The sniper in question is Cole, who in a surprising turn of events is a special-ops agent, specialising in field support to assault teams. He is the centre-piece of a tale of deceit, betrayal and tragedy that stretches from the Philippines, through Sarajevo before climaxing in Nepal and India. Surprisingly, the narrative is well-designed and maintains its pace, with some decent voice-acting helping to set the scene and make you genuinely care for the people you assist. For the most part, it works. The story acts as a convincing foil, and justifies well both Cole's often reckless actions and the environmental changes.

This surprising personal touch to the story well represents the life of a sniper. Observing others from distance, with the fate of an oblivious foe at his finger-tips, they are intensely connected to their mark and the environment. It is these nuanced touches which absorb the player. Trees sway, the undergrowth shudders and soldiers banter in the distance. Although it cannot touch the living, breathing environments of Far Cry 3, Ghost Warrior 2 has consistently excellently designed levels, ducking and weaving through vastly different exteriors and scenarios. It looks good too, with some decent details and predictably (and necessarily) excellent draw-distances. The highlights are those with companions, such as a spotter, that are reminiscent of possibly this generation's finest level, Call of Duty 4's 'Ghillies in the Mist.' The indoor sections can become tedious, but they are saved by not being overly long.

Levels, as extensive but linear as they are, feature a great variety of battle types, from small confrontations to huge set-piece slogs. Although fun to play, they become infuriating when coupled with the game's nonsensical save system. Deeply flawed, there is no apparent logic or cohesion to where or when your progress is saved, and you can often go for up to half an hour before a save is activated. For a game that at points requires much trial and error, this is a horrendous error of judgement; one stray shot can put you back massively. For a game such as Ghost Warrior 2, that is unforgivable.

Despite the name, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 is not really a shooting game; stealth is far more important. Less a case of sticking to the shadows than staying in the distance, Ghost Warrior 2 is unforgiving to those with a reckless streak. Once spotted, the player is ripped apart almost immediately on any difficulty by the impressive enemies, who are no more likely to stick their head out than one would expect with a sniper in the vicinity. They patrol their borders and are acutely aware of any movement; they are, after all, trained soldiers. The result is that care and attention, plus a little bit of ingenuity is needed to overcome them. Unfortunately, the linear nature of the levels means that there are often insufficient areas to either hide or run, meaning that the player is hemmed in a way unnatural to the feel of the game.

Shooting mechanics, likewise, are relatively finely balanced. On the lowest two difficulties, a small marker within the scope helps to relate the wind-speed, posture of the sniper and his heart-rate to greatly aid the sniping. Purists on the higher difficulty level, minus this aid, will find their experience perceptive; quickly, shots can soon be judged relatively accurately, and feel a lot more precise than in most other games of this ilk. Although perhaps not as brutal as they could be, the deaths are thankfully neither as dramatic, gratuitous or downright pornographic as other sniper games (Sniper Elite V2, I'm looking at you), thus making every kill an off-handed experience. This could be construed as unsettling, but instead comes across as slightly lazy when the lack of real enemy variety is noted. It seems the balance has yet to be struck in this regard.

The multiplayer experience, at least in its current state, is an after-thought at best and a deceptive non-entity at worst. At the time of writing there are only two levels available to play and one mode (team deathmatch). For a full retail release, this is ridiculously poor value when tacked onto a single-player experience of approximately 8 hours. It's not even any fun. Enemies hide, and hide, and hide, and what could have been a tense, exhilarating experience is instead deeply boring. Nothing happens. There is no encouragement to move or thrust forward in teams, and you often just sit around waiting to be killed, or for someone else to become more bored than you and make a break. Although this could be construed as realistic, it is incompatible with time-based online gaming.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 - Review

Any excitement or faith in the quality of the game is quickly sapped away as soon as you turn it on. The blandest of bland menu screens greets the new starter as the camera pans across a startlingly bland spaceship akin to a fan mock-up of Red Dwarf, but worse. The campaign mode seems a good place to start. Wrong. It may seem hyperbolic, but Aliens' campaign mode is genuinely one of the worst single player experiences of this generation. There are no redeeming features. Like guns? Great. Like Aliens? Excellent. Like corridors? This is one for interior fetishists as you move from one copy-and-paste grey sci-fi room to another. Fifty Shades of Grey would be technicolour in the world of Colonial Marines. If I was the lead protagonist I would let the Aliens eat me to remove myself from the monotony of the environment. At least the inside of a Xenomorph might have some vibrancy, some life to it. Everything just feels cheap, with extremely poor production values. This is not the only time this accusation will be levelled at Aliens, as it permeates every aspect of this dysfunctional game.

Perhaps the most criminal aspect of Aliens: Colonial Marines' single player is the lack of drive apparent throughout. The Aliens references scattered across the 5-6 hour campaign appear more as a placation to fans rather than as a creative use of the license or to have any genuine purpose within the narrative. Exhibit A: Probably the most famous scene in the franchise, the obligatory 'Alien-through-the-chest' moment is staged with staggering disinterest; it happens relatively early in the game during a set-piece, and is dismissed as if such a thing is an every day occurrence.

The narrative meanwhile meanders along like a distracted pensioner, every so often pointing out something it believes is interesting or an 'emotional moment' with all the physicality and charm of Richard III's skeleton. At no point does the campaign reach anything like a head of steam, momentum, or any other such descriptives of forward pace; quite consistently, it ends with the flattest of bum notes, but mercifully it doesn't take too long to get to this point. Like the player, it appears that Gearbox/Timegate/whoever the hell designed this mess lost patience with the campaign and wished to put it down swiftly.

Noticed something missing from this lambasting of the campaign? Maybe something gameplay related? This is deliberate. The gameplay is barely worthy of note. It can be summed up thus with this quick recipe:

Ingredients: 1x protagonist; 2x followers; 6x enemies; 1x pea-shooter; 1x room/corridor; 1x shade of grey.

1) Enter room; followers will stumble ahead and into line of fire.

2) Wild enemy appears! Is it a) a Xenomorph or b) hu-man mer-cen-a-ry?

a) Shoot away! Your gun may have the destructive power of a blind man's stare, but the Aliens will melt in its fire.

b) Shoot away! Your gun may have the destructive power of a child's spittle, but these highly paid goons (on the ship for whatever reason) will hide in the middle of the corridor, ducking into your bullets. You go hotshot!

3) Repeat ad-nauseam.

