There are a number of games in the world that have that addictive quality. A lot of games are addictive, that much is true, but in a different kind of way. Some games are fun and that makes you want to play more, some are challenging and make you want to get better but some have that special quality. They tend to be turn based games and that special quality is; “just one more turn.”

It might be Football Manager; just seeing what the next day brings, or finishing that game, or buying just one more player and fitting him in. Or maybe in the most recent Civilisation game? Built that city, or research that next technology or build just one more unit. Maybe even venture out just that little bit further into the unknown? They all have it, and it is difficult to recapture.

Sometimes all a game needs is solid word of mouth to succeed. The only way you get that, though, is if you have a solid product in the first place. First time around the developers behind Rocket League made the altogether unpronounceable Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. The game was decent; but strayed a little too far from what people expected. People only played on one map (the one shaped like a football pitch.)

Rocket League only has pitches in that shape. It maintains the same nonsense and hilarity that the original game had, but does away with some of the outrageous pitch designs and over the top stuff and has made a game that is simple; teams of cars charge around a football pitch smashing into each other and trying to fire a giant ball into goals. It’s hilarious and a lot of fun; two things that have driven the game to, already, good success and the numbers are only growing.

There are two games that inform Windward, the latest pirate themed videogame to grace our PCs, the first is the little known Overboard from the original Playstation. The game saw you navigate through areas in your boat, losing and gaining crew as you took damage. The game wasn’t especially deep, but it was pretty fun. The second game that informed it is Pirates! from Sid Meier’s studio. This game saw you piloting a small ship around the Caribbean buying and selling goods, fighting pirates and romancing daughters on your buccaneering adventures.

Windward is Pirates! for a newer generation. The game has more depth, better graphics and a lot of promise. It is not quite the finished article; though being a part of Steam’s Early Access programme allows the game time to develop and become even better.

Sequels are often disappointing affairs. Be it books, films or even games; there could be something that was an unwelcome change, or it could just be a little too familiar and safe to be worth the money and time. In gaming that can often be a little more of a problem when you’re spending $60 on a new game. A new FIFA game might only have slight changes and an updated roster, while the new Call of Duty might have a few new maps and a story mode that only a handful of people play.
Borderlands is a series that has slowly evolved with iterations and has built up a following as the series has progressed. The way in which the series has moved forward, though, is something that other series could well benefit from. Better graphics every time, more content, better writing, better quests and better performance across all the consoles and hardware.

Sim City has been an institution for almost two decades. The game is similar to the God games that were popular in the early nineties, but instead of controlling people like a God, controlling the weather, moulding the land etc, you instead build cities. That goes down to every tiny detail; road layouts, sewage systems, bus routes and other minor details. The games proved to be massively popular, even with people who were not typically into games, a sure fire way to prove a game’s quality.

After the almost legendary Sim City 4 the series declined in quality massively, culminating with the aptly named “Sim City.” The game was plagued by issues at launch, causing many websites to pull their reviews or alter their scores until the game’s issues were fixed. The game struggled under the weight of negative coverage, with the studio ultimately being shuttered earlier this year. Despite the game’s shortcomings it was a shame to see such a quality studio shut down in such a way.