Annual sporting update season is upon us once more, with Madden NFL 18 and F1 2017 being first out the gate.
With an all-new story mode, Madden NFL 18 is said to be the most accessible yet, gaining a 9/10 from GameSpot, a 4.5 from US Gamer and an 8.25 from GameInformer.
IGN meanwhile went with an 8.6. “The shift to Frostbite doesn’t refresh Madden NFL 18’s gameplay much, but Longshot is a memorable single-player mode,†was their verdict.
Codemasters’ F1 2017 has gained an even steadier sting of 9/10s, with most critics calling it the best instalment ever delivered. The Telegraph opted for full marks, while The Sixth Axis felt it was worth a 9/10. “From adding more R&D options to the career to having classic cars and invitational events help break up the long racing calendar, there’s a lot to keep you engaged here,†they said.
Plenty of other new releases are vying for attention over bank holiday, with the biggest by far being the less-than-full-price Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.
While it has received a few 7/10s (hello, VideoGamer) the majority of review scores are 8s and 9s. God is a Geek went with full marks, meanwhile. “The game is yet another masterpiece from Naughty Dog, and it goes to show we don’t need Nathan Drake to make a great adventure greater,†their reviewer stated.
As you may be aware, pre-orders came with Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. This means the classic platformer bounces back on PS4 this week, available for £11.99.
Other games heading to both retailers and digital stores include remaster collection Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Legacy, first-person Korean survival horror White Day: A Labyrinth Named School, and The Escapists 2.
Sadly, it seems that Team 17 hasn’t caught lightning in a bottle twice with their prison breaking sequel. God is a Geek could only muster up a 6/10, calling it “a sandbox without much contentâ€. It also features doubtlessly whacky YouTube personalities as new characters. Oh joy.
It’s a ridiculously busy week on the download services, with a fair few games hitting both Xbox One and PS4. These include fantasy adventure Mages of Mystralia, Super Comboman: Smash Edition – a beat’em up set in a world formed of stickers – 2D puzzle/RPG hybrid SwapQuest, the colour-based Portal alike ChromaGun, and Bleed – a run and gunner with a purple haired protagonist.
The Xbox One also gets belated releases of the fully voiced pause-for-tactics RPG Masquerada: Songs and Shadows, top-down drifter Absolute Drift: Zen Edition, and Knock-Knock – a psychological take on hide and seek. They’re joined by two others – strategic war sim Battle of the Bulge, and ACA NeoGeo Puzzled. The PS4 is without any NeoGeo re-releases this week, it seems.
Then on PS4 there’s Freedom Planet – which should appeal to fans of Sonic Mania, originally being a Sonic fan game – plus Adult Swim’s 2D shooter Duck Game, One Piece: Unlimited World Red – Deluxe Edition, popular point ‘n clicker Thimbleweed Park, Unreal 4 powered platformer Spartan, and Soul Dimension – a PSVR puzzler developed in China. At a mere £3.69, it may be worth a look.
Next week: Yakuza Kiwami (PS4), Life is Strange: Before the Storm (PS4/XO), Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Switch), Rabi-Ribi (PS4), Warriors All Stars (PS4), Culdcept Revolt (3DS), Redout Lightspeed Edition (PS4/XO), Killing Floor 2 (XO), Absolver (PS4), Everybody’s Golf (PS4), Dead Alliance (PS4/XO), Surf World Series (PS4/XO), Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition (PS4/XO), Resident Evil Revelations (PS4/XO), The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor (PS4/XO), X-Morph: Defense (PS4/XO), White Noise 2 (PS4/XO) and Sparc (PSVR).