With its touching yet hilarious story and intricate, deep combat system, we already have a game of the year contender.
The Cub is a delightful adventure that develops Demagog Studio’s universe in new and interesting ways. As a platformer, it’s solid. The movement is fluid and responsive which allows you to effortlessly traverse the environment. Each step has been animated with flair and helps to enhance the beautiful backdrops that accompany your journey. Combining this with the slick beats that blast through the radio station makes the overall presentation both unique and unforgettable. While the game is on the short side, taking only around 2 to 3 hours to see the credits roll, each part of that is meticulously designed to create a truly memorable experience.
Vertigo 2 is packed with great ideas. Being built specifically for VR, there is a nice layer of tactility with the inventory and reload systems. There are plenty of wonderful set pieces that make a bunch of memorable moments throughout the well-paced campaign. Although the visuals are dated and bugs will crop up from time to time, it’s still a wonderful, ambitious game.
Laika: Aged Through Blood is a game like no other. While its influences are clear, the manner in which these aspects have been combined is masterful. Traversing the thoughtfully designed world and skillfully eliminating enemies feels great. Although it can take a while to truly get to grips with the mechanics, when it clicks, it’s incredible.
Cookie Cutter is a bloody blast! Its punk rock attitude seeps through to help the game stand out amongst the crowd. Platforming and combat are tight which makes the moment-to-moment gameplay feel great. There’s an overuse of certain gameplay segments and reliance on conventions, however, the rebel spirit pierces through to make this an essential title for fans of Metroidvanias.
Trinity Fusion has a unique premise but quickly falls into the tried and tested conventions of the genre. The gameplay loop is addictive and offers variety through the number of options available and different locations for each character. While elements of the combat are strong, such as evasion, it lacks the fluidity seen with its peers. Trinity Fusion has a lot of interesting ideas and the drip-fed story adds intrigue, however, its reliance on familiar traits makes this blend into the crowd.
GranBlue Fantasy Versus: Rising is an accessible and deep fighter. You can easily combine moves and unleash cinematic super moves which allows newcomers to pick up and play instantly. However, nuances permeate the combat which allows veterans of the genre to delve into the mechanics to hone their skills. While at a glance, the game looks similar to its predecessor, new combat and online options flesh out the game to make this a superior fighter.
Arizona Sunshine 2 improves on every aspect of the original to make this one of the best zombie games on the PSVR 2. The weapons have never felt better and make mowing down enemies a thrill. Although the horde mode is a little basic and you’ll encounter the odd glitch, the fact you can play everything with a friend improves the entire experience. With its dark humor and well-designed world, you’ll have a sadistic time annihilating foes on your trek through a post-apocalyptic world.
A Highland Song is wonderful. The atmosphere that permeates the game is intoxicating and will make you want to search every inch of the environment. There is a real incentive to replay the game due to the many routes and the timed objective. Although the survival aspect feels a little unnecessary, there are plenty of elements within the design that will make you fall in love with Scotland.
Flashback 2 has some nice ideas but bugs, a lack of polish and the clunky design hinder the entire experience. At each step, it feels as if you’re fighting with the game to get a hit of nostalgia. Beneath the wealth of issues, there is something of merit, however, the sheer volume of issues will just frustrate and infuriate.
The Walking Dead: Destinies would have been a fitting release a decade ago during the peak of the series’ popularity, ironically, the game plays as if it belongs to that era too. You’ll quickly tire of the repetitive mission structure and grow frustrated with the combat system. Although the game claims to allow you to choose the path that Rick and Co. walk, your decisions barely make a difference. Even die-hard fans of the formidable franchise will want to steer clear of this undead adventure due to its dated design and poor execution.
King of Fighters XIII: Global Match tweaks the online netcode to improve on a classic. The combat remains a highlight of the franchise and the visuals still look stunning. Unfortunately, SNK doesn’t add anything extra to the mix barring online upgrades. While I do wish they would have taken the opportunity to add more to celebrate the franchise, what’s on offer is definitely worth the price of admission.
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord nails aspects of the experience but its lack of structure hinders the overall package. Using the famous tools from the franchise has never felt better and faithfully captures the feeling of being a Ghostbuster, however, the lack of focus on the narrative gives no context to missions. Fighting against spirits is a blast with friends but doesn’t hold up in single player. Although busting feels good, more attention to the story and its progression is needed.
Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story is a wonderful, whimsical adventure that manages to tell a touching story about friendship. While clearly part of the League of Legends franchise with its inclusion of key characters, you do not need any knowledge of the series to fall in love with this game. The well-designed puzzles and platforming segments are a joy and more than compensate for the lackluster combat. Even with performance issues on the Switch, Song of Nunu is a memorable tale that will leave a lasting impression.
UFC 5 is the best release in the franchise. The new submission system is a massive improvement on previous iterations and the cinematic knockouts never get old. Tweaks in the combat create a nuanced system that opens up a range of options to attack. Although I did encounter the odd camera issue and the game could use a mission-based tutorial, each aspect in the octagon has been thoughtfully designed to replicate the sport.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 1 celebrates the early years of the legendary tactical espionage epic. Each game comes with region-specific versions, a wonderful companion book and even a screenplay. This allows fans of the franchise to delve deep into the iconic world but also provides newcomers with the material to engage with the series. Extra content such as graphic novels and the soundtrack give even more incentive to revisit the groundbreaking games. While the package itself has a strange segmented design that requires you to switch applications, everything that’s included is magnificent.
Tennis On-Court is full of missed opportunities. This is the first game in the sport to hit the PSVR 2 and due to this, interest around the game was at a high. However, Fishing Cactus failed to capitalize on the excitement due to a number of issues. There is potential with the mechanics but the focus on creating a simulator makes the moment-to-moment gameplay feel inconsistent and the lack of modes means you’ll quickly tire of the experience.
Sonic Superstars manages to capture the magic of his earlier releases. The multilayered levels and innovation throughout make this one of the best Sonic games in years! While the multiplayer aspects are not as strong, the single-player portion undoubtedly proves that Sonic is back!
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged improves on its predecessor with refinements on the track and new modes. The multiplayer portion has had an overhaul with new modes that take advantage of new mechanics to offer more variety. However, the small number of environments is still an issue and makes the different tracks feel too familiar. Milestone sticks to what worked which results in a very similar experience. While it does improve on the original, it doesn’t add enough to make its way up the podium.
Wild Card Football manages to capture the essence of the sport in an arcade format. I’m torn about the Wild Cards, as they add variety to each play but they can also give an unfair advantage. Luckily, you can disable these and just play a standard match. However, the issues lie in the content. Dream Squad is fun but the slow progression makes it feel like a grind and the lack of other modes hinders the overall experience.