John-Paul Jones's Reviews
A reassuringly solid trilogy third act, Shadow of the Tomb Raider will certainly prove familiar. Nevertheless with better tombs to raid, improved underwater exploration and a more brutally framed narrative, enough adjustments have been made to underscore everything that fans have loved about the series for years.
With longevity that goes into the high hundreds of hours and boasting superb timing based grappling gameplay, Fire Pro Wrestling World now offers a real, highly recommended alternative to the current WWE dominated gaming landscape. Welcome back Fire Pro Wrestling - it's great to have you, barbed wire, exploding landmines and all.
Though short in duration and hardly taxing, Donut County wins over with buckets of charm and some of the most relaxed gameplay money can buy. As such, Donut County is a compelling, nigh essential stop on the gaming journey for any self-respecting PS4 owner.
An intimidating and slow burning prospect, for those who can look behind its challenging facade Sunless Sea: Zubmariner Edition soon reveals itself to be a masterly work that deftly marries great writing with fine tuned roguelike mechanics.
An assuredly robust and spectacular remake of the PS2 original, Yakuza Kiwami 2 learns from the lessons of Yakuza 6 to create one of the best entries in the franchise to date.
An engagingly substantial take on the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, Martyr's litany of technical issues tarnish what should otherwise have been one of the better titles from developer Neocore Games. All the same, Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr will provide many hours of chaos blasting fun for fans of the franchise.
Though it sticks rigidly close to the template that made the original such a success it ultimately matters little - Guacamelee 2 is one of the finest platformers of the year.
Sega have done these classic titles a service by re-releasing them in the original form and resisting the temptation to tamper. Surely as divisive now as they were nearly 20 years ago, Shenmue I & II are not just a great primer for the forthcoming threequel, but also a great opportunity to experience one of gaming's most pioneering series. Welcome back Shenmue, I have missed you dearly.
Almost completely rediscovering the lightning in a bottle that made the first season so compelling, The Walking Dead: The Final Season is starting out as strongly as we could have hoped.
Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2 is a frequently fun, ultra-violent platform shooter that fans of the genre should investigate without delay - just don't expect it to offer much beyond its meagre duration.
State of Mind is a commendably well-presented, if challenge-light effort that dives head first into its deep and winding subject matter with nary a look over its polygonal shoulder. A mature adventure then that proves itself worthy of the descriptor.
Encompassing a brilliant and inventive setting that is let down by half-baked systems and a lack of polish, We Happy Few is heavily flawed though still ultimately enjoyable adventure romp.
The best roguelike of this generation and a bonafide Game of the Year contender, Dead Cells is simply beyond peer and utterly, utterly essential for anyone that owns a black plastic box stuffed with silicon that has 'PS4' scrawled upon it.
A brave and inspiring work that provides an evocative window into a world-shaping historical event, what 1979 Revolution: Black Friday lacks in audiovisual presentation it more than makes up for with sheer guts, heart and that most rarest of things - a soul.
Continuing to be one of the most intriguing narrative adventure series you can buy right now, Ripples furthers the narrative in a variety of interesting ways but nonetheless shows that The Council is in dire need of some fresh locales with which to embrace.
A fittingly bombastic end to one of the best tactical RPG series on PS4, The Banner Saga 3 closes the book on a trilogy that fans of strategy and epic, sprawling stories should embrace immediately.
Though still far from essential, Lost on Mars has enough humor and charm that it can paper over some of the cracks of its ho-hum Far Cry-lite experience. Fans of Far Cry 5 who still can't get enough of Ubi's mammoth open-world shooter will invariably find much to enjoy here, but others looking a fresh approach will be disappointed.
A furious and value stuffed effort, Mothergunship is one of the most exhilarating and satisfying shooters you can get on PS4 right now.
A deeply engaging fighter that resurrects the Street Fighter EX combat mechanics of yesteryear, Fighting EX Layer's lack of single-player content unfortunately make it difficult to recommend to folks who aren't rabidly engaged in its online multiplayer shenanigans, those who are however will find much to enjoy.
An avalanche of racing goodness, hokey social media anchoring and an oddly sparse open world aren't enough to prevent The Crew 2 from improving on the original in every way and providing a multi-disciplined racer that is quite unlike any other on PS4.