Mini-Review
Odium
PC	From: Ubi Soft

This is a curious one. Odium is like a skirmish wargame with a bit of adventuring and some RPG elements thrown in for good measure. You're in control of a trio of commandos sent to a Russian town that's the centre of some bizarre experiments. It's fun for a while but the story's disjointed and there's so much fighting to be done it becomes boring quicker than it should. There are also some annoying gameplay 'features' the player has to work round. Still, the battles - while you're still enjoying them - can be tactical affairs that should please everyone who likes, well, tactical turn-based battles. Not a mould-breaking game but not a complete disappointment either.

FG verdict

75%

Mini-Review
Nerf ArenaBlast
PC	From: Hasbro

Forget your blood, forget your gore and forget your giblets: here comes a 'friendly' first-person shooter in the shape of Nerf ArenaBlast. Instead of great big guns that can take your opponent's head off, here the combatants are armed with foam balls and sucker darts. It's surprisingly good fun too. The competition's just as intense once you get into it, but if you're a die-hard Quake or Unreal Tournament fan you're going to miss the blood. Everyone else, and especially those new to the FPS genre, will find there's plenty here to get excited about. Not a classic, but a nice spin well executed.

FG verdict

80%

Pong / Yoda Stories