Sherlock Holmes Chapter One might take the franchise in an awesome new direction with a really nice island to explore, lots of fun mysteries to solve and some good production values as an overall package. The game lets itself down when it comes to the clunky quest diary and the nonsensical system of having to pin items of importance in order to make conversations and even items appear in the world that should have already been there. The game's lack of handholding is by far its biggest strength but by adding so many pieces of ambiguous evidence to a mystery and making you pin the right one so items appear in the game world becomes frustrating to figure out what to do when you get stuck and have dozens of items to pin to see if you get a response out of people.
Doctor Who: Edge of Reality had the potential to be a really good game. The actual actors behind the doctors were on board to do the voice work. The story had a strong premise and there are 100s if not 1000s of episodes of Doctor Who to draw inspiration from. What we ended up with was a massively rushed, half baked experience that tried to cram as many classic Doctor Who references into a game that has no mechanics to make any use of it. The story is strung together so incoherently where you save the universe by solving a few puzzles and things just happen to work out in your favour.
Guardians of the Galaxy delivers exactly what you want from a video game in so many areas. The characters' appearance and demeanour feel like they have been crafted so carefully to ensure you get an authentic experience that lives up to the colossal scale of the movies while remaining true to the source content and all while delivering a game that is a blast to play.
Death Stranding: Directors Cut adds a lot of new content that greatly enhances the base game. For those who have never played Death Stranding, the Directors Cut will provide a version of the game that is far more exciting and enjoyable than the original. For returning players, you may not find enough substance to make it a worthwhile purchase. The firing range, racetrack and new mission will give you some moments of fun but unless you plan on playing the game from the start, the new content will not occupy your time for long.
It is rather disappointing how Monster Harvest introduces an interesting concept but gives such a watered-down implementation of everything it tries to do. The combat couldn't possibly be any more basic. Farming is pretty much a one-click task that you eventually automate. The tiny stamina bar forces you to go to bed or waste money to restore stamina if you want to really get the most out of a day. With the two core gameplay mechanics of this game feeling half-finished, there isn't much else for you to really do that brings any entertainment. This game desperately needs a long term goal that players need to really invest in the game in order to reach. In its current state Monster Harvest feels more like an early access game that isn't quite finished yet.
Aliens Fireteams is a pretty solid shooter that is quite a bit of fun to play with a team of friends. The combat is flexible enough that it is fun but not too complex that you need extended tutorials to figure everything out. The aliens are incredibly well recreated and can give you chills when they are crawling along the walls or just straight up sprinting toward you as you are trying to fill them with bullets before they lunge on top of you. The different classes add a lot to the combat when your squad makes use of the different perks. The lack of incentives to replay the game is by far the biggest flaw that will prevent this game from being one that you keep coming back to.
The Director's Cut of Ghost of Tsushima makes an already stunning game one of the most impressive looking games on the market today. Iki island brings you on a fun adventure that takes a break from the more historically believable story of the main game. The adventure might be a little short but packs quite the punch. It is unfortunate that there isnt more to do on Iki island outside of the main story but considering there is quite a lot of content in the base game that you can still enjoy, the Director's Cut is a worthwhile purchase for anyone looking to step into the shoes of a samurai.
Skyward Sword is definitely one of the better games in the Zelda series. Some experimental ideas and mechanics were implemented that breathe some fresh air into the dungeons and puzzles throughout the adventure. When viewed from the timeline where Breath of the Wild exists, it is really interesting to see how Nintendo took the franchise from Twilight Princess to where it is now. Skyward Sword is absolutely a must-play for anyone who is a fan of the franchise.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is exactly what you would have hoped for on the PS5. Beautiful environments with a visual fidelity that would stand up to an animated movie. A massively diverse arsenal of weapons, although disappointingly, no groovitron. The combat is rock solid and it is all wrapped up in a bow with one of the more Hollywood action style stories we have seen in a Ratchet & Clank game. It is a real shame that there is next to nothing to do outside of the main story but it doesn't stop this from being one of the best games in the series and a stellar title to add to the lineup of first-party PS5 exclusives.
