Games of the week
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Subdivision Infinity DX
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Genre: Action
Price: £11.99
Set a course for deep space dogfights
If you hanker after a galactic voyage of vast proportions – something along the lines of Elite: Dangerous, say – then Subdivision Infinity DX is not the void you're looking to explore. If, on the other hand, you're just after a snappy, pretty and sharply controlled shootout among the stars, then strap in. Subdivision Infinity DX boasts the same FPS-style input as Galaxy on Fire 3 and EverSpace, enabling fast and head-spinning combat among some really fabulous interstellar scenery, although the auto lock-on ability of your ship does threaten to make everything a little too easy. Still, the challenging battles against boss characters or huge vessels lend some variety, and help make Subdivision an easily accessible and enjoyable bout of star wars.
Skip to the end: Excellent controls make for an engaging blast.
Score: 8/10
RAD
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch
Genre: Action
Price: £15.99
Radiation burns
RAD is a rewardingly random 'rogue-like' game, where difficulty is high but each death brings benefits for next time. In a desolate world that's suffered a double whammy of Armageddon, you fight across irradiated, randomised wastelands, hunting for the technology that can save your ailing settlement of survivors. But all those rads soon have an impact, in the form of unpredictable mutations – from the brilliant (your head becomes a snake with a short-range attack) to the harmful. Unfortunately, combat feels leaden and repetitive, while none of the six areas before the big boss encounter will hold your interest for very long. But at least the regularity of RAD's eclectically colourful mutations manage to enliven the otherwise basic gameplay.
Skip to the end: An inventive but short-lived and simplistic romp.
Score: 7/10
The Blackout Club
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Genre: Multiplayer
Price: £24.99
Lights out
The Blackout Club has a brilliant tutorial level, which introduces you to the stressful experience of being dragged by your feet through a subterranean labyrinth. It's an exhilarating way to start your visit to a town where adults become zombie-like wardens at night, kids suffer troubling blackout, and a soul-stealing demon stalks the streets. Sadly, once you get stuck into the game's four-player sneakfest, things quickly turn sour. Your task is to gather evidence of the horrors to convince an unbelieving world, but the multiplayer element plays havoc with both atmosphere and tension. The Blackout Club had scary good promise but isn't worth the membership fee.
Skip to the end: Atmospheric idea that is horrendous in practice.
Score: 6/10
Secret Files 2
Platform: PC, Switch
Genre: Adventure
Price: £14.99
Hidden pleasures
It's pleasing to see that time can't undo the magic of a well-crafted adventure game. Secret Files 2 was released 10 years ago, and while it's never as beguiling or atmospheric as the best (Monkey Island 2, the Broken Sword series, Grim Fandango, to mention just a few gems), this pulpy thriller still captures the imagination. The remastered Switch edition boasts upgraded HD graphics, improved puzzle design and voice-overs to freshen up its 'race against time' Dan Brown-esque tale of medieval prophets, world-ending catastrophes and puzzling Parisian riddles. Touchscreen integration is welcome, though the restrictive environments make it feel inaccurate as you stab at somewhere you're not able to reach. Secret Files 2 is an oldie, but definitely a goodie.
Skip to the end: A lushly detailed and pacy adventure mystery.
Score: 7/10
