and click, one where level and puzzle design triumph above all else. The plot is where most adventure games live and die though, making Memoria a game that runs through in a veritable coma. Geron’s sections lack the emotion, variety and engaging writing of Sadja and, though the gameplay holds up throughout, it’s a shame the two halves are not created equal in terms of their narrative. That said, half of a good game is better than many modern titles muster and, if you love a good fantasy romp and point and clicks, you can do much worse than The Dark Eye: Memoria.

This game was reviewed on PC.

I just wasn’t in the right place at the right time, so it makes playing One Piece: Pirate Warriors an odd experience. A Dynasty Warriors clone laced with a franchise I know nothing of, Pirate Warriors offers the same entertaining monotony of the Dynasty Warriors franchise but with an added craziness that suits the genre well.

The One Piece franchise is characterized by crazy characters and unabashed silliness, and it works incredibly well with the over the top action and huge melees that comprise Pirate Warrior’s gameplay. My lack of One Piece knowledge made the opening of Pirate Warriors 2 a bewildering experience.

" The game is set up to make you feel powerful, with a wealth of skills that let you mow through the hundreds of AI peons that stand between you and victory. "

Once I understood that main protagonist Luffy has a body made of elastic, I at least started to make sense of the whole thing. The story is a non-canonical plot written specifically for the game, and sees Luffy’s crew members turning against him after they are enveloped by a strange mist. It won’t win an award any time soon, but the writing is pleasantly silly and always aware of how ridiculous it is.

The narrative is mostly an excuse for the action. Players control one member of the Straw Hat Pirates and must complete the set objectives on large maps, all whilst fighting against armies of thousands. The game is set up to make you feel powerful, with a wealth of skills that let you mow through the hundreds of AI peons that stand between you and victory. Basic combos never get more in depth than spamming Square and Triangle, allowing for an accessible style of play that never fails to feel satisfying.

Your hero is never alone though, with a few AI companions taking the field as well. You even have a number of scallywags who join you directly that you can call upon for follow up attacks. You can even swap control to your allies mid-battle to keep your combos varied. At the end of the day though, there is no way to avoid the feeling of spam. Just as in Dynasty Warriors, this One Piece outing just throws enemies at you, and you respond by hurling out random attacks in the hope of cutting through. It’s fun, with a satisfying weight to the flow of combat, but it never transcends the mind-numbing two-button simplicity.

"There is a lot here to love if you're a One Piece fan. There are just under thirty playable characters, all of which are rendered in a beautiful visual style that captures the kinetic majesty of the One Piece anime."

A wealth of customization options are on offer to spice things up. The maps all hold a variety of coins you can find that, when equipped and upgraded, offer passive bonuses to your characters. You can even fit them into bingo cards to gain new skills. Add in support character that can offer new skills and you have a decent amount of progression avenues to explore. Sadly, they aren’t interesting enough to feel meaningful. A few stat boost and the odd passive skill isn’t enough to take Pirate Warriors 2 out of the repetitive rut it inevitably falls into. There is only so far the simplistic combos can go in a game like this without a more meaningful sense of customization.

There is a lot here to love if you’re a One Piece fan. There are just under thirty playable characters, all of which are rendered in a beautiful visual style that captures the kinetic majesty of the One Piece anime (or at least what little I’ve seen of it). It looks, feels and sounds crazy, with an emphatic Japanese dub adding to the authenticity of the experience. The gameplay gets dull after a time, but the graphics never have this problem.

As with the Dynasty Warriors series, Pirate Warriors 2 has no problems with longevity. There are plenty of lengthy campaign levels to go through, and a tonne of level ups, skills and crazy concept art to work toward. Add in local and online co-op and you have a plentiful, though not always engaging, action experience. There’s another issue with the game being too easy. I’m certainly not one to advocate challenge for the sake of padding out a game’s lifespan, but very few sections of Pirate Warriors 2 will give you much trouble. It all leads to a game that offers quantity, but not necessarily quality.

"One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 is an odd exercise in accessible gameplay merged with a niche theme. One Piece is a popular anime, but licensed games with original Japanese dubs aren't exactly going for the global market."

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 is an odd exercise in accessible gameplay merged with a niche theme. One Piece is a popular anime, but licensed games with original Japanese dubs aren’t exactly going for the global market. Still, it’s a flamboyant and entertaining experience that achieves its sole goal of relieving stress and making you feel like a combat deity. It’s shallow, repetitive and dull at times, but the game never fails to raise a smile.

I imagine these zany antics would be even more endearing to fans of One Piece. Even though I don’t know a lot about One Piece, Pirate Warriors 2 does enough to make it worthwhile, but I’d argue that it will only really flourish in the hands of a seasoned One Piece fan. Definitely worth considering if you love Dynasty Warriors and have a fetish for pirate-based anime, but the usual caveats of repetition apply.

 This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 3.

In short, Conviction showed that Splinter Cell was willing to grow up with its target audience. Blacklist undoes this growth, fusing in old mechanics with the main gameplay of Conviction in an unsatisfying display of confused development vision.

