Gears 5 – Good – Gears 5 or Gears of War 5 as it should be called is the same high quality third person cover shooter that has set the standard for years. An interesting story explores what happened to the family of Kait the main character which gives a reason other than saving the world for the adventure. The movement and shooting mechanics are brilliant and have some environmental interaction such as breaking ice on frozen lakes to kill enemies. There are more game modes than just campaign with multiplayer and horde mode making a return as well as escape mode where you have to try break free from an enemy base. The worst things about this game are the boss fights which abandon the cover mechanics and cause countless game overs from AI teammate deaths and the fact that a linear campaign has been given open world features that don’t quite fit just to pack it out. Overall a great third person shooter spoiled by bad bosses and an unnecessary open world.

Quantum Break – Good – Another third person shooter but this time the main character has time powers and so does the villain. A plot that revolves around the end of time and an unclear metaphor about an egg makes for something interesting to follow. The combat and time magic makes for fairly satisfying gameplay where you eventually feel untouchable by regular enemies. The worst thing about this game – which gets so much right – is the final chapter and boss fight. The story feels like it’s concluded well enough after chapter four and there’s an extra bit thrown in to fight a man whose story has already concluded, a fight based on trial and error which just isn’t fun to play. Quantum Break uses a TV programme within the game to further explore the story in ways that a game about one protagonist won’t allow and it works really well, I would love to see this in other games especially with the quality of actors they used and how the writing all fitted quite well. Overall worth a play and a watch but finishing everything makes it outstay its welcome a little.

Crackdown 3 – Average – That’s it, average. This third person shooter is the most average feeling game I’ve ever played, it’s good for some mindless blasting but doesn’t do much to keep a player’s focus. Incredibly repetitive open world activities where every objective is either shoot or activate, there’s a bit of platforming and every boss is pretty much the same giant mech. The story doesn’t matter and the Agent handler narrator voice is probably the only thing that makes this game stand out for entertainment value. The only thing that takes much effort is finding the orbs that allow you to improve skills but it is a stretch to call that fun. Overall, it doesn’t do anything wrong but it doesn’t do much right either. It’s a game to play while waiting for another to install.