With the arrival of the Xbox One, there needed to be something to show off what the console was capable of, and to a certain extent, Ryse: Son Of Rome is exactly that. Visually, the game is often stunning, and is a true showcase of the capabilities of the new console, and just how much better things are going to look when compared to the 360. However, it's all superficial, and once your eyes have adjusted to the graphical majesty, you'll find yourself left with a very repetitive, borderline dull game.

You control Roman general Marius Titus, jumping back and forth on the timeline of his life, from a young man right up to becoming a leader of the Roman Army and beyond, with a life-long revenge plot constantly on the back-boiler. The script is actually quite well written, and the story is engaging, but at a little under six hours play-time, it feels quite short.

For the most part, you'll be trawling through different backdrops, fighting wave after wave of barbarians, savages and soldiers. A mix of Arkham Asylum's combo system and God Of War's gore-happy reward system, the initial rush of violently executing everyone in your path quickly wears off when you realise that this is pretty ALL you're going to be doing for the entire game. This is a side-scrolling beat 'em up, tarted up with next gen graphics, but with the loveable charm entirely missing.

There is multiplayer mode, in a constantly-changing gladiator arena that is diverting fun, but again, like the main mission, once you've played through it once, there is nothing here to call you back for repeats.

Ryse is an impressive showreel entry for the Xbox One, and it is interesting to note that the impressive visuals do actually help alleviate the boredom that sets in due to the repetition. This does look like the next generation of gaming, but it doesn't feel like it.

Developer: Crytek
Platforms: Xbox One
Genre: Action-Adventure
Rating: 18+

Presentation: 5 out of 5
Gameplay: 3 out of 5
Replay: 1 out of 5
Overall: 3 out of 5