Crytek’s hack-and-slash brawler Ryse: Son of Rome caused a bit of a stir at this year’s E3 gaming expo due to what was perceived as an overreliance on quick-time events (which you didn’t even need to pull off correctly). Suitably chastened, Crytek has since retooled the controls extensively (we were told that the E3 demo had been rushed to semi-completion and should never have been shown to the public. Hmm.)
We were given a taste of the game’s co-op mode set in a gladiatorial arena which boasts randomly generated combatants and environmental structures. Despite all the dire warnings, we found the game to be a tonne of fun — the combat is easy to get to grips with and the swordplay flows beautifully. The much-maligned QTE events didn’t bother us in the slightest; because you aren’t penalised for pulling them off, it’s something you can safely ignore. Personally, I think this is a good thing.
Of the five games we looked at, Ryse also gave us the strongest sense that we were playing something on a next-gen console: there’s simply no way these environments could exist on an Xbox 360. Provided that the single-player campaign and story deliver, this could be a surprise hit on launch day.