Darksiders III [3] delivers a different set of core mechanics over the previous games, both for better and worse. The combat feels heavier and more precise as it takes on a more strategic approach over the button-mashing prequels, however, it comes at the expense of ramping up the difficulty in order to fit the mould. I found the game to be both frustrating and confusing, in terms of its combat and puzzles, to the point where I actually appreciate the fact the developers are making us think about what we're doing as we take our time in order to progress. Will Darksiders III be for everyone? Probably not. As of release, the game is buggy, contains glitches, employs the new combat style, and prefers small areas over big open-world ones. However, despite these points, I was captivated once I got to grips with the controls and found myself hooked onto both the story and the outcome of Fury's adventure down on Earth.
Hitman 2 is the best stealth-based action game I’ve played this entire generation. The game is extremely generous with the amount of content you get, especially if you can get hold of season one and unlock all of the extra content both for free play and the entire first game’s story arc. As someone who’s not a fan of stealth games, the fact I couldn’t put it down just shows how brilliant the game design is and how addictive the developers have created it to be. Completing the challenges isn’t a chore, it’s exciting, entertaining, and above all, extremely addictive. Before long you’ll be replaying the same mission over and over just because…
Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is a great attempt at a Tactical RPG based within the Achtung! Cthulhu universe. Sure, the game has a few flaws in regards to its obstructive camera, lack of save options and spikes in difficulty, but it also has a lot of positives going for it as well. The combination of the realistic and the fantastical is very interesting and the various creatures who come to slaughter you are both interesting and exciting. Other than equipping your only four operatives, there is little to do between missions yet the fusion of exploration and numerous combat events within the missions helps make this game stand on its own in the genre.
Melbits World is a great multiplayer game for people of all ages who have access to an iOS or Android device. Sure, the game gets a bit frustrating and difficult as you move throughout the various levels, but that’s the fun of it! If you liked stressful, yet entertaining, games such as Overcooked 2 then you’ll love Melbits World. The fact you can even customise your own Melbit before you begin playing is a small feature which makes the game more interactive and relatable as you can unlock new features to represent yourself in-game. This also gives you a reason to save the Melbits – it’s your best buddy now, don’t let your mate push him off the world and to its death!
The Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a masterpiece in terms of its visual reconstruction of the original games, but it falls in a few other areas. Toys for Bob have created a beautiful, alive, colourful, and almost CGI animated world in which all fans of Spyro will simply adore jumping back into in order to relive their childhood. Sat on the sidelines with no modernisation support are those who require subtitles for the major exposition cutscenes as this has been rather annoyingly omitted from this almost perfect remake. All three games have a sense of progression as more and more abilities and mechanics are introduced, this makes all three games hours of fun and enjoyment for all the family in this family-friendly 3D platforming adventure.
State of Anarchy: Master of Mayhem is an aesthetically pleasing top-down shooter with a cartoony look to it. It’s all about knocking down rioters, blasting aliens, bringing down giant spaceships, and destroying buildings, yet it’s all done in a narrative-less game which looks like it’s been drawn on a piece of paper. Although the game doesn’t vary too much in terms of its gameplay, as it really only has three different segments of play-styles, it does mix things up with new weapons and abilities being given to you almost every level.
If you’re looking for a truly immersive and realistic boxing game then Creed: Rise to Glory in VR is calling your name! Most First-Person VR games these days have nice controls with dual controller support and physics which work like they do irl, but Creed goes one step further and makes every punch you throw feel real based on the angle, speed, and impact they all make in real life with the air. There was an issue with a ‘HammerFist’ punch being used in the Multiplayer mode, this has since been fixed in PvP matches, so the MP is fair and based solely on your skills you gain within training and in the ring in the main story mode.
Tetris Effect is a combination of brilliant dynamic music, spectacular visuals, and solid Tetris gameplay, all rolled into one must-have package. Not only will you be treating yourself to a great version of Tetris, but you’ll also be giving your eyes and ears a gift they’ll never forget. On top of the 1-2 hour ‘story mode’, you can also try out fifteen set modes/playstyles as well as participate in weekly challenges. There’s a lot of content and fans of the classic game will simply love what the developers have done with the license this time around.
Transpose is an innovative and unique puzzle game which is further enhanced through the magic of Virtual Reality. Take control of many parallel versions of yourself as you operate them all individually, yet at the same time, in one of the most mentally-challenging and interesting VR games of the year. The puzzles begin nice and easy but soon become rather tricky and advanced. There's a lot of trial and error involved and I wouldn't recommend those with a short attention span or no patience play the game, as it will only frustrate you. However, those out there who love a good mind-bender in which you have to plan multiple moves in advance so you can create an army of robots working together to create a single solution – you're in luck!
The Shapeshifting Detective is yet another really fun and innovative whodunit from D'Avekki Studios. At a glance, you may think it looks like a simplified FMV adventure based on their previous game due to the fewer number of questions you can ask and the removal of the manual questioning mechanic. However, the removal of that has allowed the developers to create many more branches and outcomes as they know the choices you can make and plan accordingly. My advice, play the game through to the end about three or four times, make different choices, refuse to talk about certain things, and be a complete nob to everyone instead of being nice, you'll end up with a few new and often hilarious dialogues.
