Unlike past Resident Evils, Revelations 2 is being released as a
series of weekly downloadable episodes, with the whole game available to
buy on a disc on 20 March. Episode 1 features two stories, both set on
the same fortress-like prison island. One is about Barry Burton’s search
for his daughter, the other involves Claire Redfield trying to make
good her escape. Ironically, Claire has Barry’s daughter helping her
(shame she didn’t bring her mobile or she could have saved Barry a lot
of bother), while Barry is assisted by a little girl who’s unarmed but
can sense nearby zombies. You can play alone by swapping between
characters or in split-screen co-op mode, which has the added bonus of
giving you someone to chat to while you’re stalked by increasingly
twisted and angry mutants in the hair-raising half-darkness. Unnerving,
fun and often panic-inducing, this is a promising opener for the
Resident Evil Revelations 2 series.
Super Stardust Ultra, PS4
Seventies coin-op classic Asteroids involved chipping away at slowly drifting rocks while trying to avoid crashing into the resulting fragments. In 2007, Super Stardust HD gave the process a sparkly 21st-century facelift. Instead of black-and-white vector-drawn space rocks on a flat background, you orbited little spherical planetoids while shooting up full-colour meteors. Super Stardust Ultra doesn’t mess with that formula, settling for a small extra layer of graphical glamour, but otherwise leaving its hectic multi-directional shooting thrills untouched. It works nicely, although the similar Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions offers more in the name of innovation, adding differently shaped planetoids and a more diverse roster of enemies. Still, this is remarkably playable, and demands total concentration to survive its frenzied dances with death.
Sony, £9.99
Alto’s Adventure, iOS
Alto, along with the other tiny snowboarders you unlock over the
course of your adventure, slides down silhouetted snow slopes,
performing leisurely backflips against the setting sun. Day eventually
gives way to night followed by dawn, the minimalist landscapes lit with
beautiful, slowly changing colours. On your way down, you’ll be catching
runaway llamas, collecting glowing coins and pulling off stunts. You’ll
also disturb so-called elders, whose campfire reveries are interrupted
by you jumping over them on a snowboard, leading them to give chase on
horseback, your only escape to hop over one of the game’s many
bottomless chasms. Slipping quietly down its slopes, jumping rocks,
catching llamas and grinding buildings puts you straight in “the zone”,
with simple, harmonious music keeping you under this game’s hypnotic
spell.
Snowman, £1.49
