Styx: Blades Of Greed (PlayStation, Xbox, PC, £34.99)
Verdict: Bugs beat goblin
Rating:
Don't tell my mum, but I've always wanted to be a thief. Or at least I've wanted to be a thief ever since I first played, er, Thief in 1998. This was a serious game of sneaking around, of casing joints, of avoiding guards and, eventually, of stealing stuff. And it was glorious.
I mention this because, since the series began in 2014, the Styx games have scratched my itching need for thievery. They, too, are seriously stealthy. Except, instead of having you play as a black-caped man, they have you playing as a black-caped goblin in a fantasy world. If you're going to be bad, why not be really bad, I suppose?
And now the third Styx game, Blades Of Greed, is out. It's probably the most disappointing so far, in part because it's so close to being something really special.
You can see what its makers are going for. They've expanded its antihero's world, so that he has - you have! - more freedom to explore and to approach its clandestine challenges in different ways. They've also increased his skill - and toolsets, including by giving him a glider with which to get around.
When these elements come together, Blades Of Greed feels fantastic. Dropping into an area, taking out an unsuspecting flunky, then using your power to disappear into the shadows is tremendous fun. It's a brilliant stealth experience.
The problem, in a way, is everything else. The graphics look like they're from a previous console generation. The cutscenes and voice acting are often horribly clunky. And the bugs, gosh, the bugs! In just my first few hours, I had to reload previous saves three times - to try to get around what would have been game-breaking flaws.
Here's hoping that future updates fix these issues. Until then, I'm putting my life of crime on hold. Mum, at least, will be pleased.
Star Trek: Voyager - Across The Unknown (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, £29.99)
Verdict: Get to know it
Rating:
As Star Trek shows go, there's something low-key about the 1990s televisual exploits of the USS Voyager. They don't have the pop-power of the original Captain Kirk era. Nor the grandeur of The Next Generation. Nor even the cult cachet of Deep Space Nine. They just are.
Which may well explain why there's something low-key about this game set in the Voyager timeline. Its release has barely troubled the internet. It could be lost during a February that's busy with other, bigger releases.
But that would be a shame - because there's a fine game here. It just needs some figuring out.
You play as Captain Janeway and take on all her responsibilities aboard the Voyager. And, it turns out, those responsibilities are a lot. You’ve got to keep your crew housed, fed, watered and happy. You’ve got to keep your starship fuelled, repaired and upgraded. You’ve got to keep yourself on track.. This is a management game – and it really will test anyone’s management skills.
If this sounds like an austere way of passing time, then I can’t offer much reassurance. Across The Unknown mostly involves looking at maps and schematics and resource levels, and making decisions accordingly. It tests your ability to juggle numerous demands at once, often with various alarms going off as things go wrong.
But – much like, say, the Crusader Kings series – Across The Unknown has a way of weaving stories out of its datapoints. Some of these are straight from the television series – and will delight longtime nerds – but others are of your own creation. The micro-decisions you make will add up to Star Trek history.
There are times when the game overreaches; its ship-to-ship combat, in particular, is one system too many.
But what was it that starship captains were told to do? Ah, yes; boldly go. The boldness of this game deserves a bigger reception.
Disciples: Domination (PlayStation, Xbox, PC, £39.99)
Verdict: Formulaic fantasy
Rating:
What is it with people? You save the kingdom from collapse; you unite its disparate factions; you usher in a new age of growth and prosperity... and still everyone's moaning.
Such is the situation facing Queen Avyanna, the hero of the previous Disciples game, at the start of the new one. She's surrounded by naysayers, and, to make things worse, a new threat has arisen from the murk. So she sets off from her castle to make things right again.
She is the main character in Domination, though not the only one you'll get to control across its few dozen hours. For this is a strategy game from the old school: you move Avyanna around a fantasy world before taking part in pitched, turn-based battles with your growing band of warriors and weirdos.
At first, Domination seems too straightforward, with its simple you-go-they-go fights on squared-out maps. But as the variety of combatants and locations increases so does the complexity. This game's later-stage trials are very satisfying to grapple with.
But much the same could have been said of previous Disciples games—and that's the problem. There is something charming about this 27-year-old series' adherence to its own formula, but something limiting too. Here, once again, is a kingdom torn asunder. Here, once again, is a slightly pat story of standard-issue elves, dwarves, humans and demons.
My patience for these things—for the Disciples series in general—is relatively high. But, as Queen Avyanna knows all too well, most people will grumble.