Bytesized: Inside and Pokemon Go

One of the biggest misconceptions regarding games is that they are essentially a subset of movies; interactive stories that have runny-shooty bits in between the talking. The best games are generally the ones that turn this idea upside-down. Games such as Inside, for instance, a contender for one of 2016’s best releases and not coincidentally a game that features absolutely no dialogue whatsoever.

In gameplay terms, you control a small boy on the run from sinister scientists. You’re introduced to him as he stumbles through a moonlit forest and the game doesn’t waste any time explaining who he is or what he’s running from (or to).

Meanwhile, be prepared to see even more people than usual walking around glued to their smartphones. Pokemon Go is due out in the UK this week, and has already become a phenomenon in the US and Japan. It’s basically Pokemon, but in real life. It’s an ingenious combination of trusted gameplay and new technology, and will encourage even the most agoraphobic gamer to get outside and go for a wander.

Find out more about what our reviewer Dan Whitehead thought of the games in this week’s Big Issue North