Timothy vs. the Aliens is a neat little indie title which delivers an entertaining dialogue along with solid platforming and combat mechanics. The contrast of the Black & White setting with the bright, colourful aliens really makes this game a lot of fun to play and as an added bonus, because there isn't any blood, I would say the game is playable by people of all ages. The story is short at around three hours, but the collectables will keep you busy as you search every nook and cranny of the well designed City of Little Fish.
Cold Iron is a short but sweet PSVR title. It combines VR with a stand-off shooting mechanic and puzzles in a way which has you yearning for more as the game comes to its climax at around 90 minutes. The challenges, secrets and temptation of a new bonus duel keep the game fresh and offers plenty of replayability – especially seeing as the outcome of the puzzles is different each time even though the solution is the same.
Nine Parchments is a great twin-stick shooter style game – one of the best looking and most responsive you will find out there. The multiplayer is tonnes of fun both locally and online – although if you want to play it online be sure your friends buy a copy as well as the multiplayer was a little empty this morning. If you strive to collect all of the characters, variants and trophies then you are looking at a lot of time and effort – however, it's worth it as each time you defeat a boss you'll feel a rush of satisfaction and just want to carry on playing!
It's taken Capcom just under two years to finally deliver the definitive Street Fighter V experience but I'm so happy they continued to support the game and released this version, especially seeing as it's free to all current owners of the base game. If you are new to the genre and want to start slow, there is now a full, meaty single player and an arcade mode for you to both practice and progress though.
Railway Empire is a really fun and challenging tycoon simulator on modern consoles. It adjusts itself for both beginners and advanced players by giving you the choice of how you wish to play with no penalty or punishment for choosing the easy route. Some people may find certain aspects like the research tree a bit overwhelming and may get confused with some of the controls, but if you stick at it then you will see that it isn't that difficult once you have played it for a while.
Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is easily my favourite game of 2017 regardless of it only coming out in December. If you like Persona and enjoy the break up of action with social elements such as getting to know your colleagues and walking around doing day-to-day stuff whilst preparing, then this is the game for you. To put it into perspective, Persona 5 took me 241 hours to platinum, Tokyo Xanadu eX+ took me 196 hours to platinum – so it isn't quite as long and it is possible to complete it faster if you skip things, but where is the fun in that?
Spintires: MudRunner is a game which can both relax and frustrate you at the same time, a game which you can sink hours into, and a game you can thoroughly enjoy with your friends or like-minded people. It's hard work trying to receive and deliver the logs but it brings a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment when you manage to complete the mission objectives. It does take a while to get used to the controls and whats on offer, but if you stick with it and play a few challenges, you will be rewarded with a great game with very addictive gameplay aspects.
Planetbase is a great resource management/colony simulation game. It's very easy to get overwhelmed by the options and processes on hand but if you stick with it then you will get used to the mechanics and soon be running a successful colony. One thing you have to remember is, it isn't a race – there is no time limit and the main goal is to survive. So, take your time and enjoy the experience as you watch your colony grow both bigger and stronger.
L.A. Noire was a great game back in 2011 and the remaster has kept things faithfully the same. There have been graphical and structural changes which really help bring the game up to modern standards without ruining the look and feel of the overall game. If you love games where you can spend time investigating crimes and re-enacting the life of a police officer then this game would be perfect for you.
Vesta does a really good job of taking a tried-and-tested approach to a puzzle game and giving it it's own spin and art style and making it it's own. The puzzle design is great and is complex enough to have you thinking, yet they aren't too hard that you rage quit and give up. The length of the game, the fun I had playing it and the story you are working through is all very appealing and a great experience for anyone who enjoys puzzle games.
Defunct is a fun little indie platformer. If you persevere with the game and become accustomed to the controls then you really start to enjoy yourself a lot more. The game itself isn't very long, so the worth of the amount of content you get is totally up to you, but I feel that with the time trials, collectibles and the replay factor of wanting to replay once you are used to the controls; you are getting a decent amount of content for the price.
Raw Data is a great game to show off your PSVR with. This isn't an entry-level PSVR and I don't recommend jumping in and turning off all safety features for your first playthrough – however, once you are used to the controls and movement style which suits you, this game is so much fun and can be played in both short bursts and long stretches.
Both myself and my mother loved VR the Diner Duo for its simplicity, easy to get to grips with mechanics, longevity and fun factor. It has over 50 levels of increasing difficulty single-player and co-op missions which will keep you busy for hours, especially if you aim to satisfy all of your customers. It's a very good price point for the amount of content you get and it also offers a great experience to both a VR player and someone else who is watching on.
Beholder is a rare breed of game. It's a dark, gritty theme with the odd comical moment and a hint of strategy all crammed together around moral, game-changing options and outcomes. I love it! If you have played Papers, Please and enjoy that style of gameplay, imagine that along with a hotel simulator and a TellTale game and you kind of get Beholder. The game has a lot of replay value, not just for trophies but also to see how people react to different options and how different choices play out.
Doom VFR is a good attempt but I feel the game fell short due to issues that could/should have been resolved. What makes an FPS game great isn't its story or the pretty graphics, it's the controls. You need to have rock-solid controls in a game like this in order to fully immerse yourself and control whats going on around you. Having the three methods with no way to customise them let the game down and really impacted on my overall experience.
The game can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be with all the passive abilities which can be turned on and off along with the fact that no two playthroughs will play out the same due to the randomness of the various mechanics. If you have played and enjoyed Plague Inc then this is a no-brainer tbh. If you haven't and you want a PS4 game to play then grab Plague Inc as it's just as good. Through its flaws and awkwardness, there is a great game underneath if you have the time and patience to invest into it to learn all the mechanics it has on offer.
Slayaway camp is a great little puzzle game which will have you thinking about and replaying levels over and over again until you get it right. Each level is different, which is an amazing feat for over 300 puzzles set within a limited play area, each with progressing difficulty as they add more mechanics and obstacles as you go from chapter to chapter.
Tiny Metal has clearly taken a lot more than inspiration from the Advance Wars series, although they have thrown in a few new mechanics and a decent length single player which helps make this game it's own. The story is engaging, exciting and compelling and will have you intrigued all the way to the end with each battle different to the last due to the reveal of new units and mechanics along the way.
Little Red Lie won't be for everyone and it does demand a lot of patience and emotional contributions from yourself in order to fully experience what it has to offer. However, if you enjoy narrative-based experiences and are willing to invest the time required and thoughtfully read and reply to the narrative presented, then you'll find a game which will have you questioning things for many days.
Son of Scoregasm, at it's best, is a great example of how to do a twin-stick shooter correctly. It has prioritised gameplay over graphics in order to deliver a silky smooth, fast, intense experience on the ageing PS Vita hardware. The game does come with a very steep difficulty hike though which could ultimately put people off, along with its one-hit death mechanic and unforgiving hordes of enemies.