The guns are consistently a problem in Aliens: Colonial Marines: in your hands they rip through even the toughest of enemies (none are actually tough) in seconds; in the hands of the mercenaries, they scatter off you like raindrops on an umbrella. Xenomorphs likewise offer no distraction; they crawl onto ceilings and die at your feet, weak and feeble incarnations of what should have been a scarce and terrifying foe. If whichever developer actually helmed this project had played on the series' claustrophobia and actually included only a handful of Xenomorphs in the game, perhaps featuring in randomly generated assaults (e.g. like Nemesis in Resident Evil 3) then we could have had a terrifying, original and invigorating shooter. One section, where you are unarmed and sneaking past Xenomorphs, almost gets this feel right.

Things improve when you switch over to competitive multiplayer. Teams are split into Aliens or Marines, with customisable load-outs for the Marines and set characters for the Aliens (think Left 4 Dead – you will a lot). Team Deathmatch is as you would expect, while Extermination (capture the flag-esque) is relatively entertaining in short bursts. As per the rest of the game, the multiplayer is ruined by inconsistencies and poor production. The levels are bland and dull, with only the cramped inside areas creating anything like tension or excitement. Guns are too powerful despite their lack of satisfying punch, and more often than not Marines will win the games easily just by huddling and firing before the Aliens can get in range. Aliens are more fun to use, with more varied attack patterns and the ability to climb up walls. However, which walls are climbable is unclear, meaning that you often end up dry-humping an unclimbable wall being gunned down easily. Again, there are good ideas here behind the bugs, lag and woeful display, but any good will for the game, or the wish to actually play the damn thing quickly diminishes as you realise that, like the rest of Aliens: Colonial Marines, the multiplayer is perfunctory and performs only at the minimal requirements expected of a video-game.

I imagine the presentation of Aliens: Colonial Marines to be much like a tea-party at the house of H. R. Giger, the Xenomorph creator; weird, emotionless and full of Aliens. Graphically, Aliens: Colonial Marines offers nothing in the way of aesthetics or technical prowess; it is a colourless mess of shoddy textures, identical enemies and clipped edges and is extremely rough around the edges. Character models are dull, featuring all the expression of a middle-aged botox-hued Californian. If expression were possible in those cold, dead faces then perhaps there would be some feeling to the characters had they not also been voiced by actors apparently auditioning for a breakfast cereal advert. The menu screens meanwhile are horrible, convoluted messes of bad font and dark textures, almost warning you away from any temptation to play the game. There is music, but it's an entirely forgettable score.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Aliens: Colonial Marines (PS3) - Review

Here are the Nominees:

Far Cry 3

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Best Graphics Technology of 2012 - Article

Here are the Nominees:

FIFA 13

MLB 12: The Show

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Best Sports Game of 2012 - Article

Here are the Nominees:

The Walking Dead

Journey

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Best Adventure Game of 2012 - Article

Far Cry 3 begins with you, the hapless and apparently terrified reveller Jason Brody, locked in a cage after being captured with your particularly annoying frat-friends by a local pirate lord named Vaas. An escape featuring his brother goes awry, yet Jason makes it out of Vaas' camp alive and into the wilderness where he soon becomes the figure-head of a local anti-Vaas movement. The narrative sweeps through rebellion, hallucinogenics, voodoo magic and friendship, anchoring the game well whilst laying on some quality set pieces; the mission which has you burning marijuana fields whilst Skrillex's 'Make It Burn Dem' blares in the background is a blazing classic. Although interesting, the story does have apparent contradictions; for all that Jason mutters and appeals that this all beyond him, everyone makes it clear how heroic and brave he is whilst he shoots first and asks questions later like a natural. Are we meant to believe that this party-hardy frat kid was a leashed super-soldier, able to fight mercenaries, craft ruck-sacks, wield weapons and perform all sorts of miraculous feats as the game tries to suggest his brother is the more capable hero? It is easy to see why it fits as a narrative device, and why it would add to the otherworldly feel of the game, but it just doesn't quite work when the action revels in the impossibility of it all.

The narrative does make up for these short-comings in other ways, however. Jason's  friends, 'rich kids with rich parents' as Vaas describes them, are immensely annoying and self-gratifying, meaning that they are very, very hard to empathise with. As the story progresses, this becomes less likely to be poor character framing and more a form of self-reflection; are you saving them because they are your friends, or are they, like you, a means to an end? Vaas himself is a fantastic bad guy, dripping with menace, wit and threat; think Idi Amin in 'The King of Scotland' or Ude Hussain in 'The Devil's Double' for similar characters. His psychotic personality is doubled with an undoubted intelligence, giving him an air of undoubted danger that many gaming villains lack. By proxy, you fear his private army, helping to sustain a tension in Far Cry 3 that barely relaxes even when the main plot is the last thing on your mind.

If the plot is the framework from which to hang the experience, the location is the real star of the piece. The tropical island, situated in the pacific, is one of gaming's truly great environments; unfathomably large, hostile in temperament, nature and population, it is a pleasure to explore its sandy hills, vast vistas, sunken lairs and ancient ruins. It is a new high in gaming environments, and it is a testament to Ubisoft Montreal that they managed to create such a miraculous area on this generation of consoles. In other games, side-quests can be a chore. Here, they are an arresting pleasure, not just because of their content but because you can search a little bit more of the island. Despite its size, there's a surprising variety of areas on show with few signs of copy and paste locations except for a couple of huts. Dotted throughout the map are towns and forts which must be captured to allow for safer passage and new quick-travel zones. However, such is the quality of the environment that more often than not you will choose to drive or wander the distance, merely for the thrill of the journey as much as anything else.

There is real life to the landscape that many have attempted but failed to realise; it genuinely feels like a living, breathing world, which you are merely a part of rather than the epicentre. Gun battles rage in the distance, animals hunt and graze, locals go about their daily lives and guards banter as you make your way around the island. The perspective really helps in this regard. It is first person in its truest sense; you can see your hands turn the wheel as you speed along in a variety of cars (driving has always been a Far Cry highlight), reach out and soften a fall as you shake yourself up, whilst the platforming sections, including the map-revealing radio towers, are some of the finest examples of first-person movement in any game.

At its heart, Far Cry 3 is an action-RPG, based around a points-based and collecting structure re-enforced by terrific and chunky combat mechanics. Actions earn points which unlock new manoeuvres and abilities. Weapons are purchased from vendors or unlocked with the discovery of new areas through the radio towers, whilst upgrades to loot bags, holsters and the like, and the various syringes used for hunting and combat are earned by crafting material, whether plants or animal hides. This form of progression works well; it would be difficult to get far in the game without new skills and better weapons, thus compelling the player to explore, hunt and complete side-quests, and generally encouraging them to experience all that Far Cry 3 has to offer. Whether stealthy or balls to the wall, combat is thrilling and great fun. It never feels unfair, nor too easy; enemies are reasonably intelligent, following up sounds and tracing movement, but any instance of you being out-numbered and cornered is likely to come from your own carelessness than any other reason.

