Crayta is a remarkable game-creation game/tool, with just enough fun structure built around it to keep the proceedings light and fun. Crayta is built to appeal to builders of all skill levels, providing simple controller-based construction for newcomers, while allowing skilled users to dig right down into code. While a few starter games are provided by Unit 2, they aren't really the point. Time will tell what the community builds out of Crayta, but the tools are certainly there for this platform to spawn some amazing things.
Iron Man VR succeeds wildly in its mission to put players into Tony Stark's iconic suit of armor. Flying and doing battle is amazing, and even more amazing is the way that players are immersed in Tony Stark's narcissistic psyche. With story-telling without peer in the VR space, and amazing battle sequences, Iron Man VR verges on being the perfect VR game. Only the ridiculous load times are preventing this from being the greatest of all time.
Control AWE does a great job of bringing the events of Alan Wake into a shared universe, without ever breaking its own identity or gameplay conventions. Almost all of Control's technical issues are gone, leaving behind a great nugget of gameplay that pushes the universe forward into interesting new placed. Highly recommended for fans of either franchise.
With a well-written story, fantastic world building, and great, bloody combat, The Walking Dead Onslaught is a fantastic companion piece to the beloved AMC show and a great VR game in its own right. Supply runs provide a perfect mix of speedy action and tense combat, while the narrative portions feel carefully and artfully constructed. While the VR-level budget peaks through on occasion, this is an amazingly well-made and entertaining game.
Good game design is good game design, regardless of age or platform. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 takes the levels from the amazing original PS1 titles, and blows out the scope in every direction. Adding a ton of modernizing touches without ever losing sight of what makes these games great, THPS 1+2 is a riotous success. Lock in for some extended play sessions, and get your blister band-aids ready because this game is additive beyond belief.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time goes far beyond expectations with the number of characters, modes, and levels that it includes. Series newcomers are likely to be rudely smacked upside the head by the blistering difficulty, but longtime fans will delight in the incredible ways this title iterates upon its storied past. Highly recommended.
Much of Watch Dogs: Legion feels revolutionary, from its "play as anyone" hook to its Black Mirror-esque science fiction setting. While the gameplay only iterates slightly on previous games, new wrinkles provided by character traits keep things fresh. Watch Dogs: Legion delivers a stark warning about what our future may hold, but maintains its entertainment level throughout. Legion is a witty, bracing wake-up call.
The Pathless is a remarkably well-designed game, guiding the player forward with intuitive design while providing plenty of opportunity to experiment and play. With a great locomotion system and an amazing soundtrack, The Pathless will easily see players losing hours while under its hypnotic spell. Fun and rewarding puzzles, a nice story line, and plenty to see and do make The Pathless a great game, regardless of which system you play it on.
PHOGS! is a great two-player co-op puzzle game with just enough floppiness to make executing the solutions challenging. Never frustrating but always satisfying, PHOGS! is a solid choice for kids or adults. Gorgeous storybook art and fantastic music keep PHOGS! warm and fun, and a simple control design makes the game accessible to a wide range of audiences. Clever, charming, and fun.
Knockout City is a rollicking good time, restructuring dodgeball into a competitive team sport that anyone can enjoy. Appropriate for all audiences, there is plenty of fun here for casuals and the hardcore crowd alike. Knockout City leaves plenty of room for the game to grow and expand, making it a solid platform for success as a living game. Bright, cheery, inclusive fun.
Life Is Strange: True Colors is a fantastic slice of life from an idealized alternate universe. Alex is an excellent protagonist, and her adventures with her attractive, funny friends in their beautiful town is a great way to spend about 12 hours. Beautiful, touching, temporary, artificial, charming, enchanting, and strange, True Colors will touch your soul like the three-minute indie pop songs it loves so much. The taste of ashes in your mouth at the end is purely optional.
The Artful Escape tells a heartfelt story of artistic self-discovery through a filter of color, light, sound, and joy. Combining gonzo sci-fi imagery with blaring space-rock guitar chords, The Artful Escape is a playable concept album – or at least a grand trip through that album's cover art. Never difficult but always fun, The Artful Escape is highly recommended as both a great narrative and a fun exploration into Bowie-style space rock imagery.
Wanderer combines delightful world design with insidious environmental puzzles, to create a top-notch VR experience that should not be missed. With incredible visuals, a mountain of surprises, and a fun AI buddy to tag along on your adventures, Wanderer is a delightful brain teaser of a game.
With a beautiful open world, great narrative side missions, and enough tension to raise even the calmest player's blood pressure, Dying Light 2 wrings a mountain of slick fun out of the most dire of settings. Scary to play solo and a ton of fun in multiplayer, Dying Light 2 will keep you entertained for a long time with its fantastic mission structure and groundbreaking day/night mechanics. It took a while, but Dying Light 2 was worth the wait.
Eiyuden Chronicle is a quick and frothy good time - exactly the introduction to the Eiyuden universe that was needed to get players excited for the next game. Cool, lighting-fast combat, fun characters, and non-stop progression all combine to make this a title worth exploring. Consider my appetite for more from this universe to be fully engaged.
Kayak VR: Mirage delivers one of the most realistic VR experiences I've seen, setting a new benchmark for visual fidelity and water physics. The four environments in the game feel like real places, and the control over your vessel is perhaps the best simulation I've experienced. While racing is available (and will appeal to many), simply exploring the environments is amazingly rewarding. Some technical issues mar the experience somewhat, but this is still a game that every person with the tech to run it should buy immediately.
Full of body horror and psychotically twisted imagery, players will have a variety of reactions to Scorn, but they are unlikely to be bored. While the game's world building and puzzle design are top-notch, the combat and a punitive checkpoint system may turn some players off. Regardless, the big swing by developer Ebb Software definitely pays off. There are no other games on the market quite like Scorn.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a delight for players of all ages, regardless of the platform you play on. With amazing visuals and a stellar soundtrack, Sackboy delivers one of the most creative platformers in years. PC gamers can of course maximize their experience to their system's best ability, but regardless of the power of your rig, Sackboy is worth a look.
The weirdest Marvel game is also one of the best. With an enormous number of complementary systems, a simple but deep combat system, and a mountain of delightful character moments to explore, Midnight Suns shines a brilliant light into one of Marvel's lesser-known corners. This is a huge game, but also a comfortable and warm game for strategy and Marvel fans alike. Possibly the best release of the holiday season, and one of the strongest games of the year.
Demeo is pure, uncut geek wish fulfillment. If nights spent in the basement playing a living, breathing board game with your buddies sounds like something you would enjoy, then don't hesitate to grab this fantastic tabletop RPG sim in it's best current incarnation on PS VR 2. Tons of content, a wicked level of difficulty, and spectacular visuals all combine to make this the best board game night of all time. Better with friends (they don't need PS VR 2, but it helps), Demeo can provide some howlingly fun dungeon crawling.