Set directly after the story of Conviction, Sam Fisher is placed in charge of the new Fourth Echelon division in order to stop a series of blacklist attacks a terrorist group plans to make on American soil. Far from the personal and emotionally engaged revenge narrative of Conviction, Blacklist relies on every cliche under the sun.

"The story, predictable as it is, takes you through the expected globe-trotting stages. There is certainly a variety in where you wind up, but the levels lack the memorability of previous Splinter Cell maps. "

Fisher is still cantankerous and gruff but, whilst this seemed like the unfortunate reaction of a desperate man in Conviction, here it just makes him seem like a douche. Add in the loss of Michael Ironside as a voice actor, and Sam Fisher isn’t the same character we knew and loved. He has been reduced from a real person into an action stereotype and cipher, and it’s a sad transformation.

The change in Fisher’s voice also makes him seem like a much younger character, an issue highlighted by his new character model. Anna Grimsdottir also returns looking ten years younger. It begs the question of where this game was meant to fit in to the Splinter Cell timeline. It’s meant to be a direct sequel, but it never feels like one.

New characters Charlie and Briggs join the fray as intel and field ops agents respectively. Charlie is the stereotypical “comedy” character who is the butt of all the jokes. This humour comes off as too predictable and, far from offering a light relief from the action, it just watered down any dramatic tension the limp story almost built up. By comparison, Briggs is the worst character ever in a game. He is every generic soldier rolled into one, and makes even this new Fisher look like an enigma by comparison.

The story, predictable as it is, takes you through the expected globe-trotting stages. There is certainly a variety in where you wind up, but the levels lack the memorability of previous Splinter Cell maps. Level design is fairly robust, with the three gameplay styles being equally viable in each stage.

"Many of the old Splinter Cell gadgets and tactics make a return, with sticky cameras and drones adding in new gameplay opportunities. These are a welcome addition, but the new controls scheme that houses all these complex actions breaks the fundamental success of Conviction. "

You are ranked on ghost, panther and assault points for various levels of subtlety and, whilst this evokes the feeling of gameplay choice, I wasn’t such a big fan of all my moves being boiled down into three fairly simplistic categories. Similarly, cynical sniper and on-rails shooting sections totally remove any of the gameplay options on offer. Even that awful Iraq mission in Conviction had a cool narrative switch up, but Blacklist’s equivalent sidelines are a total waste of time.

Many of the old Splinter Cell gadgets and tactics make a return, with sticky cameras and drones adding in new gameplay opportunities. These are a welcome addition, but the new controls scheme that houses all these complex actions breaks the fundamental success of Conviction. In order to make Splinter Cell more like every other shooter, the cover button is now B. It locks you to cover until you press B again. Conviction used the left trigger, and the smooth analogue controls of sliding in and out of cover allowed you to react to any situation effectively. Blacklist’s cover locking by comparison kills this flow, and too many times I got caught out in cover and was lit up before I could even unstick myself from the wall. Conviction had a rhythm to it, a majestic gameplay grace that Blacklist goes to great lengths to destroy.

In between campaign missions, you are free to walk around Fourth Echelon’s flying base. You can upgrade the base and Fisher’s gear to suit your play style and, whilst there are plenty of options, many of them are a little too easy to acquire. It didn’t take me long to get my perfect loadout, at which time my sense of progression plummeted. The mission map where you progress the campaign is an interesting addition at least. It has the problem of separating the campaign missions so they don’t all feel like a continuous adventure. The upside of this is that all co-op and multiplayer modes are on the same map, making the entire game feel more unified.

It is in these multiplayer modes that Blacklist claws back some of its credibility. Co-op is almost as fun as it was in Conviction, and the combat options suddenly open up with the inclusion of a second player. Many of these side missions throw in cool optional elements like holding off waves of enemies or avoiding detection completely. Coupled with the fact that many of the levels are better designed than they are in the campaign, and you can see where most of your time should be spent. You can also do most of these levels solo, if you’re more of a lone wolf.

"At least, being a blockbuster action title we can expect polished visuals, right? Apparently not. You'll notice the artistic flourishes of Conviction are absent, with the black and white colours to signify you're place in the shadows replaced by a dissatisfying and easily missed light on Fisher's back. "

The big multiplayer addition is the return of the asymmetrical Spies vs Mercenaries mode. Returning from Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Double Agent, SvM sees two teams trying to hack or protect data terminals. The hacking spies control like Fisher does in the main game, whilst controlling the defending mercenaries switches you to a first person perspective.

Customisation options and player progression have been added for Blacklist’s multiplayer effort, and these new additions help it to steal the show. Matches are tense, varied and strangely tactical. Here’s hoping a strong community builds up around Spies vs Mercs, as there’s a lot to love here.

