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Game reviews: Dark Souls 3, Quantum Break, MLB The Show

Dark Souls - like its predecessors - is torturously hard while Quantum Break isn't as revolutionary as it would like to be

Jack Shepherd,Andrew Griffin
Friday 08 April 2016 13:53 BST

Dark Souls 3 - PS4 - £39.99 - 4/5 - Jack Shepherd

If you’ve ever played a Souls game before, you’ll know exactly what to expect here; frustration. As with those instalments, Dark Souls 3 is torturously hard. As you roam this beautiful world, over-sized weapon in hand, the tiniest slip up can cost you hours in game time. Accidentally meet an enemy way out of your league and it's too late to run; prepare to restart. What’s endearing, though, is the sense of accomplishment. When you finally defeat one of the brilliantly designed bosses, there’s an overwhelming sense of triumph; something missing from many games today. If you’ve got the time to master this beast, you’ll have a lot of fun, but for a quick gaming session, I can’t imagine anything worse.

Quantum Break - Xbox One/PC - £39.99 - 3/5 - JS

Quantum Break attempts to merge gaming and TV watching, seamlessly incorporating a TV show into the game. Even with both elements telling the story of Paul Serene’s failed experiment that has left a fracture in time, the plot is convoluted and confusing. It doesn’t help that there is very little to connect you with these sub-par characters; plus, when you do finally get into combat - as great as it looks - it gets repetitive and feels unresponsive. While storytelling games such as Uncharted and The Last of Us would have been ideal for filmed segments, unfortunately, Quantum Break just doesn't deliver a rounded experience.

MLB: The Show - PS4 - £39.99 - 4/5 - Andrew Griffin

MLB: The Show 16 is a stunningly realistic recreation of baseball. How much you enjoy it will depend how exciting that sounds. Baseball is a funny sport to make into a game – repetitive, long and technical. That's why I and many others love it, but it poses a challenge. EA has done its best. The updates include a special Showtime mode that slows down time and makes everything look a little more dramatic. Ultimately the game is a faithful recreation of a divisive sport. If you love the real thing, you'll love this too; it's the best baseball game ever made, for better or worse.

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