Pac for the holiday
It’s hard to find fault with this visceral, martial arts romp, which sucks you in from the beginning.
After witnessing the murder of your dad, you set off on a revengefuelled misson to track down his killers.
Combat is second to none, feeling tight and fast, the close quarters camera angle adding extra tension.
What makes Sifu stand apart is the clever use of its environment – weapons can be kicked from the ground, stunned enemies can be thrown down stairs or through objects, all tactics that can really level the battlefield.
All of this is held together by an affecting storyline and a superb soundtrack, almost the perfect fighting game.
Evil Dead: The Game (PEGI 18)
I couldn’t think of a more apt date to release the new Evil Dead game on than Friday the 13th.
It’s been 17 years since the last time Ash Williams and Co had their own video game.
This latest offering, from developer Saber Interactive, is inspired by all three original Evil Dead films, and finds Ash and the gang fighting to seal the breach between our world and that of the Deadites.
Play as a team of four survivors, exploring, looting, managing your fear, and finding key items to complete your objective, or – if you’d rather go solo – play alone in single player mode.
With multiple maps to tackle, it features 25 unlockable weapons – including Ash’s famous chainsaw, and boomstick.
Eastward (PEGI 12)
Another game getting a physical release this month is Eastward.
Issued digitally last year, this whimsical adventure follows the fortunes of a dad and his adopted daughter making their way through a post-apocalyptic land.
Survivors of the cataclysmic event now live underground, and protagonists John and Sam are eager to escape the confines of their subterranean village and find freedom on the surface.
Sitting alongside the main story are a series of mini games which, while not overly challenging, do add a nice change of pace.
Eastward is as beautiful as it is quirky, its 2D graphics are elegantly simple, matching the slower paced but compelling action – just don’t expect the story to make much sense by the end.
Ikai (PEGI 18)