Dying Light: The Following
For: PS4, Xbox One, PC
From: Warner Bros
Rating: (R18) ★★★★
They reckon if you've seen one post-apocalyptic zombie bloodbath, you've seen ‘em all, but this was a well paced and thoughtfully designed action-adventure game that leaned on some familiar themes but did not slip (too much) into cliche.
It was tense, interesting and, most importantly, darn good fun - although it could also get quite repetitive and it never really felt as if the multiplayer side of it worked as well as it should.
Here comes Dying Light: The Following, which is technically an expansion but is so huge it almost qualifies as being a whole new game.
Indeed, it is marketed as a stand-alone with new characters, weapons and stories.
You again assume the role of Kyle Crane, the heroic cleaner-up of infected city Harran, who ventures out into a new area called The Farmland in search of a lead regarding a supposed cure for the virus.
The new map is huge, twice as big as the original cityscape.
You do plenty of running and jumping, and the parkour elements from the base game are back in full force, but a new wrinkle is the introduction of vehicular gameplay.
You are given the use of a nifty buggy to zoom around the countryside.
And, as with all your weapons, you can upgrade it and it requires regular maintenance.
While the base game was a relatively even mix of stealth, combat and holy-cow-get-me-out-of-here escaping, The Following's big emphasis is on survival.
And it's tough out there, kids. You will die lots.
It will get frustrating. But the rewards for patience are many.
Easily one of the best ‘‘expansions'' to a game I have experienced in years.