Reviews of LEGO Marvel’s Avengers went live on Tuesday, coinciding with its US release date. We did consider compiling a review round-up, but all reviews currently available are around the 8/10 mark – it wouldn’t be a particularly exciting, or surprising, round-up to read.
Although it’s easy to get the impression that this is just Traveller’s Tales going through the motions, like LEGO Batman 3 before it, it’s still pleasing to see another decent family game on the shelves – they’re starting to become worryingly thin on the ground these days, Nintendo’s titles notwithstanding. The handheld versions sound like they’ve had some significant effort put into them too, complete with the same open-world hub as their console counterparts, while the PS4/PS3 versions are in line for some free Captain America: Civil War and Ant-Man DLC.
Four other games are heading to retail this week: Final Fantasy Explorers, Sebastien Loeb Rally EVO, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel and This War Of Mine: The Little Ones. No reviews of Sebastien Loeb Rally EVO are available yet, so you’re on your own with this one. Luckily, there’s a demo available.
Reviews of Final Fantasy Explorers and This War Of Mine: The Little Ones on the other hand are both bountiful, with the Monster Hunter alike Final Fantasy Explorers receiving a mixture of 6s, 7s and 8s.
“Final Fantasy Explorers feels like an entry point for the genre rather than a true rival to Capcom’s crown – it’s accessible and enjoyable, but the shallow nature of the gameplay might leave seasoned players feeling a little cold after extended play†said Nintendo Life, who handed out a 7. Incidentally, the price has recently dropped on Amazon – it’s now £22 to pre-order.
This War Of Mine: The Little Ones – a harrowing survival sim, told from the perspective of citizens – arrives for around £20, too. Again, review scores have been a mixture of 7s and 8s. It surprised GamesRadar in more ways than one: “This compelling exploration of war’s human cost is also a tense strategy game, with kids giving it real heart. Proof you can make an engrossing game, no matter how bleak the subject.â€
Scores for PS3/PS Vita JRPG The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel haven’t been bad either. Many US reviewers claimed it to be one of their favourite RPGs of 2015, in fact.
As for new downloads, the PS4 sees the release of Jonathan Blow’s eagerly awaited The Witness (review round-up here), plus Arcade Archives Ninja-Kid II (£5.79), slick 2D platformer Mega Coin Squad (£11.99 or £6 with PS Plus) and Klaus (£15.99), a precision platformer taking influence from Super Meat Boy and Mega Man.
Top-down shooter AIPD meanwhile heads to both PS4 and Xbox One on Friday. Sticking with Xbox One, Gone Home: Console Edition slipped onto the store earlier this week after a slight delay, only to mysteriously vanish again – it’s now down for release on Thursday.
The Zumba alike Sparkle 2 (£6.39 or £5.43 with Gold – trial version available) made it out on Wednesday though, as did a Saints Row Metro Double Pack for £39.99. We’re also expecting the LEGO/Minecraft hybrid Roblox on Xbox One any day now.
Next week: Gravity Rush Remastered (PS4), The Legend of Legacy (3DS), Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders (PS4/Xbox One/PC) and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 (PS4/Xbox One), Cobalt (360/Xbox One) and Fortified (Xbox One).