Games reviews: Stick It To The Man!, Need for Speed Rivals, Halo: Spartan Assault

Stick It To The Man!

PS3, PS Vita & PC (£9.99)

Meet Ray. Using the newly developed pink spaghetti arm on his head, he can read people’s minds, and must collect stickers to help them out. Each mini-story is as entertaining as the last, and while Stick It to the Man! is predominantly a point’n’click, where most dilemmas are resolved without much trouble, the unique indie game flourishes with its dark and witty script, striking artwork, and quirky characters and scenarios. A game to make you smile.

****

Laura Davis

Need for Speed Rivals

PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC (£54.99)

Giving a choice between playing as a cop or a racer intent on hugging the open road, Need for Speed Rivals has a loose narrative but concentrates on driving action. The races, police chases and time trials are familiar fare, but you can play with five others online while soaking up the amazingly real visuals. Risky driving boosts the available amount of in-game “cash” for upgrades and players can lose the lot when busted by cops. A great next-gen racer.

****

David Crookes

Halo: Spartan Assault

Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows 8 devices (£11.99)

Having been released as a mobile game, Halo: Spartan Assault now comes to the shiny Xbox One. Only the off-shoot of the Halo franchise feels a bit grimy for Microsoft’s new console. The top-down, two-stick shooter involves bite-size missions that vary only in title, with strafing and shooting pretty much all that’s involved. There are attempts to bring a story to the action (based between Halo 3 and 4), but they feel laboured. One for die-hard Halo fans only.

**

Simon Rice