Home Sweet Home is definitely a game that Horror fans do not want to skip on, especially if you own a VR headset. It provided me with genuinely delicious scares which were more often than not actual scares due to the creepiness rather than cheap jump scares. The story was also interesting enough that I’m now eagerly awaiting an update on Chapter 2 so I can go and buy some more diapers and jump back in! Standard PS4, Xbox One and PC gamers are in for a treat with Home Sweet Home but PSVR and PC VR gamers are guaranteed nightmares as the VR adds a whole new level of horror into the mix!
Warriors Orochi 4 has the biggest character roster to date (GWR), but is it the best in the series? In my opinion, Warriors Orochi 3 had a much better story and a more interesting core mechanic (time travel), but Warriors Orochi 4‘s story does get better as you get deeper into the game. There are parts of the game which annoyed me, such as the weapon and upgrade management side, but the actual gameplay is solid for a ‘Warriors’ game and delivers hours of mindless fun. I was also saddened to see the gauntlet and paint mode are absent, especially when it’s replacement is a king of the hill style game, but at least we have full local and online co-op in every one of the 65 stages.
V-Rally 4 is suffering from a mid-life crisis and appears to be confused with what it wants to be. As an Arcade racer, there is too many adjustments and options you must go through in order to tweak your vehicle, as a simulator there isn’t enough depth and customisations to satisfy you. In terms of content, 22 regions with up to five tracks per region and a variety of weather and time options is a lot of content to keep you occupied for hours, not to mention it’s online and local split-screen multiplayer. However, until you obtain the best cars with all their upgrades, you’ll be spending more time getting accustomed to the slippy nature of each vehicle than actually enjoying yourself.
The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker is one of the best FMV games you’ll play on current consoles to date. From its intuitive manual text input questioning to its randomness in terms of who the killer is and how certain story elements progress, this is a game you can replay multiple times and end up with a different outcome as you uncover new information and discover more things about your patients, whether or not you want too. If you’re looking for an interactive ‘whodunnit’ game which can be played solo or even with others chipping in with what to say (locally or on stream), then I can’t recommend The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker enough.
Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story is an incredibly addictive and entertaining take on a fantasy academy simulator. When you’re not running the day-to-day business of building facilities and watching over your students, you’ll be gearing them up and sending them on many quests into the unknown. The difficulty does spike quite drastically if you’re unprepared and don’t have the best teachers within your grounds – however, the only punishment for defeat is the loss of time you could have spent more constructively.
My Memory of Us is an emotional tale of two friends determined to never let go and become separated, ever. As you make your way through this intense story, you’ll encounter many puzzles, stealth segments, environmental obstacles, and even find lots of ‘memories’ of real-life people. This is an edutainment game done correctly – you’re working your way through a fantastical journey of love, friendship, loss, and adventure, yet it’s all symbolising the horrific real events of Poland in World War II.
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is yet another masterpiece from the team behind the amazing Yakuza franchise. When you’re not making your way through the 25+ hour main story missions, you’ll be getting lost within the abundance of sub-stories, mini-games, and even spending many hours running a hostess club and serving at a cocktail bar! There is never a dull moment within the apocalyptic wastelands, as you encounter hordes of enemies, cause a lot of internal combustion, and beat the living crap out of each and every delinquent you come across. If you’re hungry for more Yakuza, but want a splash of anime with the insanity cranked up to 11, look no further. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is nothing short of the best anime-based action-adventure game I’ve ever played.
Slime Rancher is an amazing take on the farming genre with a very slimy twist. The game may start off a little slow as you try and make money with very limited slimes and resources, but once it picks up, you'll be rolling in the profits every few minutes! There's never a dull moment down at Far, Far Range as you venture out to explore unmapped territories, create new machines to help make your life easier, and round up all the various slimes in order to create over 150 combinations of Franken-slimes! Sure, some people may feel it's a bit monotonous as you seem to do a lot of the same tasks each day, but Slime Rancher is an open sandbox, it's only as monotonous as you let it become!
Fishing Sim World is a great successor to Euro Fishing which fans of the former will really enjoy playing. Even as someone who isn’t really too keen on fishing in terms of a realistic simulation game, I still found enjoyment within the game and wanted to go back for more in order to get better and actually catch some bigger fish. However, if you have played Euro Fishing and enjoyed what it had to offer then expect more gear, new locations, much bigger environments, more intense challenges, and it even lets you ride a boat! Sure, there are some graphical anomalies with the physics and the ability to walk through things like you’re a ghost, but the core aspect, the fishing, is rock solid once you get to grips with it.
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk feels like the Marmite of dungeon crawlers, you’ll either love it or hate it. If you played The Lost Child recently and you really enjoyed that game, even with its steep learning curve, then you’ll most likely really enjoy Labyrinth of Refrain, especially if you are also a fan of the Witch and Hundred Kight and Disgaea series’. To the general consumer out there who likes Dungeon Crawlers which are nice and simple with no complicated mechanics or many processes to take in and remember, this one may not be for you.
