Rise of the Tomb Raider and Fallout 4 have more in common than simply being two of this winter’s biggest releases. Reviews went live on Monday and general consensus has it that both are highly similar to their predecessors. While many franchises routinely receive a kicking for being over familiar though, critics are in agreement that in these two instances ‘more of the same’ is a good thing.
In the case of Fallout 4 – which has received a mixture of 8s, 9s and 10s – it’s very much a ‘warts and all’ scenario – like Fallout 3 and New Vegas there are far too many glitches to contend with. We’d like to think that the developers have a patch underway as we type but they’re probably too busy celebrating the game’s success – it looks set to be a record breaker.
Rise of the Tomb Raider meanwhile follows on from 2013’s Tomb Raider reboot; undecidedly combat heavy but gorgeous to look at and the puzzles are a pleasure to solve. Reviews score for Lara’s latest have mostly been 8s and 9s, save for Eurogamer – who wasn’t particularly impressed – and Destructoid who felt that it didn’t fix any of its predecessor’s faults. The jury is still out on the Xbox 360 version.
Other releases for this week are somewhat thin on the ground. Skyhigh shooter Rodea: The Sky Soldier may interest Wii U loyalists, packaged with the once cancelled Wii iteration. Word has it that the Wii version actually has superior controls than that of the Wii U version, so if you’re curious about this one then best bag a copy quickly – it’s only available with the first print run. A 3DS version also launches this Friday. Apparently it’s not too hot though. “Rodea the Sky Soldier on 3DS is a poor version of what looks like an otherwise fun game on the Wii” said God is a Geek.
Then on PS4 and PS Vita there’s JPRG Sword Art Online: Lost Song. No reviews have surfaced yet, which is probably because it isn’t due out in the US until next week. Famitsu gave it 32/40, mind, so it’s likely to be a safe purchase. Abstract 360 degree shooter Kromaia Ω also hits PS4 this week – in both digital and physical form, via Rising Star – while “survival arcade racer†BlazeRush makes the jump from PS3 to PS4. That last one will set you back £13.99. Apparently it’s pretty good.
This leaves us with Gems of War – a free-to-play puzzler of the match-three variety. Developed by the creators of Puzzle Quest, it’s available now on PS4 and Xbox One. We spent some time with it earlier this week (while Fallout 4 was installing and updating) and found it to be a darn sight more pleasurable than that Frozen puzzler from a few months back. We may even give it a “proper†review somewhen soon.
Next week: Star Wars: Battlefront (PS4/Xbox One/PC), Animal Crossing amiibo Festival (Wii U), Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash (Wii U), Nintendo Presents: New Style Boutique 2 – Fashion Forward (3DS), Barbie and Her Sisters Puppy Rescue (Multi), Professional Farmer 2016 (PS4/Xbox One), Deadpool (PS4/Xbox One) and Knight Squad (Xbox One).