At least, being a blockbuster action title we can expect polished visuals, right? Apparently not. You’ll notice the artistic flourishes of Conviction are absent, with the black and white colours to signify you’re place in the shadows replaced by a dissatisfying and easily missed light on Fisher’s back. The levels take the place of the monochrome stealth indicator, posing in all sorts of shades of grey with little interest or colour in sight. Animations are more satisfying, but are ruined by the plastic sheen that ruins all the character models. This is not a game you’ll be playing for looks alone.

Conviction was one of my favorite games of 2010. It redefined the Splinter Cell series with fast stealth action, flowing gameplay and an oddly pointed story about personal revenge. Conviction was like a decent action movie; fun, frantic and at least partially memorable. Blacklist, by comparison, is a mediocre B-movie. It’s not good enough to enjoy, but not so bad that you can laugh at it. It takes everything good about Conviction and totally misinterprets it. It is a sad and disappointing experience seeing how Splinter Cell has devolved and, unless you plan on getting it primarily for the awesome Spies vs Mercenaries mode, Blacklist is a game that is difficult to recommend.

This game was reviewed on Xbox 360.

It was playful, beautiful and engaging in a way that platforming hadn’t been for some time. Legends continues this trend with a bag of increasingly creative surprises that never fail to delight.

The plot is more of an excuse than anything else, seeing Rayman and friends fall asleep for a hundred years. They awake to find the world of the Teenies invaded by nightmares and go out to set things right. Rayman, Glowbox and the Teenies return as playable characters, with Barbarian lady Barbara also joining the fray.

"Murphy is capable of indirectly affecting the environment. He can shift platforms, cut ropes and tickle enemies with the press of a button."

There are plenty of cosmetic options to choose from outside of these main characters, and they all look fantastic. The Ubi Art Framework returns from Rayman Origins, providing beautiful and flowing designs throughout.

This beautiful art style is most obviously present in the level design. Gameplay mechanics are always fairly simple, meaning creative levels are the only real respite from monotonous gameplay. Legends is able to deliver these engaging levels effortlessly though, with gorgeous castles, swamps and deserts demanding your attention. They play as well as they look too, with intricate jumps and satisfying escapes showing off 2D platforming masters at the height of their creative powers.

Some sections display new ideas for the series, courtesy of the return of Murphy the fairy from Rayman 2. Murphy is capable of indirectly affecting the environment. He can shift platforms, cut ropes and tickle enemies with the press of a button. It sounds simplistic, but timing becomes essential in using Murphy effectively, and he allows for some complex obstacle and puzzle solutions. Players on Vita and Wii U can also manually control Murphy’s actions via the touch screen. We tested the Xbox 360 version and, though the mechanic was obviously designed for motion controls, Murphy is equally fun to use with a touch screen or a normal controller.

"Do you know what's better than one person playing Rayman Legends? Four people playing at the same time. "

There is certainly a quality of level design that is commendable, but it’s more impressive that this standard never lets up. There are nearly a hundred and fifty levels to plough through, and each one also has a remixed version with alternate enemies and layouts. You also have a tonne of fun surprises thrown around elsewhere.

You can unlock a variety of remixed stages from Rayman Origins for the nostalgic amongst you, and cool mini-games constantly keep you on your toes. One stage has you demolishing a castle in time to a thundering rock score, whilst another optional stage has you jumping and smacking footballs into opposing goals with your friends. Rayman Legends never runs out of surprises, and it is one of the things that makes it so exciting to play.

Do you know what’s better than one person playing Rayman Legends? Four people playing at the same time. Local co-op returns from Origins and, if you’re playing on the Wii U, you can even bring in a fifth player on the Gamepad. The levels hold up regardless of how many people are playing, and co-op quickly makes the action more frantic and more enjoyable.

"A part of me misses the trippy musical levels and cooky landscapes of Origins, but Legends has made me smile more often than any other game this year, and there is a lot to be said for that."

The lack of online co-op is disappointing, as this was one of the more glaring omissions from Rayman Origins. Still, this a small absence when the game works so well in local multiplayer. Needless to say, Rayman Legends does a fine job of continuing the long standing tradition of couch co-op.

Even when you and your friends feel you have exhausted all of Legends’ bounty, challenge mode continues to offer fresh content. Offering two daily and weekly challenges for you to accomplish online, you compete for the best scores on the leaderboards. They’re oddly addictive prospects, and the challenges are just as addictive as the main game. If they are truly able to keep new challenges coming in so regularly, Legends suddenly has even more longevity than it did before.

Rayman Legends certainly makes more sense than Origins. The level hubs with painting portals will make sense to anyone who has played Mario 64, and the more familiar level settings will sit better with the majority. A part of me misses the trippy musical levels and cooky landscapes of Origins, but Legends has made me smile more often than any other game this year, and there is a lot to be said for that. I’d love to wax lyrical about Rayman Legends and its place in the gaming canon, but it is not going to be remembered as a revolutionary moment in gaming. What it will be remembered as is the best platformer of 2013. If you like fun, you should go buy it.

This game was reviewed on Xbox 360.