UK game sales chart: the multiformat top 10 best selling video games in the UK. Data supplied by ELSPA.
The open-world template which Mafia II uses to tell its tale may be showing its age, but it doesn’t get in the way of one enjoying 2K’s epic tale of organised crime. The game’s compelling narrative, stunning action setpieces and beautifully realised game world envelope the player, drawing them in and refusing to let go. Mafia II is certainly not a contender for GTA’s crown, and as was the case with its predecessor, it’s not trying to be. From its opening look at a child growing up in poverty to its closing snapshot, themes of gain and sacrifice, of loyalty and betrayal, are always at the forefront.
2. Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2 video game review (▲10)
An arcade flight sim aimed at the fan base of Top Gun rather than the hardcore, Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2 is still a challenging and enjoyable affair. The story is convoluted and nonsensical and mission design is lacking in places but the core dogfighting action is top notch. It also boasts a co-op four-player mode which, if your mates are willing to put the work in, is the most fun you can have while yelling: “There’s a bogey on my tail!!”
3. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (▼ 2)
Proving once and for all you can’t keep a bad man (or two) down, inept professional criminals Kane and Lynch return for a new adventure, Dog Days. This time around the action is set in Shanghai and involves the pair fleeing for their lives after accidentally killing the daughter of a particularly nasty Triad boss. The game’s visual style establishes new levels of grit: all the action is presented as though it was filmed by someone carrying a knackered camera phone and then uploaded to YouTube. The visuals are grainy and lo-fi, and when the action moves, the camera shakes as it follows it. The run and gun action is fast and furious and the multiplayer mode offers a satisfying experience in which players can betray each other during heists and bag a bigger share of loot.
The video game tie-in for Pixar’s latest movie featuring Woody and Buzz Lightyear bucks the trend for games of this type by being actually rather good. The game’s story mode will delight fans of the film and gamers alike, but it’s the game’sToy Box mode which makes it truly shine. Players plop down in a free-roaming expanse of dust land based on Woody’s Roundup, the fictional cowboy town seen in the films and take on the job of sheriff, helping out Mayor Hamm and the townsfolk while expanding the settlement; building schools, barbers and banks. This is game that understand the essence of fun better than most children’s games, and is has enough content to keep adults glued to it too.
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