Games Central - Dark Souls III swoops onto PS4

This week, Dark Souls III swoops onto PS4, MXGP2 revs onto Xbox One and Mario & Sonic hit the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Nintendo 3DS.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.

Elsewhere, Chameleon Run and Pug’s Quest present two awesome colourful challenges for smartphone and tablet owners

GAME OF THE WEEK:

Title: Dark Souls III

GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.

Platform: PS4

Genre: Action/RPG

Price: £41.99

ASIN: B00ZFQC9TY

GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.

A fabulous potential finale to RPG royalty

Prepare to die - a lot - but also love every minute of Dark Souls III. The latest chapter in the critically acclaimed series is back, with its trademark sword and sorcery combat and impeccable action RPG gameplay, and an incredibly detailed world that you’ll love losing yourself in. The game certainly pushes a deeper sense of role-playing than previous iterations, with some key additions that provide players with a set of tools and in-game options to customise their personal experience. Skills, a new addition to the combat mechanics, adds attack modifiers to each weapon type, allowing players an increased tactical advantage in combat. You can also equip your character with a wide variety of armour sets, medieval weaponry, as well as harness powerful sorceries and miracles as you develop your own personal style of play. And you’ll need them all to survive the often-brutal enemy encounters throughout. This game will suck you in, make you lovingly explore every last inch of its gorgeous environment, and then punch you back with some of the hardest of hardcore game experiences around. But that pain only makes your subsequent success all the sweeter. A brilliant potential send-off for the series.

94%

Title: MXGP2

GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.

Platform: Xbox One

Genre: Racing

Price: £33.49

ASIN: B01BKGJSU0

GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Dark Souls III, Platform: PS4, Genre: Action / RPG. Picture credit: PA Photo/Handout.

Two-wheeled provides first person thrills and spills

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As the all-important number 2 might suggest, MXGP2 is the evolution of the Official Motocross Videogame experience, based on the FIM Motocross World Championship license. Here, two-wheeled racing fans are treated to a series of updated tracks and riders, including Glen Helen and the new Americas tracks, while you’ll also have the chance to ride in two brand new indoor stadiums to put your riding abilities to the fullest of tests. For the first time in a cross videogame, you can also compete in the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. To succeed, you’ll need to be able to confidently customise every part of your bike, rider, and team, honing your stills in test track performances, all of which can be achieved through the slick game interface and in-race action. The excellent physics modelling and huge amount of content on offer more than make up for the game’s sound, which still has a way to go to really recreate the rasp of your MX engine. It will become a background issue when you’re whooping at the stomach-churning experience now available through first-person view, which certainly cements the recommendation of MXGP2 as a worthy racing addition to your Xbox One collection.

82%

Title: Mario & Sonic: Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Genre: Sports

Price: £29.99

ASIN: B01BWMHSJU

Let the games begin!

The much-loved gaming duo are hitting the Copa Cabana, as they race over to Rio to tackle dozens of original mini-game sports-themed events as the Olympic bandwagon moves from Britain to Brazil. Of course, the glasses-free 3D visuals and control systems offer up a host of interesting ways to compete for a coveted gold medal, whether you’re battling it out in single player or multiplayer modes. From football to athletics and much more in between - including the addition of golf as an official event this year - there are some events in this compilation that are best left out on the training track. But, for those that really grab hold of your competitive spirit, you’ll find yourself returning time and again to beat your best score or complete a clean sweep of gold medals. The series has just about survived the curse of the licensed tie-in, and represents a pretty enjoyable accompaniment to this summer’s greatest show on earth.

74%

Title: Chameleon Run

Platform: iPhone/iPad

Genre: Endless Runner

Price: £1.49

ASIN: N/A

Run straight to the app store for this one!

Every year, there seems to be an endless runner game that picks the genre up, tips it upside down and shakes it senseless until something fresh and new is found. Chameleon Run is that game. It’s a stunning looking, beautiful sounding platform auto runner experience that presents an incredibly fast-paced challenge that you’ll keep going back to again and again. As a character made simply of a collection of blocks, you will sprint across a range of 3D platforms, having to hop from one coloured platform to the next via a tap to the right of the touchscreen. The chameleon element comes in next, as you must tap the left hand side to cycle through colours and match the hue of the platform you’re about to land on. Fail to make a match and you’ll die instantly, and if you hit any of the black obstacles in your way, you’ll be back to the start of the level. It’s a startlingly simple concept that is brilliantly executed, with additional double jumps, auto colour-changing gates and more to keep you on your blocky toes. A cracker you shouldn’t miss out on.

90%

Title: Pug’s Quest

Platform: iPhone/iPad

Genre: Puzzle / RPG

Price: £2.29

ASIN: N/A

Canine dungeon crawling, retro-style

In Pug’s Quest, your wee canine central character is charged with tackling dungeon after dungeon, moving through the three floors in each stage by sliding your digit around the touchscreen to move the little fella. Traps, monsters and many other hazards lie in wait and you’ll need to have your wits about your if you’re going to survive for any lengthy period of time. The game revels in its retro styling, with crisp, cute pixellated presentation keeping things easy on the eye as you edge your way through the levels. Unfortunately, the excitement factor doesn’t quite match the visual variety, and Pug’s Quest quite quickly feels like many of the similar titles in the genre that have been released recently. It’s quirky enough with a dog as the hero, but at its core, there isn’t the genius innovation to have you barking for more. Worth a look, but not quite deserving of a juicy bone.

77%

WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT?

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Sony’s PS4 operating system received a major upgrade last week, with the headline news being the addition of Remote Play via PC and Mac. Yes, it’s true, you can now plug in your PS4 pad to your Mac or PC and control your console system, play games, watch videos and do pretty much everything else you would normally. Provided you have a solid broadband connection, you can now play on PS4 from anywhere, freeing up the TV for others to use and saving you the job of lugging your console around if you’re that addicted and can’t bear to be without it when away from home!

Meanwhile, in the charts this week, Quantum Break and Dirt Rally were the only new entries to the top 10, but they bagged the best spots at one and two respectively. Tom Clancy’s The Division slipped to three as a result, while Far Cry Primal also dropped three places from two to five.

GAME CHART ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE

1. Quantum Break

2. Dirt Rally

3. Tom Clancy’s The Division

4. FIFA 16

5. Far Cry Primal

6. Grand Theft Auto V

7. Call of Duty: Black Ops III

8. EA Sports UFC 2

9. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Siege

10. Star Wars Battlefront

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) 2016 UKIE Ltd