Ryse: Son of Rome has some great ideas, but bland gameplay holds it back from capitalising on uncharted waters. The combat and execution mechanics are serviceable, but not particularly engrossing, and the ranged and formation segments feel horribly clunky, as if you're not in control.

+ Stunning visuals; + Roman setting; + Gruesome executions

- Range weapons; - Very linear movement; - Gameplay is serviceable; but not challenging or involving

This game is a lot of fun to play. I didn't find it hard at all, even on the highest difficulty, which is great if you get bored with games easily this is probably the one for you as its not overly long, and it has a decent story.

Matt Maguire stoically wades into the Xbox One's swords and sandals launch title, Ryse: Son of Rome, and learns that if all roads lead here, it might just be better to turn back now.

Impressive cutscenes; great facial animations; stunning scenery

Simple, tedious gameplay; Animation problems; A story that just conks out

I've played a fair few next-gen titles now and while Killzone: Shadowfall and Forza 5 are impressive, there's something about the facial and body animations in Ryse that consistently thrill me. That they're applied to such a cool game is jolly good luck, too.

This game has a great storyline that is very fun to play. The graphics on the game are great, but the kill scenes do become a little repetitive after a while. Unfortunately the story doesn't last all that long and there isn't much to do after you have finished the story mode.

This is the first game/campaign I completed on Xbox One. It starts with Roman soldier saving Nero from english Barbarians and slowly plunges into a revenge story. The story is not brilliant but is neither dull. It is fun to play. The campaign duration is very short.

" Ryse: Son Of Rome " has probably been the surprise game of 2013 for me. Ridiculed by the press since it was re-announced at E3, and followed by a fairly disinteresting showing at Gamescom, I didn't initially have a lot of time for the game.

Graphics are probably the best I've ever seen, even more detail than I expected. The Age Rating should be borne in mind as the fighting is realistically graphic severed limbs with protruding bones etc quite a lot of gore

Music cognition specialist Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis tells us that "rituals [...] harness the power of repetition to concentrate the mind on immediate sensory details rather than broader practicalities .

Incredible visual fidelity; Repetitive combat rhythms are sometimes satisfying; Exemplary acting

Repetitive combat rhythms are usually brainless; Lack of freedom is exasperating; The violence is so commonplace it becomes boring

Awesome graphics game, with a very good but small story, the writer could have extended a bit more. Would definitely recommend as the gaming experience is great.

Story; Graphics

Small Game