It's stealthy, it's gruesome, it's tactical and it's gung-ho all in one fell swoop! Trepang² has the aesthetics of Crysis, the mechanics of 00s shooters and the gory story of B-movie horror-style games with all the blood-soaked trimmings. It feels retro in its action and it has a definite "FPS-version-of-House-Of-The-Dead" vibe to it with its bosses and progressively damaged and bullet-riddled scenery.
A definite bump to TSW3: TSW4 brings more trains, more routes, and more freedom to craft your own fun within the sandbox available. Dovetail is continually improving and refining the formula for avid train lovers.
I have to say I'm deeply impressed with Ugly. From the lateral thinking to the graphical presentation, the clever mirror mechanics to the scale of the levels, the little bursts of humour and the intense storytelling: it's an absolute humdinger of a game for people who get a kick out of brain-melting platforming challenges!
The conversion from tabletop to video game seems somewhat successful, and I can see how the board game has been broken down and reconfigured as a successful interactive gaming package. While it was repetitive in places I could undoubtedly see teams of four cooperating and having a joyfully fun experience throughout the realms of Gloomhaven.
Enchanted Portals should have been so much better, and it really could have! Give us more polished controls, more interesting characters, more engaging cut-scenes and more impetus to play!
If you appreciate lateral thinking and obscurely specific puzzling: Chants of Sennaar is definitely a title to look into, especially for only £15.99 on PSN. Some may find it extremely frustrating in places, but I found the rewarding nature of the game very enjoyable with an unassuming level of challenge throughout.
I couldn't say Somerville is my favourite game, nor would I say it's particularly action-packed or noteworthy in terms of puzzles, but technically it's a serviceable emotion-stirring two-and-a-half-hour jaunt that some may find value in.
RIDE 5 is as polished as they come with improvements in every way over its previous instalments, and the addition of a split screen mode is a brilliant feature! The learning curve may be steep but the gameplay is rich and rewarding for those with the stamina and patience to master the courses and each bike's respective handling.
If you like simple shooters and want to mix it up with spellcasting magic, a bit of platforming, and minimal RPG elements; IoA is definitely a game you should pick up. I had a blast going through its various crusades and regardless of needing to know exactly what was going on half the time I managed to call several of the plot twists long before they happened.
This game is good, but you have to understand that it's not an action-packed title, it's more finite information gathering, a kind of call centre simulation, with quick time events that determine the fate of the helpless prey.
As marble games go this has to be the best of the best. With so much variety, intricate level design, online multiplayer and weekly challenges to keep you coming back Marble it up! Ultra is hands down the best of its breed out there right now.
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons carves out its own unique character against its predecessors and provides a fantastically edgy game that consistently calls you back for more!
ShowGunners is a fantastic-looking game that delivers violence and gameplay in droves. If you're looking for something none-too taxing then this could be right up your alley! Not sure yet? Try the demo first!
Across the Valley is a basic game that can be incredibly rewarding if you're willing to put in the hard yards. Hampered by movement issues and the usual VR-related snags: Across the Valley could definitely be improved upon to provide a better experience in its idyllic little world.
Kayak IS an experience more than a "game". For those willing to acknowledge that this is essentially an incredibly well-made, fully fleshed-out tech demo and it's a day-one PSVR2 title with ever so slight teething character: you will have an absolute blast!
It's not that Forspoken is a bad game, it's more that it doesn't knock your socks off. Beyond the standard regime of exploring, powering up, battling, and repeating, there is a good experience to be had here, but ultimately nothing much that is incredibly endearing to this particular game in my opinion.
It's no paradigm shift, no epic adventure that will forever change the course of games to come; but it's a truly fun-packed, and varietous romp around 7 colourful and hilariously enjoyable worlds!
Evil West is a basic game for basic players. There are no taxing puzzles, no major hurdles to overcome, and no massive pull for me to replay it now it's done. While it can be semi-enjoyable in places, overall Evil West is a disappointingly unremarkable experience in my opinion.
What isn't to love! With big guns, masses of perks and XP to unlock, and waves of dinos to eviscerate: Second Extinction is great fun with the occasional rock-solid boss-fight moment to really keep you on your toes. Best played with mates for maximum carnage!
I adored the concept but was entirely underwhelmed by the reality. Session Skate Sim is enjoyable, but only if that's what you're into. It's clever but only if you're appreciative of its exacting existence. And Ultimately it is rewarding strictly to yourself, with no scoring system or a competitive edge to set it against your friends or even existing skating IP's.