Thief, The Lego Movie Videogame, South Park: The Stick of Truth, gaming reviews

Thief's gothic surroundings set a tense, atmospheric tone

Thief

***

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

The fourth title in the Thief series sets a tense, atmospheric tone – perfect for any stealth game. There's not much else outside of the clear trajectory to follow, but movement is graceful – particularly with the new swoop ability – and the DualShock 4 controller on the PS4 adds to suspense. Though the storytelling is weak at points, and title character Garrett can't avoid repeatedly getting caught (too many frustrating loading times), the gothic surroundings set the scene for some very enjoyable sneaking around.

Laura Davis

The Lego Movie Videogame

***

All major consoles (£39.99)

As yet another building block to put on top of Lego's already enormous franchise, The Lego Movie Videogame follows the recent big-screen release. It's certainly stronger than various movie tie-ins that have come before it, but perhaps not quite as fun as some other Lego games. Will Ferrell's voice makes for enjoyable narration, though fans should watch the film before playing. A sweet, uncomplicated addition to the series

.LD

South Park: The Stick of Truth

***

PS4, Xbox 360, PC (£49.99)

The Stick of Truth is crass, childish and offensive – everything that makes South Park as uniquely funny as it is. Right from the start, you must pick which class your character is – choose between Fighter, a Mage, a Thief, or a Jew. It sets the tone, and the humour of Matt Stone and Trey Parker is all over this game. The RPG gameplay is perhaps too easy to navigate, which makes it feel like an extended episode, but for fans that's as good as authority is to Cartman.

Simon Rice