Construction Simulator 2 US – Console Edition is a content-rich one-man construction simulator. Touted as the mobile version of the original PC game but with more tasks and vehicles (as we await a true sequel), there is plenty to do and lots of items/machines to unlock through progression. If you enjoy relaxing with a game which doesn’t require you to think too hard, or a game which you can just go at your own pace and perform various tasks, then why not try out Construction Simulator 2? Graphically, the map is quite generic but it’s populated well with a decent amount of town buildings and various stores you can visit.
This is the Police 2 is a great example of how to present a Tactical RPG game on Consoles. Everything from the menus to the GUI is fully optimised for either the Mouse on PC or the Controller on Consoles – this may seem small, but there are some games out there which don't get this right. The game is full of action, excitement, humour, and manipulation – a perfect list of ingredients for a game about dirty cops, corruption, criminals and the law. If you've played the original game then you need to play this as it follows on directly. If you haven't played the original, either go pick it up or just jump right into this one as all the backstory is fully explained.
The Council: Episode 4:- Burning Bridges is the most important episode in the series to date, yet the least interactive. This time around, the story is very linear and almost identical – regardless of your choices in the previous episode. Sure, you’ll have a few alternative scenes depending on who is still alive, but the episode doesn’t really change as much as previous ones did. However, with both of my playthroughs, I can feel something major will/should be different in the final episode as you make a few big choices this time around. With only two puzzles whose consequences won’t come to fruition until next time, this episode can seem more narrative-focused than interactive within it’s shorter playtime.
Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle is a great game for both people with nostalgia and those who want to play a decent beat ’em up. For the price, you won’t find a collection of classic arcade beat ’em ups which are as true to the original source material as you do here. Capcom have chosen a great selection which is sure to excite and entertain everyone, both old and young.
Blind is a ‘must have’ game on both the PS4 and PC Virtual Reality headsets – the experience you’ll have is one of a kind. From the moment you don your headset and step into this surreal world filled with darkness and mystery, you’ll begin to become absorbed by both the visuals and the story as you embark on quite an emotional and ‘eye-opening’ experience. However, I would strongly advise you to play this game ‘blind’ (without watching others play it on YouTube) as it does get pretty ‘dark’ towards the end as you begin to ‘see’ exactly what’s going on.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is one of the best third person action games that has released this year. Sure, it has a few issues with it’s chatty Lara, too many collectables, low-quality NPCs, and pointless weapons, but as a whole, the game is a really fun experience with a nice balance between puzzles and combat. The puzzles will have you thinking as they are much more interactive and advanced than the previous two games, but the combat will leave you feeling disappointed by the end as it plays on stealth mechanics without the ability to even hide bodies.
The Gardens Between is, in my opinion, one of the most original and emotional puzzle games to hit the PS4 this year. Each of the puzzles has been carefully planned out and crafted into memorable and fun situations, even the ones which don’t seem like puzzles at first until you look around and work out what you have to do. The music can get a little repetitive in-game (it changes as you move through the chapters), but the ambient sounds and the calmness of the tune really help you think about the solutions. It also allows you to immerse yourself as you sink into the world of Arina and Frendt within the spectacular looking dream-like environments.
STAY is a really fun and immersive indie game about trust, bonding, depression, and anxiety. If you’re like me, as soon as you hit ‘connect’ on the main menu, you won’t want to leave Quinn alone for a second without you there to watch over him. However, if you do leave the game via any means other than ‘rest mode’, try not to stay away too long or Quinn may get a little upset. The majority of the game revolves around visual novel style gameplay with a hint of Telltale in the conclusion screens, with the rest of the gameplay consisting of rather tricky puzzles to complete. These puzzles aren’t the usual mindlessly easy ones either, some of them will really make you think in order to work out the solutions.
Sigi – A Fart for Melusina is a fun pixel-art style indie platformer with an emphasis on speedrunning. The controls are solid and the game contains a lot of childish fart-joke level of humour. What’s not to like! The game itself may not take you longer than around 30 minutes to complete on your first go. However, if you’re trying to get all trophies then expect that time to increase as you learn each of the 16 levels layouts (for secrets) and master taking down the bosses in as little time as possible.
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots is a really fun and exciting side-scrolling beat-em-up game with a hint of a Schmup. You won't have an easy time as you traverse throughout the map in pursuit of the evil Shogun behind stealing all of your towns carrots, all whilst spending said carrots on buying yourself new gear! A lot of times you'll find yourself overwhelmed by the constant barrage of enemies which come at you from all positions, just remain cool and calm and find their weaknesses. The art style and music perfectly suit this hidden gem and I hope more people pick it up and try it out for themselves!