Despite the frustrating jumps, the split-second timing and the memorising of the bosses movements, I thoroughly enjoyed this game. Its gloomy aesthetic may look a lot like other titles out there, but there is enough under the hood to make this game it's own. As far as I'm aware, this is the first of four episodes which is clear by the length of the game – it took me just over two hours to complete
Star Ocean: The Last Hope was one of my first 'real' JRPGs that I played and reliving the game on the PS4 in much better quality with a more stable framerate was amazing for me. This is a game that you can pick up and play in either short bursts or long stretches (although save points are far apart, the 'rest mode' on the PS4 really helps) and offers a lot of variety as well as logical thinking and re-reading of notes to find your goal.
Energy Invasion is a fun brick-breaking game with a really energetic soundtrack. It took me around four hours to achieve the platinum but I can see myself playing it again on my Vita to try and beat the high scores on the leaderboard. The volume control was an issue for me but others may not find that as off-putting as the soundtrack itself is pretty good.
Wuppo is an adorable puzzle/platformer which will last you about 10-12 hours. The enemies do get progressively more difficult so they offer a challenge to everyone, with the ability to lower the difficulty level if you find it a little too hard. The game offers a lot of chances to explore and investigate with lots of hidden dialogue and side missions which will have you laughing out loud.
Shooty Fruity is my favourite PSVR shooter released so far, the guns feel weighty and real, the splats of the fruit is strangely satisfying and the fruit themselves are all created with love and strategic personalities. The game itself isn't the longest, but with its short mission lengths and multiple objectives per-mission, it's a game you can easily pick up and play a few rounds of here and there.
Hand of Fate 2 is a really good sequel to an amazing game. They have improved on every aspect and added new mechanics in the process. There is a perfect mix of both strategic planning and 3rd person brawling which will satisfy fans of either genre. The strategic among you will love the card planning, although you don't have to plan the cards perfectly, if you think about it and set them accordingly then you could give yourself a massive advantage.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a great indie platformer which I'm glad had the chance to come to other platformers. It may not be the best looking game out there but it does shine with its artistic style, complex and thought-provoking puzzles and constantly-changing Magic Marker.
Cat Quest is a great top-down cute Diablo style game which anyone of all ages can enjoy. It has a solid combat mechanic, a great story and a decent amount of content. After a while, some of the requests can get a bit re-pet-etive but this is quickly resolved by the game throwing in new enemies and abilities to play with.
It's Quiz Time is a great party game. I've had lots of fun with it locally, online and on my own. Salli is a love it or hate it part of the game and she is there throughout the whole thing so maybe watch a few videos first so you know what you will be experiencing. The question and playlist variety keep the game entertaining and non-repetitive with lots of options for customisation and tweaking to your pleasure. This is by far the best party based Quiz game I've played this generation so far.
I think That's You is a great introduction to the PlayLink games. Is it the best party game out there? I don't think so. But for something that's free if you are a PS+ member and cheap if you aren't, it's a great game to play with friends and family when you have 15 minutes to kill. The addition of adding your own questions extends the life of the game and is something non of the other games offer.
Hidden Agenda is a great game to play both on your own and as part of a party. It's not very long, clocking in at around 90 minutes, but it's a decent enough length to play through in one sitting without losing interest. Once you know the plot and the killer there is still motivation for replaying the game as there are multiple hidden branches which you can't view within one playthrough, this will keep you coming back to experiment to see what you can uncover.
SingStar Celebration was more of an afterparty than a celebration for me. The variety and number of songs included aren't great and the removal of the four-player mode seems like they have taken a step backwards. However, the social aspect and the community built within the game itself would be perfect for those who believe they are the next big star and want to show it off with fellow like-minded people.
This is a great addition to any fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise as the story is both engaging and interesting. However, don't expect actual 'gameplay', think of it more as a 'choose your own adventure' where 90% of the story is pre-written but you choose how they play out the scenes they are going to have.
Chaos on Deponia is a great addition to the Deponia saga, whether you have played the original or not. Its humour doesn't appear to be to everyone's liking but I personally found it very funny and a pleasure to play. I would strongly recommend picking up the first game in the series and playing through that first in order to fully understand everything which happens in this one – it isn't necessary but it will help introduce you to the characters in more detail.
A Hat in Time is a witty, colourful game with tonnes of variety. It's one of the best 3D platformers I've played in quite a while and succeeded where Playtonics Yooka Laylee didn't. The game has taken everything we loved about the games from the golden era of 3D platforming and updated it to modern standards without being locked in the past.
LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 was a good addition to the franchise. The customisation and amount of things to do are spectacular and I can see this easily taking over 25 hours to see and do everything it has to offer. However, the switch to health bars with the influx of boss and long-winded battles pulled it down a bit for me. At some points, the game felt like a drag which was really disappointing as it had the basis of being something really good.
Black Mirror is a great reboot, it took what made the original series great and expanded on it without having to reuse the same story. It's atmospheric and dark with a few twists and turns which you uncover as you go along, sometimes by giving you more questions than answers. Don't expect gore and bloodshed but expect a psychological horror with thriller and supernatural themes both thrown into the mix.
PixelJunk VR Dead Hungry is a great game for showing off the brilliance of VR. It has all the things you'd want: use of move controllers, fully interactive environment, realistic looking reality and rock-solid mechanics. However, the gameplay itself doesn't vary much as you progress, adding only a few more options and bumping up the difficulty, meaning you just have to get faster at doing the same things.
Burly Men at Sea is a great little indie title, it offers unique gameplay elements which offer a lot of replayability. If you're looking for a game which you can play in short 20-30min bursts then this game would be perfect for you. It isn't hard, but it is fun to figure out how to activate the next branch in the story.
School Girl/Zombie Hunter is a fun zombie slaughtering sim. The game has a story which is quite generic but with a few surprises thrown in and fans of games such as Earth Defence Force, Dynasty Warriors and Onechanbara will most likely be the target audience here. I feel the multiplayer could be a lot of fun with people you know and a great laugh.