In tandem with the single-player adventure there are fully fledged competitive multiplayer and co-operative modes, both online and local (brilliantly). The co-operative mode is more frontal than the single-player (i.e. there is little room for stealth-based gameplay, unfortunately). Featuring a unique storyline and a particularly convincing Glaswegian (read: spouts a dictionary worth of expletives), the difficulty is ramped up considerably; enemies spawn repeatedly, ambushing you from all different directions including appearing right in front of your face. This is annoying and slightly puzzling compared to the rest of the game, where this rarely happens, but doesn't detract from a solid and generally fun, if sometimes repetitive, addition to the experience. Better to have than to not, as they say. The more conventional multiplayer is familiar in tone and style to the Call of Duty franchise, but with some tidy twists. Items can be gathered for de-coding, which when complete offer experience points and new weapons or features. Mid-match, players can use shouts to bolster the ability of other players, or to improve their health among other things. The engine is solid and combat neither feels unfair or unbalanced; shots hit where they are supposed to. There are, however, severe issues with lag; I played it in several different locations to check if it was my internet, but the same problems arose every time.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Far Cry 3 (X360) - Review

To The Moon

Price: £5.99/ $14.99 (Physical), £6.99/ $9.99 (Download).

Where: Amazon (Physical), Steam (Download).

Platform: PC.

What We Said: 'To the Moon isn't a perfect game by any means, but the atmosphere and story are so superbly conveyed that I can recommend it to anyone that loves a good tale in their games.'

Journey

Price: £9.99/ $14.99

Where: Playstation Network.

Platform: PlayStation 3.

What We Said: 'Personal, simple and intriguing, it's probably the closest gaming has ever been to making two players feel like Frodo and Sam heading to Mordor.'

Mass Effect 3

Price: £17.30/ $19.96.

Where: Amazon.

Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC.

What We Said: 'By combining the best of previous titles, BioWare has delivered not only the greatest game in the series, but an early contender for game of the year.'

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The 6 Best Games to Buy this Christmas (for under £20/ $30) - Article

As one popularly quoted pessimist once said, all good things must come to an end. For the Walking Dead video game, like its sister comics, this is only partly true. Although No Time Left brings to an end the first series, the second series has already been confirmed for a 2013, meaning that those who enjoy heart-tugging Georgian zombie dodging won't have too long to wait until all (or some, or none) of your favourite characters return.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though; the dust has yet to settle on No Time Left. Assuming that you, dear reader, have played the other episodes (and if you haven't, you really should) then by this point in the series your gameplay experience may be very, very different to mine, with an entirely different set of characters and circumstances than have accompanied my Lee on the journey. No Time Left is not the best of the series - that title belongs to the scintillating Episode 3: Long Road Ahead - but neither is it the worst (Episode 4: Around Every Corner takes that honour). As such, it stands as a suitably chaotic ending to one of this year's stand out games (or series), tying enough knots to satisfy the immediate story but leaving enough strings dangling to leave prospective players gagging for the second series.

Do I have to say spoiler alert?

The problem for No Time Left, really, is that any narrative suspense within this episode was already dealt with by events at the end of Around Every Corner. Due to the unremittingly grim rules, values and harshness of Robert Kirkman's world, there could only ever be one suitable conclusion to this series. Yep. It's that. But you already knew that, didn't you? How could that not be the conclusion after everything that has been said, done and wept over. Anything else would be entirely illogical considering the context and lore, and Kirkman's Walking Dead is nothing if not logical.

This is part of a worrying trend that started to emerge in Long Road Ahead but is now firmly rooted within the series - predictability. The problem of creating such a well-paced, coherent narrative is that quickly the situations almost start to repeat themselves through the pacing of the situations, meaning that it soon becomes easy to predict potential danger and who may be the victim. If a character pours their heart out, it is likely they will be pouring their abdomen out in the next scene. Realistically, it is a difficult narrative problem to avoid in gaming, especially one with layered and varied scenes such as the Walking Dead, and especially one to avoid in horror, where repetition and expectation provide much of the thrills. It's not an annoyance per se, more an unfortunate by-product of a game that requires scrutinisation to the point of over-familiarity.

To Telltale's credit, the more desperate nature of the fellowship's survival necessitated the increased turn of pace that threatened to tip the cart in Around Every Corner has been re-tuned for rapid decision making rather than poorly implemented action scenes. Quick-fire decisions fits far more neatly within the Walking Dead's pondering structure than the action scenes ever did, and it is interesting to see how lessons have been learnt so quickly. This added narrative pace comes at the cost of the characterisation of the survivors, and while it is true that some have had four episodes worth of fleshing out, it is still disappointing that, when mercilessly disposed of, we had not learnt more about them up to that point.

Gameplay wise, the core concept remains the same; talk to your companions, search for object/way out, escape, zombies, repeat. However, that is not to say that it is anything other than utterly thrilling and full of intrigue. Don't be surprised if you finish this in one go. The 'do-everything' control still involves the player brilliantly, even if the original allure has worn off slightly. Shooting has been changed once again, this time involving hitting cursors by the target rather than manually aiming. This fits more snugly into the rest of the game, even if it is rarely used. Again, however, too much emphasis has been put on QTEs to force through action scenes rather than more inventive or hands-on ways like the rest of the game. It's not 2004 any more, get over them; once is involving, twice acceptable – the fifteenth in this episode alone, let alone the whole series, borders on the numbing. If anything, the QTEs make the game a bit too easy, resulting in the impression that the game itself is second to the narrative structure. This may be the case, but it has been better disguised in the previous entries.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Walking Dead: Episode 5 - No Time Left (X360) - Review

And so, it is with trepidation that the latest addition to the series, Football Manager 2013, claws its way into the life of its victims. However, the new edition comes with changes (over 900, allegedly) and some new modes showcasing enough self-awareness to have a hipster twiddling his Bismarck moustache. The main difference is the inclusion of a Classic Mode, which gives Football Manager 13 somewhat of a split personality. This mode removes much of the detail from the main game, reducing team talks, removing many of the training modes, player interactions and media commitments, and other bitty details which many people love (and hate) about Football Manager.

For those with limited time, or players who have ever felt dwarfed by the sheer variety of options available in the main game, this Classic Mode a god send, streamlining the Football Manager experience into a fluid and quick moving gem, akin to the series circa 2008. Unlike the main game, it is possible to finish a season of Classic Mode in the space of a day, allowing managers to progress their clubs far quicker than normal. In Classic Mode, the focus is less on training regimes and micro-management, instead emphasising match preparation, tactics and managing your squad. In a way, this is a purer form of gameplay, relying on your ability to judge situations, tinker formations and scout quality players than fine-tuning every individual attribute for hours on end.

