36 Fragments of Midnight proves that procedural generation doesn't necessarily benefit some games.
Veteran writer Bob Bates is back with the charming text adventure Thaumistry: In Charm's Way that harks back to the good ol' days.
Telltale's Batman: The Enemy Within continues with a fantastic second episode that's full of surprises and gets back to basics.
By transplanting the same mechanics and theme from the original Firefighters – The Simulator into a setting that's devoid of any life or fun, VIS Games have managed what I thought was impossible by creating a follow-up that is worse than the original. Firefighters: Airport Fire Department is a disaster and is certainly a contender for the worst game on PS4.
The game's website claims that Energy Hook is "a coherent vision that focuses on its visceral core gameplay with no extra fluff like combat or cut scenes". Unfortunately, that extra fluff is exactly what the game is missing.
Episode 1 of Beyond the Storm builds a few lines of dialogue from the original series and a character that we didn't previously meet into a riveting expansion of the Life is Strange universe. The writing. The visuals. The soundtrack. The story. The mechanics. They're all superb with only a handful of niggles and bum lines. All of my caution and concern was totally unfounded as Deck Nine are obviously very safe hands to carry the series forward. Awake is as good as much of the original Life Is Strange and there's not a single "hella" in sight.
A Healer Only Lives Twice is an original take on turn-based dungeon crawling but it's execution leaves a lot to be desired. The FingerGuns Review;
Hidden Dragon Legend is a side scrolling soulslike that thinks that people like Dark Souls just because it's difficult and that's disappointing because part of the game seems to understand the reward of challenging game play. It's such a shame because the good half of this game is *really* good.
While the game's theme, framing and determination to tease me with "almost boobs" does very little for me personally, I can certainly appreciate the effort Marvelous, Kenichiro Takaki and Honey Parade have put into it. Visually, it's only second to Estival and it has a very catchy soundtrack that has a number of ear worms that you might find yourself humming along to. There's also quite a lot of content here across single and multiplayer. It's just a shame that once again, the titillation takes precedence over providing a truly enjoyable game experience by sabotaging the flow and pace with cut scenes.
The stage is set and if the content releases continue at this high bar level of quality, there's every chance we'll be talking about Destiny 2 as a potential "Game of The Generation", never mind "Game of the Year".
When I ask my kids what score they'd give Knack 2 out of 10, they say "ten hundred out of ten" but for me the filler and occasional confusing section mean that it falls just short of joining the likes of Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank in the annals of 3D platforming history but it's still a solid, polished and thoroughly entertaining game.
Radial-G: Racing Revolved provides the kind of VR experience you were hoping for when you bought your PSVR. Strap in and hold on tight.
Chromagun wears its influences on its sleeve but fails to recreate the magic of its forebears.
Observer is a suave, confident cyber-punk adventure that starts strongly then loses its way before the credits roll
NeoCore's aRPG The Amazing Adventures of Van Helsing II has finally arrived on the PS4 and it's an enjoyable adventure but lacks polish and becomes a tad repetitive
The Enigma is an explosive start to Telltale's Batman: The Enemy Within. Apart from a handful of unusual character interactions that didn't feel like genuine reactions to the situation and some emotional moments that fail to land, this episode is action packed and once again boasts a tonne of originality.
LawBreakers is an expertly crafted and deep hero shooter that's an original alternative to the existing crop.
The Girl and The Robot have made their way to the PS4 and it's a promising start for a fledgling developer
Neon Drive is one of the best music rhythm games on the PS4 because it does the unexpected.
487. That's the number of times I died in my first playthrough of Deadcore. It has been years since I've wrestled with a game as much as I have here. My hands were sweaty, my head was bobbing up and down as I moved on screen and I regularly shouted profanity at the TV when I died cheaply. Deadcore is a test of your reflexes, memory, persistence, observation, determination and patience and, if you like to be pushed to your limits, you might just like it.