Returnal is a whole lot of fun to play. The adrenaline-fueled combat is complemented with flawless controls. The Dualsense haptics further amplifies the action, absorbing you into the game. The story contains more than enough mystery to catch the attention of any sci-fi lover. It drives you to discover more and does a great job at trying to explain the mechanics of a roguelike in a more mature and detailed way. The randomness of the game can be a little frustrating at times when you just can't find the items you need to survive. The inability to apply any permanent upgrades that impact your combat strength makes it very hard to stay engaged when you are faced with an obstacle that is proving to be a real challenge. Difficulty goes hand and hand with the genre and despite making your blood boil from time to time, Returnal is a masterpiece for the roguelike genre and was a worthwhile risk for the development team that really paid off. It doesn't matter how much you get your ass kicked, you will keep coming back for more.
DARQ manages to deliver a frightening experience without ever explicitly scaring you. The subtle themes of darkness and despair are woven into every room that slowly chips away at happiness to create an incredible atmosphere that rises and falls as you make your way through the rather short adventure. The use of multiple perspectives on a single 2d world does so much to enhance the challenge level without having to resort to convoluted puzzle solutions that only serve to frustrate the player. You simply have to think outside of the box and the solution will be there. DARQ is an incredibly immersive experience that should be on the list of every horror fan.
As a debut game, Maquette has really set the bar high for the future Graceful Decay. Between the emotional story, challenging and creative puzzles and the beautiful visual style, this game is a great showcase of the talent that lives within this development team. Maquette is a refreshing entry to the first-person puzzle genre that will provide you with more than a few challenging moments and a memorable experience.
Paradise Lost is an engrossing adventure that will suck you right in and deliver just enough to keep you satisfied but leave you wanting more. The experience is hindered by an aggravatingly slow walk speed with no option to run. While you will get used to it, it only highlights the limitations the walking simulator genre has imposed on what is one of the most unique settings in a game based on this time period.
At its core, Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a well-polished 3d platformer that has a lot of style and a very unique charm. It has pushed Sackboy even further into the realm of respected video game characters. The creativity we see in the level design may not have made its way to the puzzles but this does not stop this game being a great game to play on your shiny new PlayStation 5.
If you enjoyed the last game, you will definitely enjoy this one. Being in control of Spiderman is a delight in every single way. Fast travel is a forgotten mechanic as you won't want to waste an opportunity to travel via web-slinging. With such a strong foundation and a rock-solid game that came before it, Miles Morales had some high expectations. In many ways, it delivered what you would want from a Spiderman adventure. It falls short with a weaker lineup of villains and a less interesting story. Marvel's Spiderman was just too good.
Ghost of Tsushima is an artistically creative game that often feels like a realistic Zelda game. The minimal UI, clever use of wind and beautiful environmental details make exploration rewarding on its own. When it comes to combat, the game falls short. With a huge number of combat games to draw inspiration from, it is a shame this game is more like button mashy Dynasty Warriors game than it is a precision, high speed action game like Ninja Gaiden. You never feel like the powerful warrior the story tries to make you believe you are.
It's hard to think of where Ellie's story could go having played the first game. Once you get stuck in, you're going to take an emotional beating. The 25-hour long story is massive and it cuts absolutely no corners. The story just keeps giving and giving. The stealth and combat will get your blood pumping and give you some moments you will not forget. When it comes to value for money, you aren't going to get a game that is more worthy of a purchase.
What The Outer Worlds offers in artistic creativity, it lacks in quest diversity. Exploring the colony is really exciting and you will lose yourself in everything it has to offer. unfortunately, you will end up performing a lot of the same menial tasks throughout the relatively short campaign. You have access to an incredible world but the quests never take full advantage of it. There is far too much focus on the political problems of the colony and not enough action and adventure. You never feel like the hero of the story, you feel more like the middle man between the people that are actually important.
While Edge of Time is not perfect, there isn’t anything in this game to be overly critical about. It does a fairly good job at giving you an authentic feeling Doctor Who experience. There are some silly plot holes but nothing to ruin the experience. The sonic screwdriver plays a big part the TV series, but is not used to the same extent in the game and is the biggest let down. It feels like Edge of Time was a prototype that was polished to completion. Far too many elements of this game were not fleshed out enough to reach their full potential. You will still have fun playing this game, it is just a shame to see a perfect storm not end up with a perfect game.
Woven provides a pleasant experience with a nicely narrated story that will be very well suited to young children. While the technical issues are likely to go unnoticed by the target audience, they are enough to ruin the experience for anyone who plays games regularly. There isn’t much here that the average gamer would find enjoyable. With that being said, for parents looking for a game to introduce their children into gaming, you couldn’t find a better game than this.