Hello Neighbor is a rather interesting puzzle game with stealth and ‘horror’ mechanics present. This is another game where I’m on the fence when it comes to recommending it. It looks okay but still feels like an Early Access title with its controls and overall presentation. However, I did get enjoyment out of figuring out what I needed to do and pissing off the neighbour by throwing things at his face over, and over again. I think the game may be a bit mild for hardcore fans of the survival horror genre, but also a bit too reliant on stealth and running away for the casual gamer.
8-Bit Armies is a fast-paced and simple looking version of more advanced and realistic RTS games. Despite it looking rather cute and innocent, there's a lot of pixel mayhem to be had in this rather mechanically deep strategy game. Sure, you'll be whizzing through the missions quite fast at around 10-15 minutes each, but you'll be returning to them once you've unlocked more units so you can unlock more of the elusive stars. The ability to perform Cross-Play with the other two games in the franchise (when they come out) is a great concept, I just wish more people were playing it online
LEGO DC Super-Villains is more of the same yet more polished and all-around better in every way. From it’s iconic visuals and gameplay to the inclusion of new aspects such as creating a character to appear in the cutscenes, it shows that the developers have really taken their time with this game and made it with a lot of care and passion. The voice acting is among the best I’ve heard – this lends itself to the fact that the majority of the voice actors are reprising their roles from the various DC animations such as Mark Hamill.
If you don’t buy Death Mark then expect to wake up tomorrow with no memory and a scar on your arm. This visual novel is among the best I’ve played this generation with its dark themes, horrific imagery, disturbing sound effects and overall feeling of uneasiness. The whole experience, from start to end, will last you around 20-25 hours if you read all the dialogue options and play it blind from beginning to end. Add about 3-4 hours on top of that if you unlock the bonus chapter and even more if you have to replay the game to unlock the other ending to each chapter. Death Mark is an adventure visual novel so expect puzzles, riddles, exploration and traps.
Word Sudoku By POWGI is yet another great puzzle game from Lightwood Games which will have you scratching your head. Not only do you get 240 puzzles which can be played as standard numerical Sudoku puzzles, but you can also play them all as 9-letter words instead. Each puzzle should take you around 10-20 minutes to complete, so you’re looking at many, many hours of entertainment for one low price. As you get the same puzzles on the PS Vita for free as part of the Cross-buy program, why not do all 240 puzzles as words on your PS4 and numbers on the Vita – that way it feels like you have two completely different games (this is what I’ll be doing).
>observer_ is a fantastic cyberpunk horror game with a hint of stealth and mind-fucking. The story is all about finding out the truth, leading spontaneous investigations, and trying to lift the lockdown on the building. However, this will require you to hack into the memories and nightmares of dead bodies as well as explore the run-down apartment building as you scourer for clues and evidence. Not everything is as it seems, some things will disturb you, you’ll get hit with moral choices, and you will get creeped out.
Project Highrise: Architect’s Edition is one of the best resource management simulation games I’ve played. The 29 Scenarios will keep you busy for hours upon hours as you work your way through them and aim to obtain all three medals in each case, but the sandbox mode is where you’ll spend the majority of your time. You’ll easily lose an undetermined amount of time as you strive to build the best tower you can, based on the knowledge of all your previous failures. Every playthrough will be a new adventure for you, with the same challenges yet an infinite way to go around completing them.
Neverout is a well thought out and tricky puzzle game which is playable in both VR and Flat mode. With a similar concept to Cube, the film from 1997, each new ‘room’ you fall into offers a new challenge which you must overcome in order to progress further and get out of this prison! It offers a decent challenge and some of the puzzles are rather cryptic which may take you a while to work out the solutions for. Puzzle fans will love the challenge and casuals will enjoy the experience, especially if you don your VR headset and play it fully immersed within the 6×6 grid-based environments. Either way, Neverout is certainly one to pick up if you like your puzzles!
FullBlast is a cool vertical shooter which offers a decent amount of content if you opt to play all the levels. The 3D environments make for an interesting battlefield, especially when the screen begins to rotate and you see all the buildings below spin around as you’re taking out the alien invasion. The music is almost a Rock compilation and fits the mood perfectly, it really gets you pumped for showing these E.T.s who’s boss! Just like other Ratalaika Games titles, I would advise you to carry on playing after the 30 minute platinum as the game only gets better as you progress through all 12 levels.
Jack n’ Jill DX is a super addictive single-button game in which you can’t stop until you find your partner. Spread over 140 levels and seven different ‘worlds’, if you’re aiming to complete the entire game and get all the in-game trophies then expect to be playing for a decent amount of time. If you’re only here for the PSN trophies, you’ll have the platinum within 25 minutes and the game is fully Cross-buy supported with the PS4 and PS Vita. Utilising the in-game coins, you can dress up your character and even change the screen tint from Gameboy green to Pokemon red/blue tints – which all look great.