That is not to say, however, that Classic Mode is anything like a reduced Football Manager; it is still compelling, deep and bitterly hard, and your star £10,000 striker (I was lower-league powerhouse Crawley) will still break his leg five minutes into his debut. The best way to look at the Football Manager 2013 package and its two main modes is as two different games; fundamentally the same, but different experiences warranting different commitments. It is a good idea to go into Football Manager 13 knowing what you want from the game, whether you want it to take over your life or to serve as a light relief. The reason for this is because switching from one game mode to another is a real shock to the system. After playing the Classic Mode, the main game feels almost overwhelmingly detailed, whilst Classic Mode can feel simple and restricted compared to its all-encompassing brother. It's not a debilitating problem, rather a welcome choice, but it's a consideration worth investing some thought into when you first load up the game.

If micro-management and sleepless nights are definitely still your thing then the more detailed main game is still hideously addictive. The lay-out has had a desperately needed clean-up, with all the features now laid out in easily reachable pockets without the need for scrambling. Although this is probably a result of the clarity necessary for the Classic Mode, it makes the main Football Manager 13 game a more streamlined and understandable experience, despite the depth. Menus are clear and logical, making the game easier to grasp for the beginner and better to manage for the experienced player, whilst the assistance from the other coaches means that you can keep track of a player's progress, and that of your team, with greater detail than previously.

The role of the assistant manager has been greatly improved, aiding you in making genuine decisions and the running of the club, rather than merely to be used as tools to arrange friendlies and ignore their tactical advice. Clubs now feature more individual career aims, in line with the ethos of the club; for example, Blackburn Rovers demand a focus on youth development and exciting talent, whereas Wigan Athletic will allow you to do whatever you wish, as long as it involves staying in the Premier League. However, some of the old problems still remain: the team talks are still ineffective unless giving the team a bollocking, whilst the media sessions are as invigorating as a night in with Coldplay and a glass of water. Besides this, most of the improvements are minor and not wholly noticeable, and are generally concerned with cleaning up the interface and fine-tuning the experience without breaking the model; exactly what you want from a sequel. The result is impressive. This is easily the best playing Football Manager since 08, and a lot of time has clearly been spent by Sports Interactive in considering which direction to take the series.

If the two separate games is not enough, greater depth is afforded Football Manager 13 in the form of a Challenge Mode, which has the player picking up a club in various circumstances, from producing a winning team of young players, avoiding relegation from a mid-season start and kick-starting a club with enough injuries to consider signing up your Gran. Although simple in theory, these challenges are brutally tough and will test your skills to the limit (17 points away from safety in January?!). The focus that these challenges give and the difference a purpose makes to the Football Manager experience makes these an excellent way to spend an evening; they won't take any longer than that, but are a lovely distraction from the pressures of taking Accrington Stanley to their fourth successive Champions League victory. It goes without saying that this game could keep you going for years. There really is little in gaming to match Football Manager's value for money if you're willing and able to put the time in.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Football Manager 2013 (PC) - Review

Now folks, we've been here before haven't we? I'll say it once again though. If you haven't played the Walking Dead yet there is no point reading this review; go, play them, appreciate the terrific narrative and follow the reviews with each episode. Better yet, wait until the last episode is released and buy them as a bundle.

Oh, and spoiler alert... obviously.

For those of you still here, Around Every Corner cranks up the action considerably; things are starting to come to a head as the series rapidly approaches its conclusion, but it could be argued this is at the detriment of the overall pacing of the series. Up to this point the characters, especially from the original band, have been well-developed with a studied sensitivity to the extraordinary situation these ordinary people find themselves in. Yet, as the series continues apace, the story is starting to focus more and more on Lee and Clementine as other characters are stripped away. Although this is understandable – you do control Lee after all – it is disappointing to grow attached to characters to have them flung aside merely as narrative devices, somewhat spoiling the impression of a living, breathing catastrophe which had been until now so carefully crafted.

This narrative technique becomes clearer in Around Every Corner due to the influx of new characters, who for the most part prove themselves superficial accompaniments to the story as they emerge, talk, plan and die. At no point do you grow attached to these characters, as there is simply not the time nor incentive to grow attached to them. This is a shame; it's not that they lack personality, they just get so little time to show any.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Walking Dead: Episode 4 - Around Every Corner (X360) - Review

As should always be the case with a sports title, the most noticeable improvements in FIFA 13 have come in the gameplay, with some generally good, if slightly bizarrely implemented tweaks. Now, the reason the game actually plays better than FIFA 12 is because, strangely, the defence system has not been improved and is still unwieldy, awkward and naively implemented. However, this lack of improvement, which in other circumstances could have been deadly, is in tandem with a much more fluid attacking system; attackers make intelligent and instinctive runs, dribbling is more intuitive and less omni-directional whilst physical, lung-busting midfielders like Yaya Toure are far more effective than they were previously. The strange result of these contradictions is that, due to the awfulness of the defensive system and the brilliance of the attacking implementations, FIFA 13 is now an open and free-flowing counter-attacking affair; games ebb and flow, so don't be surprised to hit the post and then concede twenty seconds later. This new attacking intent makes the dogged battles-of-attrition which so often bogged down FIFA 12 a thing of the past, instead creating a fun and frantic football game. It may be less realistic, but hell, this is a game not a simulation.

Other improvements made to the gameplay are a bit more haphazard. The inclusion of a first-touch mode, although an excellent idea, succumbs to poor implementation and misunderstanding quite quickly. The problem is that it is absolutely and completely unclear how to use this new system and appears, like the ill-fated handball experiment, to be down to random luck as opposed to any sort of coherent set of circumstance. This means that League Two clogging centre-backs can control a high ball on a thimble whilst Xavi inexplicably spins the ball heavily out of his feet. A clearer use of the system tied explicitly to the ability of the player in possession would have been far clearer than the erratic and random touches that prevail. This is a waste of a good and easily implemented idea which could have made a big difference to the gameplay.

Thankfully, other ideas within the game have been woven in with far better skill. The new skills mode is a terrific inclusion, even if it's an almost carbon copy of the old training modes in Pro Evolution Soccer. These range from the obvious free-kicks and crosses to dribbling modes including all manners of tricks and different moves. The skill games work really well, honing your abilities with the progressive difficulty. I've played FIFA for a long time but I certainly still learnt something from these surprisingly addictive exercises. Exhibition matches have now been expanded into 'Kick-Off', a mode with a raft of new features and exciting ideas, including 'Games of the Week' (a selection of rival matches from around the world to take part in). Interestingly, real life form is now monitored and translated into this game mode, raising or lowering the statistics of the players. For example, as my team Leicester City have won five matches on the bounce the players have increased in quality, as one would expect from a confident team, whilst Peterborough United's woeful form is matched by a decreased valuation of their squad. Although intriguing, I'm not sure I necessarily agree with it as an idea and normally turn it off; it removes any squad consistency when considering players.

