Strategic, diverse and well rounded, you will need to train up and get good quickly as you will be graciously rewarded for technically skilled play, and heavily punished for any mistakes.
Stranded Deep is a fun, engaging, challenging title with heaps of potential. If you enjoy the more realistic create and craft genre, heavy with resource management and land/sea exploration, you will have a whale of a time exploring and surviving every inch of the tropical map.
This is without a doubt the definitive version of this game that you should play over all other versions, but its drawn-out sequences and repetitive sequences still, unfortunately, prevent this game from becoming "Essential" tier gaming.
Swords of Gargantua is a repetitive slash fest with a small amount of design and enemy diversity, but it has something most games like this don't have: playability. The controls are a little off for movement, but the swordplay is fantastic when you knuckle down into parrying and combinations to elongate your lifespan.
DMC5SE occupies its own tried and tested safe space within the world of video games. It hasn't really progressed much since 4 and doesn't seem to have broken through any genre-defining boundaries to evolve itself beyond what it already was. As a series, DMC5SE is truly the pinnacle in terms of polish and content but by way of freshening things up: it plays it far too safe and sadly won't really blow your mind.
A nice little bunch of games with some admirable QOL features that make it easier for this generation of gamers to appreciate the good old days. Despite the omission of any gallery, music, extras etc its still fantastic to see pioneering franchises available to all in 2024.
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.
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 want to like this game more, but I simply didn't enjoy it because of my own lack of rhythm and timing. There is something special here, something that should definitely be given a chance, but it's up to you to unfurl the fun within its core pillars of gameplay.
This free upgrade makes it all the better thanks to cross-save support so PS4 owners can pick up where they left off to experience what is without a shadow of a doubt, the best way to play Biomutant.
A short yet intriguing adventure which delves into the wondrous and escapist imaginations of two children during a harrowing time, all the while dealing with life or death situations.
SEV2R is a title that I could happily recommend to anyone new to the tactical sniping genre, or anyone looking for a little nostalgia after 5 years of having dabbled with the original.
Patch after patch, this game improves and matures into something special. It's the best of its kind in an undersaturated genre and it's entirely worth your time to investigate. Although it isn't a true "Triple-A" outing of a game; it certainly paves the way for greatness in future instalments or clones thanks to innovative stealthy gameplay and fun modes and exploration.
Profane is not my typical pick of a game, but it has to be said that there is a lot of fun to be had by changing it up. As a strategic bullet-hell twin-stick-shooter, this game looks great and offers a lot of bang for your buck. 10 bosses, 40 power-ups, and some tactical gameplay make this a solid title for those who adore this unforgiving genre.
I really enjoyed this title. It caused me to think outside the box a few times, and gave me the impetus to proceed through its intriguing narrative. The use of forced perspective is absolutely genius to behold, but I feel that this is the prototype for something much bigger, more rounded, and more appealing in future. Pillow Castle is definitely one to watch as they have some really neat tricks up their sleeves.
Virtua Racing, Scud Racing, Daytona, Outrun: these games are synonymous with quality and class with that certain something only Sega could muster in the '90s, and yet here we stand in a COVID cloaked version of 2020 with a game as striking and endearing as you like, with visuals you can't help but gawp at and multiplayer playability that has through the roof levels of enjoyment. Hotshot racing does a solid job of replicating the arcade vibe, but fails to impart its own identity to really excel.
Thanks to a variety of weapons and upgrades this game had more legs than I had initially thought, and whilst it's fun to try to unlock everything and upgrade yourself to the nth degree, but with a formulaic approach to this genre it is just a little bit too forgettable as a game to really stand out in such a saturated market.
I want to love this game, but I don't. It's an exquisite piece of design with a beautiful aesthetic that just needs a little more sense of direction in my honest opinion. Explorers and puzzlers will grow to love this game, but casual players looking for a coffee time headscratcher will probably grow tired of the scale and endless searching around for something to do quickly.
If you're a fan of the Movies, especially the best one of all, Aliens, then this game is a triumph in letting you live out your jovial colonial marine fantasy and bug hunt with two pals. The game is genuinely engaging if too short for its own good, but then again perhaps you could say that it doesn't outstay its welcome in being a short and sweet romp through the 12 Xenomorph filled environments. It's an absolute blast!
An averaging remaster of some phenomenal games, this could have been more than it is. Stuttery load/save points break immersion in the first two games and any ray tracing options are pointless. Thankfully each of these is individually available to purchase, and I would personally skip the original Crysis unless you are a truly avid fan of the series.