Games of the week
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Dangerous Driving
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Racing
Price: £24.99
Embracing the need for speed
Dangerous Driving boasts the same aggressive, risk taking gameplay as the awesome 'racing as war' Burnout series. However, be warned – this is a stripped-down pursuit of speed, and everything that didn't make the game go faster appears to have been ripped out and thrown away, so the no-frills aesthetic might disappoint fans of Burnout's always incredible visual impact. Plus it's not quite finished, with a multiplayer update scheduled for the summer. But there's a rare purity to Dangerous Driving that marks it out as a budget classic – the sharp and responsive handling, the encouragement to keep putting yourself in harm's way, the steady and satisfying reward of new cars and tracks. The pace, and the thrill, is high octane stuff.
Skip to the end: Exhilarating racing despite the graphical limitations.
Score: 8/10
World of Warships: Legends
Platform: Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Action
Price: Free to play
Battle stations
World of Warships is the latest in the multiplayer free-to-play series that brought us World of Tanks and World of Warplanes, and as in previous games the titular vehicles bring their own unique challenges. Tanks were manoeuvrable but vulnerable, warplanes were fast but lightly equipped. With warships it's all about preparation – sea-based maps provide almost no cover, so working in teams and mastering positioning is all important. Excellent controls offer the right balance of simplicity and tactical choice, and each of the four ship types (destroyer, battleship, cruiser, carrier) feels distinct, so it's disappointing that unlocking the best ships requires such a crushing grind (or expensive investment in game currency). That said, World of Warships is a truly thrilling ride.
Skip to the end: Gorgeous looking battler with Freemium drawbacks.
Score: 8/10
World War Z
Platform: PC, iPad/iPhone, Mac, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Genre: Action
Price: £34.99
Night of the nearly dead
World War Z is, obviously, a straight tie-in with the six-year-old Brad Pitt actioner. But once you know it's a four-player online zombie slaughter-fest, you understand the real inspiration was Left 4 Dead – the relatively ancient but still fabulous team-based undead shooter. WWZ is an almost shameless copy job, from the special zombies (one that jumps, one that explodes, etc) to the glowing outline highlighting comrades in danger. There are some changes – a deathmatch mode, special missions and also a switch to third-person camera which gives World War Z a far less 'in your face' quality, though it definitely improves playability with console gamepads. But, ultimately, World War Z simply can't match the personality, tension or moreishness of Left 4 Dead.
Skip to the end: A poor imitation of Left 4 Dead's heart-stopping brilliance.
Score: 7/10
Fade To Silence
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Survival
Price: £34.99
Hell frozen over
Fade To Silence admirably attempts to push beyond the usual survival territory. As the grizzled Ash, you find yourself in a snow-blown apocalypse, but at least you're not alone – your young daughter Alice is along for the awful ride. Together, you aim to build a thriving community with survivors found in the wasteland, who can take over onerous tasks such as resource gathering, repairs or construction. Meanwhile, of course, you're threatened by fearsome monsters and the ever present cold. Fade To Silence promises plenty (not to mention the crazy, demon-possessing plot) but all those interesting ideas never come together cohesively enough to create a truly engaging experience.
Skip to the end: A dramatic but inconsistent and messy endeavour.
Score: 7/10