There's an almost dizzying array of online modes when one wishes to take their football online. The head-to-head season returns, this time given its own berth as 'season' mode. Playing against online players in a league format, this mode was and still is an addictive revelation, allowing you to take on players according to league and team quality; Barnet vs Barcelona is now a thing of the past. The excellent 'Be-A-Pro' mode and its club incarnation has been given a season mode to itself, again with a league system, whilst the Manager/Player Mode is still absorbing. This isn't even the tip of the ice-berg; there is so much to do, so many different modes to explore let alone actually playing a game that you won't get close to discovering half of the features before FIFA 14 is released. Unlike many short and sweet games, EA have done a tremendous job in creating a product of great length and value, easily justifying the yearly expenditure; unless, of course, you have the Wii version, an exact carbon copy of FIFA 12 which is as disgraceful as it is shameful.

These modes and the improvements in gameplay have been matched by the visual feast. FIFA 13 looks fantastic, with expressive weather effects and reasonably realistic players, at least in the top leagues; those lower down look like Frankenstein, whilst the lack of 3D crowd models is still utterly bizarre in this generation. Menu screens are as sharp as ever, and the extra effort to create a match-day experience is a nice touch, even if a little SKY SPORTS SUPER DUPER SUNDAY in style. As usual, the soundtrack is an exceptional and varied list of great up and coming new bands, meanwhile the stadiums and chants have never sounded better. The same can't be said of the commentary, as bland and mis-matched as always, with Alan Smith sounding like he's commentating on his own funeral; there's more energy in a morgue.

It's not easy producing a great game year in year out, but EA Sports are managing it with ease at the moment. Once again FIFA 13 is a clear improvement over the last incarnation; it plays better, looks better, has more modes and is superior in nearly every conceivable way. Whether they meant it or not - and it is doubtful that they did - the terrible defending mixed with the improved attacking makes for a pulsating and entertaining affair, whilst the new game modes offer great variety and an ocean of things to do. For these reasons, and the consistent high-quality of the game as a whole, FIFA 13 is not only the best FIFA game ever and the best football game of this generation, but also arguably the best football game ever. Praise indeed.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - FIFA 13 - Review

Now, queueing is an understandable and expected aspect of any event with a large amount of people. 50,000 people attended the four day extravaganza, a huge amount even by the standards of a Nuremberg rally organiser. However, a select few (hundred?) had something the rest of the plebs could only dream of: a press pass. 'Anyone with a press pass come this way!' cried one Eurogamer helper, like an enthusiastically geeky Pied-Piper, leading a small and smug band (and I am both small and smug) through the tumultuous and scattered crowd with the promise of early-early entry, leaving us by the entrance.

'W'at you doin' 'ere?' greeted the head-bouncer nearest to us, the only person who appeared to have a modicum of control over the situation. After several members of the congregation calmly explained that we had been led here in search of the promised early entry, we were told in no uncertain terms that no such early entry for press existed, that we had better just wait here as it was tantamount to queue jumping and that 'some kid has probably just got a bit big for his boots'. Said kid just shrugged his shoulders, muttered that no-one had told him otherwise and walked into the convention centre, leaving his forlorn followers to watch the majority of the early entry holders squeeze past them before they could enter (I assume; Corey and I unashamedly nipped under the rope and strolled in long before this).

This overall sense of confusion and contradiction is something we soon got used to at Eurogamer. The army of Eurogamer Helpers, to a (wo)man, were friendly, enthusiastic and entirely useless at their jobs; not one seemed to know where anything was, or been given any training in, you know, actually helping, so we quickly turned to the helpful and shiny looking programme to aid us in our quest to find games and developer's stands. Looks can be deceiving. The programme, despite being packed full of vainglorious blurbs about a number of the bigger games available at the show, failed to actually include either a useful map which pointed out anything but the bloody obvious (the +18 section is the bit with the big walls which say '+18' like a crap Berlin Wall, you say?) and didn't feature a full list of exhibitors, which is frankly criminal for an exhibition the size of Eurogamer.

The result meant that not only was it unclear which games were actually exhibiting, it was also impossible to subsequently find them if they did happen to exist. Allegedly confirmed games like Castlevania: Lord of Shadows 2 - one of many I had set aside for preview - were lost in the hangar, and I have absolutely no idea if they actually exhibited or not. Likewise, I could not find a particular stand where I had arranged an interview, and only found out where the stand was just as I was leaving on the last day and nipped into the toilet. I had asked and pleaded with staff, helpers, receptionists and even other developers where the various stands might be and none had a clue, aimlessly pointing to information apparently in the programme they had clearly not read. Frankly, much of the organisation of Eurogamer 2012 was completely inept, far worse than last year, and whoever was in charge of logistics and the organisation of the programme and helpers needs a massive, firmly planted kick up the arse.

Still, being a games expo, there were still plenty of things to do (nearly all involving games). I got beaten in a variety of different games by a wide selection of the gaming populus, including two demon nine-year old girls who flogged me to within an inch of my life on Joe Danger 2. However, I did manage a go on the best releases, including Far Cry 3, Assassin's Creed III and Dishonored, my personal game of the show and probably game of the year, whilst Nintendo's fantastic Wii-U stand was the best exhibit to be found. Beyond the new releases were some tournaments, which were cool despite being predictably dominated by monstrously talented ne’er-do-wells, whilst the retro gaming area boasted a range of old and rare games consoles, including a 10 person version of Bomberman, possibly my highlight of the whole thing. Some of the freebies were decent too: the Agent 47 bobbly head I received at the Hitman: Absolution stand has been staring at people in my toilet for days. The thing is, once you get into the Expo it is undoubtedly really, really good fun, but that's because games are great full stop. What's not great, however, is £8.00 for 9-inch 'pizzas' with two slivers of cheese and an olive on, the most expensive water outside of the Falkland Islands, and absolutely no-where to sit down (unless playing, of course). Seats are a commodity in such events and must be fought over like fuel in Mad Max.

As such, Eurogamer Expo 2012 was a chaotic and immensely enjoyable mess of an event. For every clear lack of organisation or useless staff member (and, urgh, the toilets), there was a real community spirit and refreshingly diverse audience of all types and ages. The sheer quality of the games available to play was exceptional, if you could find them, but the apparent inability to provide for a quantity of human-beings in one space was exasperating, whilst the lack of a quality map or games list was unforgivable for an event this size. Still, I did really enjoy it, and I do really want a press pass again for next year, so I will describe it thus: it's like watching The Who at Glastonbury – you know you will really enjoy it, but you might have to stand in shit to get a decent view.

Presentation: 8.0 – Lots of shiny stands, but the toilets, my god the toilets.

