Darren Edwards

World War Z is lots of fun and easy to pick up and play, despite being a little on the expensive side. It may not have loads of new ideas, but it delivers a solid online PvP experience that doesn’t disappoint, especially on the zombie front.

Trust me, this time next year, this will all have just been a bad dream.

Assassin's Creed III Remastered on Xbox One is a good game which is fun to play. The graphics may be significantly improved but this is essentially the same as it was seven years ago, albeit now up against much stronger competition.

Music within video games has the unique ability to tip off players with what’s going to happen next and is by far the most effective way of setting the mood. But right now it’s time to hit pause, and look back at five of the most influential game soundtracks ever to grace the Xbox family, and why they resonate with players so much.

Windscape will instantly feel familiar for numerous reasons. It’s quite clearly inspired by Nintendo’s groundbreaking Legend of Zelda series and is also reminiscent of the free-to-play MMORPG RuneScape, which was released way back in 2001; for those of us old enough to remember. The question is, how does Windscape stack up against such cherished games? Is it a pale imitation or does it come across as a worthy successor?

Blood Waves? Hmmmm. What could this possibly be about I hear you ask. Well, this is a game that certainly does what it says on the tin, but sadly not much else.

I often reflect on which genre of game has taken up most of my time, and the humble puzzler has to be right up there near the top. I simply cannot resist the combination of the pick up and play, one more go elements. Chuck in some online competitive play to top things off and you’ve got yourself a hit, in my humble opinion. Enter Treasure Stack, which has my wish list firmly in its crosshairs.

The timing was perfect, or disastrous depending on how you look at it. I had just been paid and was nearing the end of a week off work. I was heading, fiancee in tow, to the UK’s biggest retro video games market. I have been to many collector’s shops, but never anything on this scale; to say I was excited was an understatement.

So, here’s the pitch. You’re a greedy little pea, who simply loves gold. All you can do is run and jump to traverse the Awesome Islands World, avoiding enemies and traps as well as collecting coins and gems on the way. Oh, and did I mention you are almost too cute for words? Now if that doesn’t sound, ahem, appealing, I don’t know what will.

Access Denied instantly conjures up memories of the multiplayer hoot that is “Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes”. In that game you have to work together to disarm a bomb. One player uses a physical instruction manual for direction on how to do this, as the other inputs the commands on screen. The look and feel of Access Denied has a lot in common with that game, but do the similarities only run skin deep?

On Sunday 3rd March at the Doncaster Dome, the UK’s longest running retro video games market in the country will be back, and bigger than ever. There will be all sorts goodies for sale ranging from classic game memorabilia to the latest releases. Private sellers and traders will be out in force, so there’s no finer opportunity to bag a bargain.

Speculation around the announcement of the 7th Splinter Cell game seems to have reached new peaks recently, with many predicting confirmation of the project's existence is imminent. In the meantime, it seems like an opportune moment to recall exactly how we got here. So sit back, slip your night vision goggles on and stock up on sticky shockers, it's time to head back to where it all began.

You’re familiar with the story, boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Girl gets kidnapped. Boy seeks to rescue girl. It’s all fairly standard stuff, which games have arguably done to death over the years. Predictable plot aside, and with many, many other similar games out there, is JackQuest: The Tale of the Sword worth your valuable time and money?

This remastered bundle provides the perfect reason to revisit Agent 47 in his finest outings, discounting the more recent episodic titles from that statement. It's easy to forget just how long the bald assassin has been silently and ruthlessly bumping off his targets, and he doesn't always make the list when considering iconic gaming mascots. To me, however, he is exactly that. It’s time to dust off your Silverballers, and revisit some classics.

Every now and then a game will appear from seemingly nowhere and immediately catch my eye. Straight away I’ll think, “I definitely want to play that”. Steamroll is one such game.