Chris Harding's Reviews
Metrico+ is as annoying as it is awesome. On one hand, I loved the visual presentation and the absolute minimalist design. On the other, I hate maths with a passion. Still, the game kept me entertained for a good few hours and I really did feel like a god-damn genius when I passed a level. Any game that makes me feel smarter is OK in my book.
Street Fighter V feels like a great game in the making - literally, in the making. The unfinished story mode that feels cheaply tacked together and the distinct lack of single-player focus makes me think that Capcom is hoping that players will forgive the day-one let downs by throwing updates at the game post-release.
Hell Pie isn’t the funniest game around but it really doesn’t need to be, because its solid gameplay and fantastically disgusting world is more than enough to carry its not-so-lovable hero through the duration of this not-so-family-friendly adventure.
I Expect You To Die is a silly game that doesn't expect you to take it all that seriously, even if it does expect you to die in some pretty nasty ways. I drowned. I suffocated. I got shot. I had my head taken off by a laser beam. I had a bloody good time. It's just a shame that it's over within a few short hours and that the replay value isn't especially high. Dare I say that I would actually like some DLC for this game? Hell yes.
How We Soar is a super chilled-out game, no questions asked. Flying around on top of the magnificent phoenix is incomparable to any other game - yes, even Eagle Flight, they're different! - and it really does need to be seen to be believed. There's a decent story tucked away within the scattered pages, but there's not much reason to go back in once you've seen it through to the end.
All in all, Ace Banana is a silly little game that provides a slice of first-person-shooter fun that’s sorely missing from the PSVR’s launch lineup, and it’s family friendly, too. It’s not going to be your go-to game to show off your headset to friends and family, but it should keep you entertained far longer than it has any right to. Sharp visuals, cheery music and sound effects plus reliable VR tracking makes this one a solid game. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my bananas need saving.
Yes, the visuals have taken a hell of a beating to get DriveClub VR running on PlayStation VR, but even without the game's trademark obsessive attention to detail, DriveClub VR provides a hell of a lot of fun. Just, er, make sure you've got a bucket parked next to you. You know, just in case.
CastleStorm VR is a sort of middle-of-the-road release for Sony's fledging platform. It's not going to be a massive hit that'll be remembered fondly as one of the early greats, nor will it be hated by VR enthusiasts on release. It's a familiar experience with the added flavour of VR. An ice cream with an extra chocolate stick is how I'd put it.
LawBreakers is a fast, fierce, fun shooter. It's just a shame that I'm not very good at it! That's not a problem, though, thanks to the objective-based gameplay that's pushed to the forefront of this gravity-bending hero shooter. So if you, like me, are crap at shooters but really want to get involved, LawBreakers will welcome you with open arms. Then its players will crush you with mad floaty parkour skills, but that's all part of the charm. Right?
EVE: Gunjack may be a little on the short side, but for the cheapy cheap price, you can't really complain. It's a fun shooter that's got a lot of replay value, not to mention some of the finest head-tracking on the PSVR. Best played in small bursts, and definitely not with a sore neck.
inFamous: Second Son still carries a lot of the weight of a last-gen release, but with the pretty coat it's wearing it's easy to overlook the few issues it has. Even those crappy graffiti mini-games...
Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed is a really good game that doesn’t take itself seriously. In some ways, it’s a relic from another era, a reminder of how simple and fun games used to be; a time before the endless grind. Heck, there’s even couch multiplayer, once a standard feature in games that has slowly faded out over the years. Despite its heritage, Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed feels and plays modern enough with refined controls, decent visuals, and enough over-the-top fun to easily overlook the few shortcomings.
The American Dream is silly from start to finish. Its over-the-top commentary will no doubt rub some the wrong way, but for those of us with a modicum of intelligence, The American Dream is a silly gallery shooter that just happens to mock American gun culture.
Comet Wars 2: The Kronkoid Wars is a rarity in the console space. It's a RTS that doesn't only work, but excels at what it does. It may not be up there with the greats, and it may not be a "true" RTS when the focus is more on tower defense/offense, but it's a bloody decent game that'll have you punching the air after victory, and slamming your DualShock into the wall after another failure.
Ancient Amuletor may look like just another shooting gallery cobbled together for the PSVR, but once you look a little deeper you'll find a tactical shooter with a surprising amount of depth. It's best played online with a few mates, mind you, as the single-player will only keep you going for as long as the campaign lasts, which isn't all that long, unfortunately.
Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection is the best possible way to play three of the finest games from the series. It's three great games - well, Revelations was good... - for a fair price in my book. Newcomers will have a ball exploring and learning the lore, while old-hats like myself will sit seething in silence at Ubisoft for distancing itself from what made the early games truly wonderful.
Watch Dogs Legion is a fantastic continuation of the franchise. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel with its gameplay, even if it does flip tradition by ditching a main character to follow. The new systems in place work really well and hacking around London is as good as it ever was in previous games. Where next?
Windbound may look like a Zelda knock-off, but it has a lot more going for it. The core gameplay is solid as a rock, and aside from some niggles with combat and the pressure to survive, it’s a really fun game.
Saints Row: The Third Remastered is ridiculous in so many ways. It’s over-the-top to the point of parody. It’s hilarious, it’s outrageous, and it can be quite offensive to delicate souls. It’s not perfect, but it’s a bloody good game made better with a few coats of new paint and polish.
GORN is good fun. It’s not clean fun, mind you, so you’ll have to watch out for younger players, but it’s good-natured and it works well on the PSVR hardware. The controls are decent enough, but the hardware does pull it down a touch from the PCVR version. All said and done, I highly recommend GORN for PSVR players looking for their next sweat-inducing game.