Sparc VR

PSVR, CCP Games, cert: 3
★★★★

VR is a perfect medium for eSports, and while the likes of the excellent Starblood Arena offer immersive but fantastic shooter experiences, Sparc blurs the line with real, physical, sport activity. The game transports players into a Tron-like world of sci-fi dodgeball matches. The aim is to sling a projectile down an enclosed arena, scoring points by tagging opponents’ bodies or landing a ball in their goal, all while deflecting their attempts at doing likewise. Using two PlayStation Move controllers to throw or, using a virtual shield, deflect, forces players to evade and repel the ricocheting orbs, increasing in speed all the while. Once accustomed to the mechanics – not hard, as Sparc is smooth and intuitive – it’s a veritable workout, and a fun one. The only real caveat is a lack of single-player content, beyond a training mode and some skill challenges. However, with three online multi-player modes and a genuine air of competitiveness, it’s forgiven. Extraordinary fun. MK

Forma.8

Nintendo Switch, MixedBag, cert: 7
★★★★

On first inspection, Forma.8 seems like a traditional platform game, sporting vast, 2D levels filled with ledges, caves and, yes, the platforms famously established by gaming icons such as Mario and Sonic. Yet venture further and the game reveals so much more. Players assume the role of a floating probe sent to a world without – at first – an explicit objective but without many abilities to call on. Far from being a minimalist experience, however, Forma.8 opens up to reveal a vast and varied exploration-based puzzle game filled with fallen companions to rescue. Flying through its world solving environmental conundrums and outwitting enemies can swing from sedate to stressful in moments, and progress comes at a magnificent pace. The quiet tone delivers a game that occasionally feels empty rather than atmospheric, but Forma.8, previously released on other platforms, remains an adventure for the Switch well worth embarking on. WF

Everybody’s Golf

PS4, Sony Interactive Entertainment, cert: 3
★★★★

Decades of elitism and gender-bias have not done golf any favours in promoting itself as the most accessible of sports. It may not be entirely fair but converting critics to its charms is a tough old task, a role Everybody’s Golf has embraced wholeheartedly.

Now 20 years old, the series has – as the title suggests – long endeavoured to make the game as attractive to as wide an audience as possible. Fortunately, the gameplay mechanisms and rules of real golf translate superbly into video game form, and just as you don’t have to like tennis to enjoy Pong, the latest Everybody’s Golf offers an experience that should delight gamers, regardless of their perception of the real sport. The game’s greatest achievement is making the sport inclusive, rowdy and energetic. Quality course design, instinctive controls and a brilliantly diverse online offering all add up to make this one of the best golf video games. A few more single-player modes would be ideal, but overall Everybody’s Golf is a wonderful way to make a mass audience want to spoil their virtual walk. WF