The Evil Within, F1 2014, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2, gaming reviews

The Evil Within is an affectionately crafted, crimson-soaked love letter to a resurgent genre

The Evil Within

***

PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC (£59.99)

The Evil Within fuses grindhouse, J-horror and haunted-house jump scares in a noisy, kitchen-sink amalgamation of horror iconography with challenging gameplay. Its tensest moments arise from stealth mechanics, purposefully awkward gunplay and the need to scavenge for supplies, but the muddled story and lack of context for the barrage of abject imagery undermines the game's desire to mesh gore with psychological complexity. While it stumbles to truly forge its own unique identity as a new survival horror IP, Evil is an affectionately crafted, crimson-soaked love letter to a resurgent genre.

Oliver Cragg

F1 2014

***

Xbox 360, PS3, PC (£29.99)

Every car, driver and track is here, making it impossible not to feel a little bit like a real F1 driver as you zoom past the Monte Carlo Casino in the Monaco Grand Prix. F1 is a solid racer, but it is difficult not to wonder how much better it will look and feel on the next generation of consoles. As a consequence, it might end up unloved. Aside from the material improvements, few advances have been made in terms of gameplay or options, leaving F1 2014 feeling somewhat one-dimensional and lacking in variation.

Simon Rice

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2

**

Wii U, 3DS, PS3, Xbox 360 (£24.99)

Taking Pac-Man from his confined box of haunted passages to a platform environment isn't a bad idea, but it's all about the execution. Based on the animated kid's TV series, this Pac-Man sequel struggles to hold the attention. It's reminiscent of Sonic gameplay, but the fixed camera can irritate, even if it keeps it simple for kids. The main problem is a lack of originality: though very playable, it evokes descriptions such as "fine" and "nice" rather than anything particularly memorable.

Laura Davis