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Beyond: Two Souls
Essentially an interactive film, Beyond: Two Souls follows the story of Jodie Holmes, a girl with a 'unique' condition - she's joined, almost tethered in some way, to a paranormal entity known as Aiden, who causes her trouble and helps her out of sticky situations in equal measure. Jumping backwards and forwards through her story, you'll see Jodie progress from a terrified child to a secret agent in the CIA to a woman on the run in a tale that both tugs on your heart strings and terrifies you at the same time. Generally simpler and slower-paced than your average blockbuster game (at times, it really is like an interactive film, requiring only a few button presses to proceed), the emphasis here is on story, through exploring the world as Jodie and using Aiden's unique abilities to get past obstacles that would halt your average human - locked doors, walls and raging spirits intent on death and destruction are no match for him. With several different paths to take through the story, and multiple endings that depend on your actions, those who really get absorbed in Jodie's story will likely end up playing through multiple times to see every possible outcome.
For more, see our full review, or for more on the game's suitability, check out our Parent's Guide.
Buy this if they like: Good stories, Paranormal activities, Decisions
Buy Beyond: Two Souls from Amazon
The Walking Dead
A zombie game with a bit of a difference, The Walking Dead tells the tale of an unlikely duo forced together in the most extreme of circumstances. As a zombie outbreak hits Georgia, the university professor, Lee Everett, and a young girl called Clementine are forced to rely on each to survive, in an adventure that has more in common with a point-and-click game that it does a high octane shooter. Taking a slower pace, The Walking Dead matches a heavy-hitting, emotional story with plenty of morally ambiguous decisions to make along the way, as your choices and conversation options directly effect how the game plays out, from your relationships with the other characters, to choosing who lives and who dies. As you make your way through the game, you'll collect useful items on your travels and use them to solve the game's puzzles, defeat plenty of zombies, and struggle to save both yourself, and young Clementine from the zombie hordes. With plenty of gore, and some demanding "quick time events", that ask you to press a button within a few seconds of it popping up on screen, this isn't one for the little ones - but if you have someone looking for a game with a good story and a reasonably relaxed pace, this could be a great pick. Available as either five episodic downloads for about £4 each or as a whole on a disc (linked below), The Walking Dead is a great choice.
For more, see our full review, or for more on the game's suitability, check out our Parent's Guide.
Buy this if they like: Zombies, Gripping stories, Tear jerkers
Buy The Walking Dead from Amazon
Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness
Hailing from Japan, the Netherworld's most addictive strategy game, Disgaea, is more than a little bit insane. Following the journey of the young Overlord Laharl, his masochistic assistant Etna and the love-obsessed fallen angel Flonne across the Netherworld, as they inform hell's inhabitants of the change of leadership (by force, naturally), have a temporary sex change and solve the mystery of the celestial flowers that have started blooming all over the land, the often bizarre story covers an addictive and brain-teasing strategy game that'll have you thinking and long and hard about each move. Kind of like a game of chess, it's up to you to move each of your characters around a grid-like level towards the enemy forces, as you try to lure them in so you can finish them off with an attack, while not leaving yourself open to an ambush at the same time. With a range of over the top attacks on offer - dropping a load of explosive penguins down on them, punching them into space with the force of love or trapping them inside a hamster wheel of doom - Disgaea can be deceptive, but this is no less strategic - or enjoyable - than anything else. There's tons to see and do, particularly if you play past the end of the main story, and depending on how into it you get, it may threaten to swallow your life whole with it's addictive levelling up of anything and everything.
For more, see our full review, or for more on the game's suitability, check out our Parent's Guide
Buy this if they like: Fire Emblem, Chess, Demons
Buy Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness from Amazon
