Ratchet and Clank Trilogy; Sonic Jump Fever; How To Train Your Dragon 2, gaming reviews

 

Laura Davis,Max Wallis,Sam Gill
Thursday 24 July 2014 14:03 BST
Comments
Ratchet and Clank Trilogy: warm nostalgia for fans - or a treat for newcomers to the series
Ratchet and Clank Trilogy: warm nostalgia for fans - or a treat for newcomers to the series

Ratchet and Clank Trilogy

****

PS Vita (£24.99)

Ratchet, Clank and I spent a lot of time together at university, so it's a relief to be able to take them everywhere I go on the Vita. With the original three games remastered for the PlayStation handheld, it certainly doesn't feel like these games are a decade old. The smart level design, engaging puzzles, lovable characters and an amazing array of diverse weaponry could charm anyone into spending time exploring planets across the galaxies. Warm nostalgia for fans – or a treat for newcomers to the series.

Laura Davis

Sonic Jump Fever

**

iOS (Free)

Sonic's had his name associated with a deluge of sub-par games over the years and Sega's issues with identity still remain. He's no longer simply a blur of a blue hedgehog racing to the finishing line, he's now a... jumper? The game isn't necessarily awful, but it doesn't do anything surprising and a lot of the mechanics are flawed. In a game about Sonic you really want to be running, not leaping up platforms. Controls can be imprecise, and the pressure on in-app purchases is disappointing.

Max Wallis

How To Train Your Dragon 2

*

Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, 3DS (£26.99)

In theory, soaring in the open skies astride a winged creature seems an elegant proposition, but How to Train Your Dragon 2 offers badly designed scenery which stutters beneath your beast as you fly around. None of the mini-games remotely capture the charm or spectacle of the films, and a high frustration factor with poor camera angles ensures that the game soon loses its novelty value. With little to recommend it to even ardent fans of the books or films, this game ends up more damp squib than fire-breathing dragon.

Sam Gill

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