. Plays October 18, 2013

Simon Miller, Editor-In-Chief - GTA Online - Xbox 360

It may have had its problems - and seemingly a few people are still struggling to get involved - but GTA Online is simply excellent as and when you can get past all the madness.

While all the structured fun is entertaining, there's nothing better than just existing in the world and seeing what exactly will take place. During a recent livestream with myself and the always-punctual Chris Bratt, a major highlight came when one of our crew members heard we needed to get to the local Ammunition store.

Although it was only a short drive away, a kind passer-by picked us up instead... in his helicopter. After a short flight down a few blocks, he even dropped us off and waited for us to make our purchase so we could go on to our next destination together.

How lovely.

Tom Orry, Editorial Director - FIFA 14, PS3

I'm still terrible at FIFA 14, last night losing three games to Fulham, playing as Spurs on World Class. I scored an absolute blinder in one game, and lost 2-3 thanks to a terrible 90th minute blunder in another, but wins aren't coming easily.

My biggest problem with FIFA this year is how slow attackers seem to be while on the ball. It just feels next to impossible to run through onto goal and get a shot off while a defender is harassing you. Still, I'm sure I'll improve, probably to an acceptable level by the time FIFA 15 comes out and I'll have to start all over again.

David Scammell, Deputy News Editor – Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, PC

I've written so much about Need For Speed: Rivals this week that when Simon asked me to write even more for VG Plays, I slumped back in my chair, sobbed a little inside and booted up Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit instead.

As many of you know, Hot Pursuit is one of my favourite racers of this generation: the sweeping 150mph drifts and wide-open roads offering the closest thing yet to a 21st century OutRun. So, the fact that we're getting a next-gen spiritual successor with Rivals that pushes open world pursuits to a whole new level sets my heart aflutter.

Going back to Hot Pursuit now – even the shinier PC version – highlights how far Ghost has managed to push Rivals in a fairly short amount of time. I already knew Rivals looked great, but the advances made to the lighting and visual effects compared to Criterion's previous work are sensational: the rain shimmering off car windows and police lights bouncing off cliff faces helping to create a stunning-looking world. I still have slight concerns about the game's structure, but with DriveClub now out the way, Rivals is looking increasingly like an arcade racer every next-gen racing fan needs.