At its best, Yooka-Laylee reminds me why I fell in love with colourful platformers, it's a love letter to childhood nostalgia. At its worst, Yooka-Laylee reminds me why we moved away from platforming games: odd design choices and occasional bugs sour the experience.
If there is one game you decide to take a chance on this year, please let it be Yakuza 0 - a game that is as fun and intelligent as it is silly and violent.
Bridge Constructor is a title that tries to port the popular genre over to console, unfortunately, poorly designed controls and a lack of tutorials mean the experience falls short. Players are never properly introduced to the game's physics, which makes the experience far more frustrating than it ever needs to be.
Steep is a solid experience that accomplishes what the developers set out to do. They have a created an impressive world that is both fun to explore and addictive to conquer. The multiplayer feels like a bit of a letdown due to a lack of variety but it is still fun exploring the world with friends
Final Fantasy XV is a return to form for Square Enix, a showcase of their willingness to adapt more Western approaches in their game development whilst also keeping what gave the series it's charm, flair and personality.
Where the story falls short, the gameplay rises up. The fighting is fun to pick up and play, but hard to master.
Ride 2 manages to improve on last year’s release, but still struggles to shift itself above a niche racer for fans of the sport.
New ideas and innovations help move the franchise forward, but a lot of the same bugbears are still prevalent. Until we get a new engine I believe we are always going to be waiting for that truly amazing wrestling game experience. Until that happens, 2K17 is a nice bridge between that gap.
For those wanting a game where stealth is the focal point, and not a subclass you choose, Aragami is most definitely for you.
Solid gameplay and simple storytelling give players a reason to keep coming back, simply put, Dragon Quest Builders is a game for those that enjoy structured creative freedom, even if that is an oxymoron.
Dead Rising HD Collection is a great experience for those wanting to get into the series before Dead Rising 4, unfortunately the Collection offers little more for fans of the series.
Mount & Blade: Warband is one of the most unique experiences available on PS4. It's a game that people will overlook due to the slightly out dated graphics, but for those that do take the plunge, a polished and addictive gem awaits them.
Metrico+ is one of the more unique puzzle experiences on the PlayStation 4, but it's quirky nature never detracts from the addictive puzzle design. This is a solid experience from start to finish.
Headlander is a funny, well designed game with an excellent aesthetic, it's a shame that a few shortcomings let it down in the long run
I Am Setsuna is a great game, but that's all. It falls short of it's full potential in a few different ways, but fortunately the excellent soundtrack and brilliant art direction make it a joy to experience.
MilitAnt is offensively bad, it looks like a PS2 game and plays like something a few amatuer developers cobbled together. This wouldn't be an issue if there wasn't a price tag involved. Steer well clear of this.
Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo is crude and simple, but manages to passably provide an enjoyable Genesis inspired Bullet Hell game.
Valentino Rossi The Game marks a significant leap forward for Milestone s.r.l, it has created an excellent MotoGP experience, managing to capture the career of biking legend. This is a must buy for fans of The Doctor, and anyone that likes bikes!
Anima: Gate Of Memories is probably one of the worst experiences I’ve had on PS4 so far. Boring combat mixed with unlikable and frankly sexist characters, give me no real reason to recommend this game to anyone. Avoid.
Sapienza is an impressive addition to the Hitman reboot's library. It's incredibly well designed, packed full of content and absolutely gorgeous. You'll be hard pressed to find a better Hitman level.