Gameplay: 7.5 – Exceptional games, some terrible organisation.

Value: 8.5 – Lots to see and do, but expect to pay handsomely for anything.

Overall: 8.2 – A good performance, but much to improve on for next year.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Real Eurogamer Expo 2012 Experience - Article

Well, the most obvious inclusion is the new multiplayer mode, which is surprisingly decent and retains the God of War feel whilst offering a unique experience. Splitting into two teams of four, you choose an allegiance to a particular god (Ares, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus) which changes your particular skill-set; this effectively just changes the size of your weapon and thus how hard or fast you attack your opponent. After this you are ziplined into a multiplayer arena battle, flanked by a legendary monster - in the demo's case a Cyclops - and the aim is to earn enough points through kills and collecting (opening chests) to unlock the 'Spear of Destiny' and use it to destroy the monster, thus winning the game. Relatively simple, but the reality is a lot more complex. Games are fast and frantic, attacks fly everywhere and deaths rack up quickly. I had my arse roundly handed to me several times in the first game due to the other team ganging up, but I hold no grudges; they tactically separated us and went in for the kill, clearly the best strategy for victory. Environmental traps litter the arena, waiting to gut unsuspecting warriors, whilst the multi-tiered levels hold plenty of positions for ambushes and surprise attacks. It would be interesting to see how well it held off with repeated playthroughs, but the initial impression is a game of great fun and ingenuity.

Despite this, God of War's reputation is built on its outstanding single-player experience. In this respect Ascension does not disappoint and is a stellar, high octane return to form. After landing on an island, a series of increasingly difficult monsters are vanquished, ranging from Minotaurs to the Kraken itself. The combat still holds up; combos are complex and exciting as you string attacks together, yet button-bashing, until later levels, would probably still be enough. The graphics and sound, as always, are outstanding; Kratos stylishly leaps and thrusts around epic, sprawling environments, wondrous in scale but linear in reality.

However, this linearity, at least in this level, makes any judgement on adventuring difficult to judge. Hopefully there will be more to the final product. Nonetheless, there is a real scale to the adventure; attacks come from miles off, including one particularly well aimed ship, whilst the ability to wind time to fix broken platforms is a welcome and interesting one. If any feature feels tired it is the reliance on QTEs still, but if any series can get away with it then God of War can; they were the pioneers after all. And, yes, Ascension is still incredibly brutal and deliriously gory; you will never look at an elephant's head in the same way again after one particularly harsh finisher. God of War: Ascension, then, offers more of the same - that same sense of epic adventure, with a new and interesting multiplayer experience. This mix of evolution and revolution is exactly what you want in a sequel to a long-running series. Hopefully the finished game will be as gratuitously fun as this demo.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Does God Of War: Ascension take Kratos to the Next Level? - Preview

When playing PSASBR, you are aware of just how much is going on, and how much detail has gone into the game. Unfortunately, because of this very fact it is often very difficult to actually tell what is happening during a scrap. Sparks fly, environments crash, attacks are unleashed in technicolour, but you'll struggle to actually see your characters in the midst of this onslaught. Although the graphical effort is admirable, and it does truly look fantastic, it results in a loss of clarity during the battle. The genius of SSB is its ability to maintain clarity despite the effects and frantic battles.

PSASBR has missed this point, instead creating a spectacular visual onslaught which although great to admire also greatly hinders the gameplay. As such, how can you block when you can barely tell where you opponent is, or what attack they are using? How can you retaliate against a super-attack when you are barely warned by any sort of visual indicator or sound-effect?

These super-attacks lead into the third major problem: the grossly unbalanced characters. Watching a tournament playing out (to win a 3D TV, no less), it was striking to see how many characters were using either Kratos or Ratchet & Clank. It soon became obvious why. These characters dominate every match they are in, turning mediocre players into monsters. Kratos is spectacularly powerful, fine in itself during God of War but not in a multiplayer arena battle game. Ratchet, however, is the only character with a level 1 superpower which is impossible to dodge, killing every character on screen, effectively making him a cheat pick.

This would be less of a problem if many of the other characters could stand up to them, but, like much of the roster's gaming reputation, most are too weak to offer resistance. Cole from inFamous can make a decent fist of it, but Sly Cooper is pretty ineffective and the less said about paper-weight Parappa the Rapper the better. The roster itself does not need comment here, but needless to say without Sony's third-party big hitters it is definitely lacking in interesting personalities.

There are, however, some good ideas hidden within PSASBR. The arenas are well designed and have a narrative structure to them, whether it be the plane whose cargo is falling out or the fantastic Buzz! level, which questions players during the battle, punishing or aiding them depending on whether or not they answer correctly. The game modes are fun (in-fact, the whole premise is great) and the game still plays well despite the problems detailed above.

In many ways it seems as though they had a clear idea of what they wanted to produce but in some ways have overlooked the contradictory elements; how can you have a visual feast and keep the game clear? Is it possible to have super-attacks and a balanced roster? Can you make the gameplay accessible yet offer a deeper experience for those who persevere? Sony have, for the most part, gone with one over the other, which has in many ways led to these problems. Although not crippling, they do offer concerns. The key to mimicking greatness is to not only to understand what made it great but how it made it great. PSASBR has only got it half right in this respect, and as such the game remains far behind its spiritual rival SSB. Perhaps the inevitable sequel will deal with these issues properly.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale has too much going on - Preview

What is cool, however, is the game itself. The set-up is genius, whilst the game is impressively balanced (Aliens net one hit kills, more or less, and can scale buildings and use vents, whilst it takes only a few bullets for the Marines' powerful guns to rip through the Aliens). Super powerful opponents + weak defences = mountains of fun apparently. Like the films, individuals on both sides will be cut down immediately; this is a team game, and it is suicidal to not stick together.

The effect of the Aliens on the Marines, strangely, is a game of multiple perspectives. What I mean by this is you look everywhere, with enough ups and downs and desperate flicks to the side to give a gamer vertigo. The reason for such observances is the atmospheric nature of Colonial Marine; you feel incredibly vulnerable and isolated, as if you could be picked off at any minute and thus play with a sense of constant anxiety. A solid engine with some well observed lighting effects crank up these heightened senses; light spills into the darkness from torches and old generators, playing up shadows of both imaginary and real threats. You can tell a lot of consideration has gone into pitching the atmosphere just right and the effect is splendid.

Thankfully, the Marines play well. Although the shooting mechanics are relatively basic, they are an excellent fit for the game. Likewise, the load-out is basic, but, you know, they are abandoned in space. As such, the gameplay itself is fun and extremely fast-paced, with players picked off in a matter of moments whilst the tactical nature of the teamwork means that gamers will work much harder to cover each other's backs than in most other games. The real star of the show is the atmosphere, though. Without it, the Marine section of Alien: Colonial Marines would be merely a decent if intriguing multiplayer shooter; with it, it is an exceptionally thrilling joy-ride. Now, about those Aliens...

