Tom Hopkins's Reviews
Superhot VR is a unique experience in virtual reality. Very few games give you the heart-pumping thrill that Superhot does and the issues that come with the tracking capabilities of the Move Controllers and PlayStation Camera do not stop it from being a game that every PlayStation VR owner should pick up.
Before Your Eyes’ ingenious use of PSVR 2’s eye-tracking technology adds another level of emotion to a wonderfully told story about family and the need to appreciate life.
Racing in F1 22 feels as good as it ever has done in the series. However, unless you’re playing in VR on PC, the new content isn’t anything to get excited about.
Without straying far from the successful sandbox formula, it’s an excellent final part of IO’s trilogy. While the increased freedom and level variety won’t be for everyone, Hitman 3 boasts some of the best locations and stories the series has ever seen, and there’s so much to uncover in each and every one of them.
Even if a better selection of modes would be welcome, Fuser is often a joy to play and potentially the future of rhythm games. Tapping your feet along to a great mix was always going to be great, but Harmonix has developed the Dropmix idea into a game that’s deeper, more engaging, and a lot of fun.
At no more than 90 minutes long, Five Dates isn’t the deepest love story you’ll ever see, but it has the heart, likeable characters, and great writing that make rom-coms enjoyable. It’ll put a smile on your face, and that’s all you can ask for.
That lack of challenge and sense of progression won’t be for everyone, and might even put off Dirt veterans, but Dirt 5’s a varied and beautiful racing game that’s a blast from event number one.
Codemasters’ F1 series is continuing to improve and stake its claim as the best racing game for simulation veterans and newcomers.
The often dark campaign adds variety that introduces Call of Duty’s potential future and puts it up there with the best the series has ever seen; the multiplayer is as engrossing as ever, even though the poor map design causes some issues; and the Spec-Ops co-op is best avoided if you don’t have a competent and organized squad to play through with.
The gameplay may be uninspired, but Erica is the best FMV game we’ve had in a long time and is the perfect length for a single evening’s entertainment.
Blood & Truth is an excellent example of an action movie in VR.
Even though it’s just 10 months since F1 2018’s launch, F1 2019 feels like a step forward. It adds improved visuals, a beefed up online multiplayer component, and an enjoyable light story to a great base that already boasted phenomenal racing mechanics.
Everybody’s Golf nails the most important thing: hitting the ball feels great. It’s just disappointing that there isn’t anything in the way of multiplayer to test your technique against your friends.
Dirt Rally 2.0 isn't afraid to throw you in at the deep end with its sophisticated rally action, giving you a lot to think about and a steep learning curve to conquer. Hurtling along the beautiful rally stages or fighting your rivals in a Rally Cross final is exhilarating. Even with some poorly structured content, Dirt Rally 2.0 is still the best simulation of the sport you'll find.
The survival horror tropes, linear moments, and emphasis on atmosphere haven't been lost, but Exodus proves that Metro can be much more than a journey through dark and decaying tunnels.
The structure of Juan's journey may feel overly familiar to anyone that played Drinkbox's first game, but Guacamelee 2 doubles down on the style, personality, and gameplay that made it such a joy to play. The adventure is full of silly jokes and unique characters, it's a much longer experience, and the combat is deep and engaging enough that it's possible to look past the fact that you've seen most of it before.
Overcooked 2 is one of the best co-op multiplayer games around, no matter how you plan to approach it. If you're after something ridiculous to mess around with, setting fires instead of feeding your customers, that's easily found, but jumping into the wonderfully designed dynamic levels to test yourself and a partner with the new recipes is equally as fun.
The freedom to plan and execute a variety of insane kill fantasies makes for missions that are fun and original even after multiple playthroughs. Hitman 2 is a wonderfully designed, enjoyable, and rewarding stealth sandbox that'll only continue to develop.
Choosing to focus on improving the already excellent career mode for F1 2018, rather than adding something entirely new and shallow, was a great decision on Codemasters' part. The new iteration offers Formula One fans a near perfect simulation of the sport, complete down to the last technical detail, but the assist settings and satisfying racing make it a viable racing option for even those with cursory F1 knowledge.
Its puzzles and platforming may not be anything to shout about, but they aren't Forgotton Anne's focus. The way it develops a detailed world, full of unique and interesting characters, while keeping the central story compelling and surprising, is remarkable, especially in such a short period of time.