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Aliens: Colonial Marines Finally Does the Series Justice - Preview

Set in a black-death infested steam-punk inspired version of seventeenth Century London (dazzling technology and swords, together at last), named Dunwall, Dishonored follows the story of Corvo Atano, a bodyguard to the Emperor who is allegedly framed for his master's murder and goes on the run. Luckily for Atano, he is gifted with a large (and it is truly large) selection of what are 'effectively' rat powers, which make him a master of stealth, combat and manoeuvring, or all three at once. Dishonored is stylistically thrilling, like H. R. Geiger without the phalluses, and is visually stunning. It has to be; there are so many options, so many ways to complete a mission that anything other than a clear but detailed visual palette would lose the player.

As has been well publicised, the key to Dishonored is choice, and not in a 'Peter Molyneux promises' way either. When you first start the demo mission, the aim of which is to sneak into a heavily guarded complex, you are presented with a range of powers, from teleporting to possession to creating a swarm of rats, and given a friendly pat to be on your way. The possibilities are daunting. If you follow traditional level design and the normal restrictions of game worlds then you will find a possible, but tough course of traps and guards to overcome. The beauty of Dishonored is when you start to think outside the box, look around, explore your powers and realise that the only limit you have is your own imagination. It is at this point that Dishonored becomes incredible.

Taking the old fashioned Psi-Ops approach (one of the many influences in the game) I possessed a guard on the roof above me and walked him off and into the canal, assuming that I would safely be put back into my body. Wrong. When I re-emerge I am floating in the canal, joined by the sharply dressed body of the guard. Turns out possession puts you into the body, and the position of the man (or animal) you choose to inhabit. This soon makes sense. Spotting a water-wheel, I swim past before wondering if I can use it to enter the building. Turns out I can. After stealthily thrusting through a guard I am into the safe-house. Guards are everywhere on several different floors, with several doors blocked by force-fields powered by whale-blubber (the game's oil and power source). After several failed attempts (and subsequently failed fights) to sneak past them, I decide to experiment. Launching a swarm of rats at one of the guards, I teleport on top of a bookshelf, from where I see some more vermin mingling near to an air-vent. Taking control of one, I scurry into the tunnel and emerge inside a laboratory.

Knocking out the scientist inside and dragging his body away, I turn off the power and leap out the window as guards converge on the position. From there, I teleport to the next level before making my way up a staircase to the penthouse above. Once inside, I knock out my target and hoist him onto my back to make my escape. A young prisoner informs me that there are other prisoners inside the complex I can rescue if I wish to. I do not. Wanting to make a quick escape, I wonder how viable the roof-tops are, not wishing to fight my way out with just one weapon. Two minutes later I am at the rendezvous point after picking the easiest route down. My companion at Eurogamer, Corey, is chuckling as he informs me that he completed the mission in five minutes by just roof-scaling up and down.

The scope for improvisation is extraordinary; whilst I had not thought of the roof-tops, Corey likewise had not considered the water-wheel as a potential entrance. There are sure to be many others too. Remarkably, the game world feels plausible, manageable, understandable; the rat powers make sense in such an environment, whilst the cruelty of the establishment, who hold over the heads of their guards the serum to keep them alive, is well-related by conversations and posters. The variety of weapons and powers means that there is a way to play through this game for anyone, and you surely will. However, although for the most part well designed, the power wheel is a bit cluttered and convoluted, an obvious downside to such a range of accessories. Hopefully this should not prove a problem in the long-run, as changing weapons mid-battle proved to be awkward and fiddly. Yet, I played Dishonored three times during Eurogamer and this was my only complaint.

Dishonored is a staggeringly impressive achievement even at this stage; a fun and immensely playable thriller with a fantastic story-line and vivid visual imagery. With a great manner of weapons, powers and playing styles, choice is not just the byword but the law. The only limit to what you can achieve in this world is yourself. Open your mind and you will make the best of Dishonored, a guaranteed cert on every game of the year list.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Is the Only Limit to Dishonored Your Own Imagination? - Preview

Now, the Wii U is a curious device of great potential; the screen is an intriguing addition. Although single-player games have proved up-in-the-air, it's clear Nintendo have spent a lot of time considering the best way to make the controller as unobtrusive but vital to the Wii U experience as possible. Nintendo Land epitomises this spectacularly.

At the packed Nintendo stall at Eurogamer I was given the opportunity to try out three of Nintendo Land's twelve games: The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, Animal Crossing: Sweet Day and Luigi's Ghost Mansion. In Zelda, three players take control of avatars using Wii-motes to hack at oncoming enemies whilst a fourth player uses the U-Screen to aim and fire arrows, moving it and shaking it like the arrow aiming in Ocarina of Time 3DS. Although quite smart in presentation and execution, it pales somewhat in comparison to the other games on offer due to its status as a glorified on-rails shooter, nor does it show off the potential of the screen.

Luigi's Ghost Mansion, however, does show off the potential of the screen in a superb and surprisingly deep party game. Four players control Luigis, torches in hand, whilst a fifth player controls the ghost. The aim of the game is simple: the Luigis must destroy the ghost before he captures them. The Luigis can only damage the ghost by shining a torch on him, but torches cannot be on permanently and need re-charging with batteries. If, however, a Luigi is caught, he is knocked out and can only be revived through torchlight, obviously leaving the saviour vulnerable to another ghost attack. The catch? The Luigis cannot see the ghost, whose only position can be seen on the U-Screen, out of the way of the others (no screen watching here!) For the Luigis, teamwork is the key; any separation could ruin everything. Divide and conquer is the best way for the Ghost to succeed; once his prey is separated they can be individually snared. The result is a tense and exciting affair with quite a bit of tactical nouse and depth where both sides are afraid to make the first move. Even after five games over two successive days it still felt fresh and invigorating.

Animal Crossing: Sweet Day continues in this vein. The aim of the game is for the four Wii-mote players to try and gather fifty sweets in their head scoops. They do this by standing in groups under trees, which then relinquish their goodies, like natural piñatas. As they get more sweets their heads swell, meaning they move slower and becomes more cumbersome (fat-kid syndrome effectively). This would not be a problem if the U-Screen player did not move a knife and a fork, controlled using the twin-sticks, out to stop the contestants. The screen scrolls in and out as you follow the cutlery, attempting to pincer opponents or spread the play. This is intriguing but difficult, and takes some getting used to. However, that does not mean it is impossible; on the contrary, like all the games here, it is immediately accessible but hard to master.

The key theme is fun. Although I only managed to try three of the games, each showed off the Wii-U hardware well. The focus on living room gaming local multiplayer must be applauded, and the use of the U-Screen is a revelation in these tense and tight games. The backwards compatibility with the Wii-motes is a good touch, meaning there is a chance gamers will have enough controllers to take advantage of the game mods. It may not be enough in itself to justify buying a Wii-U, but it sure exemplifies the hardware and Nintendo's approach very well.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Nintendo Land Proves that the Wii-U has the Multiplayer Touch - Preview

Firstly, Absolution looks fantastic. Everything is sharp, clean and clear, yet full of enough detail and quirks to make the environments (essentially small arenas) feel alive. At the start of the mission, various hints are given as to how to complete it, but these can be ignored or even turned off. Using your 'sense' (think Bat Vision), Agent 47 can scout areas for hostiles and the main target, as well as interactive objects. This is a nice and useful feature, but could be somewhat divisive. Also included is a slow-down shooting mode, akin to that of Red Dead Redemption although it doesn't work nearly as well.

Although fine in theory, the actual mechanic is flawed, meaning that you often end up hitting the same person three times rather than the guy to his side too. Likewise, it takes into account the range of a weapon far more than normal gameplay does, resulting in not being allowed to shoot enemies in slow-mo you would otherwise. Likewise, the main shooting mechanic is a bit too sensitive; cross-hairs sling around as if in a bee-hive, darting everywhere when you just want precision. The indirect result is to rely on non-shooting methods to finish the job; a pleasant if unexpected result.

On a more positive note, the rest of Absolution is very promising. The engine is very solid. Unlike previous games there was no problem with context sensitivity, whilst the clear prompts meant there was no ambiguity about what you could or could not do. As for what you could do, there are an extraordinary amount of ways to assassinate your target. I used a different method each time across a number of playthrough, ranging from blowing up his car, poisoning his food, poisoning his drugs, sniping him, strangling him whilst disguised as his dealer to just plain old shooting him as he stood in a plaza. My friend assassinated him using a teetering concrete block, something I had not even noticed was there in the level. I am sure there were other ways, too, which makes you feel like an Assassin in a candy store. That's not to say it's easy though; guards are vigilant and disguises must be changed. It often boils down to trial and error, but this just keeps you coming back for more.

Despite the slightly off slow-mo shooting, Hitman is well designed and fun to play. The missions and environments are interesting and alive (although the crowds are a bit strange, staring at Agent 47 despite his having done nothing), whilst the sheer variety of assassination methods will ensure masses of replayability. Judging by the demo, there is every chance that this could be brilliant.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Can Hitman: Absolution Revive Agent 47? - Preview

The level plays like a classic Assassin's Creed mission from the heyday of AC II. Each area is well considered and plotted, with excellent pacing, overheard conversations and snippets of information which suggest a wider world and other concerns. Soldiers banter and squabble as a commanding officer struggles to justify their placement, whilst others lament their due. I cannot tell if the wild variety of accents on offer - not just in the guards but Connor and his boatman - is a brilliantly realised acknowledgement of the multi-national nature of the British Army or simply terrible, terrible voice-acting; with Assassin's Creed it really could be either.

Thankfully, despite the self-righteous depiction of the laboured storyline, the gameplay of Assassin's Creed has always been about fun and attempting the acrobatic impossible. Assassin's Creed III is no different; if you have played any of the previous incarnations then you would breeze through the demo. It looks the business too. Connor and the other characters are well modelled, whilst the environments are stunningly realised and look a pleasure to explore. Still, it is hard to tell within the isolated confines of the island and the demo itself how indicative this is of the wider game; in-fact, it is near impossible. The only things that really bare worry are the sense of familiarity regarding the gameplay and some of the indoor environments; they could easily be from any other game. Sure, he has a tomahawk instead of a sword, but that is not enough. Hopefully the outdoor environments and the much-publicised trees will offer a greater scope of invention than suggested here. The other concern regards the period; there was little to really concrete the period or troubles outside of their uniforms, unlike scaling Florence Cathedral, for example. However, this is probably a harsh criticism based purely on a very restrictive demo, and one that is quickly rectified by a neatly tucked away row of demo consoles.

The demo consoles in question housed a mode of the game where you play as the captain of a pirate ship in its attempt to see off and capture a military vessel. This was an unexpected and wholly revelationary delight. As captain you control the ship and direct it, bearing in mind the direction of the wind, shallows of the beautiful Caribbean islands you sweep around and the length of the sails you unfurl. The effect is really quite brilliant; cannons rake the sea as sailors rush to and fro screaming and scrambling, each bursting with individuality despite the action on screen. If this small section is an indication of the extra-curricular activities to be found in the game then we are in for a treat. The concern over the sense of place is immediately lost in the pulsating action, creaking wood of great ships and ripple of flags as bullets rip through them. This is the Assassin's Creed we fell in love with, and is probably a better representation of the developer's ambitions than the standard demo.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Assassin's Creed III Plays to the Series' Strengths - Preview

The result then, surprisingly, is rather dull. Although I believe this is a game which will rely on emotional attachment if done properly, something impossible to relate in a demo, the resultant 'climb this, pick this up, shoot this, eat this, shiver longingly' was done in a way to suggest vulnerability and innocence but actually just manifested as very, very slow gameplay.

The areas she inhabits - small pockets of woodland and cliff vistas - are startlingly artificial, bricked in areas lacking any kind of eco-system or nature; it was clearly designed around her, rather than vice-versa. Sharp graphics cannot mask the sparseness of the landscape (not an intentional sparseness either). The survival aspect is thus unconvincing and poorly implemented, with everything too scripted and inevitable for any kind of spontaneity.

More bizarre is the futuristic visual HUD and maps. If Lara is lost, and you are embodying Lara, why the hell can you move her around upon a high res map screen with clear locations? She is either lost in the wilderness with no equipment or not – there is no halfway house. It feels like a hangover from a previous development process they have declined to remove. A hand-drawn map, or even better a rough charcoal and paper device which fills in as you go forward, and something that could have been narratively implemented, would surely have been far more appropriate.

Likewise, when Lara is sat at her camp, a futuristic HUD flashes up (think a Splinter Cell/Heavy Rain hybrid) which deals with levelling and spending experience points. This is all well and good, but surely there could have been a more convincing aesthetic than a screen taken from Mass Effect. The result, of course, is one of befuddlement and contradiction, like a student claiming poverty in a post on Facebook from his iPad in an internet café in Covent Garden. These appear to have been one of several bemusing development decisions which, along with the dull gameplay, make Tomb Raider a bit of a mess. A lot of work needs doing to this, and I'm not convinced they have the time to do it.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Has Tomb Raider Finally Found Itself? - Preview