John-Paul Jones's Reviews
In every way that a sequel can and should improve over its predecessor, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 succeeds. A thunderously crunchy and wholly entertaining boomer shooter that firmly plants a steel-capped boot up the rear end of Games Workshop's most recognisable setting, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is essential fare for fans of both its titular dark sci-fi setting and classic first-person shooters. For the God-Emperor!
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is easily one of the most enjoyably polished and compelling survivors-like titles out there, and though its technical shortcomings do grate on occasion, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor will nonetheless give you an outsized amount of bang for your buck and keep you glued to its bug-destroying, mineral-mining mayhem in ways that will prove hazardous to your social calendar.
Order of the Sinking Star then isn't just Jonathan Blow's most epic puzzling odyssey to date, it also happens to be (Braid notwithstanding) his most accessible title in years. Though the delivery of its dialogue can feel disparate at times, that is nowhere enough to detract from the soaring calibre that Order of the Sinking Star ultimately achieves. Crafted with love at every turn (make sure you don't skip the credits) and infinitely more respectful of the player than Blow's previous title, The Witness, Order of the Sinking Star might just be the best puzzle game on PlayStation 5.
Ghost of Yōtei is that rare sequel that not only maintains the essence of its highly successful predecessor, but also qualitatively leapfrogs it in just about every meaningful way and metric. Underscored by a grippingly furious tale of revenge inspired by a layer cake of classic Japanese samurai cinema, the best combat ever seen in a samurai title and the most compelling open world since Red Dead Redemption 2, Ghost Of Yōtei is a jaw-dropping demonstration of Sucker Punch Productions operating at the peak of its considerable powers. Ghost of Yōtei redefines the term 'must-have' and wholly validates PlayStation Studios broader approach to embracing single-player epics such as this. Though both Most Wanted and Echoes of Sekigahara are superb additions to the base game, it's really Echoes of Sekigahara that stands out, offering a full-blooded continuation of 2025's best game and providing a timely reminder to us all that no other studio can do open-world samurai action quite like Sucker Punch. Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition is simply essential.
Minecraft Dungeons 2 has been something of a welcome surprise overall. In an era where the modus operandi for dungeon crawlers is to go many layers deep on complexity and double down on sophistication and complexity, often to the detriment of your own time in ways that don't always feel meaningful or justified, Minecraft Dungeons 2 strips all of that back and is a properly compelling, though perhaps ultimately unspectacular distillation of everything I enjoyed about dungeon crawlers in the first place. Folks that have long been interested in dungeon crawlers games but don't know where to start? You start here.
In the end, Alien Breed: 35th Anniversary Collection feels like a litany of missed opportunities all wrapped up into one disappointing package. Not only were many of the games included in this compilation not all that great to begin with to put it mildly, but the absolute lack of any kind of real performance improvements, coupled with some truly annoying user experience flaws, mean that this package remains solely the vintage of those who either remain obsessed with the Alien Breed franchise, or simply want to see if, nostalgia aside, the games were as subpar as they remember them.
I guess that's the thing about games and art more generally, such works can hit you when you least expect it but most need it. Certainly in this sense, Woodo is a precious and touching labour of love that hopes to pay it forward. From a purely mechanical perspective Woodo is not especially innovative and certainly not at all challenging, but it is enormously relaxing, weapons-grade adorable and potent enough in its role as a distraction from all of the awful spectrums of crap going on in the world, that it is precisely the sort of salve that I need at this time in my life. Maybe it will be the same for you too right now and if not, Woodo will assuredly, yet quietly, earn its place at some later point in your lifetime when you need it most, like a toy from a forgotten youth left in a cupboard that you rediscover years later.
Dune: Awakening looks like Dune, sounds like Dune and for all intents and purposes feels just like a game based on Dune should. Dune: Awakening is also clearly illustrative of the fact that Funcom has come a long way since the release of Conan Exiles and while the production values might not be quite so high as some might like, this is nonetheless the most vivid depiction of Arrakis and the tapestry of human tragedy that defined Frank Herbert's novellas to date in video game form. Dune: Awakening is an easy recommendation for Dune fans, survival fans and the folks within the Venn diagram which define the overlap of those two interests.
Jettisoning the open-world shenanigans of its previous comic-book games, the proudly linear violence of Marvel's Wolverine feels like a refreshing throwback in all the best ways, albeit one that has been lavishly encased in Insomniac Games' reliably premium audiovisual presentation. Boasting some of the most satisfying, if not especially inventive, third-person combat to come along in ages and a truly propulsive narrative that feels as furious and engaging as its titular hero, this is everything you could want from a game about The Man That Says Bub A Lot.
Gallipoli continues the throughline of satisfying multiplayer shooter shenanigans and a real-world historical accuracy that the WW1 Game Series has prided itself on for more than a decade. Easily twinned to real-life battles and skirmishes, each map feels appropriately authentic and the strides it makes to a greater degree of realism, together with satisfying gunplay and the new Expeditions mode all make Gallipoli the best entry in the series to date, though a rickety framerate and occasional screen tearing do tarnish the overall package a little.
Sure it's more than a bit janky, the combat is a touch simplistic and the visuals, despite Aspyr's generous sprinkling of 4K resolution and 60 frames per second goodness upon them, still feel rather dated. Yet despite all of that, Lord of the Rings: War in the North feels oddly refreshing with its straightforward sensibilities and design resulting in an action RPG that remains good, solid fun - especially with friends and represents good value at its budget, sub $20 price point. Overall, it's just nice to have a decent Lord of the Rings game doing the rounds again, don't you think?
The latest in a long string of hits for Arc System Works, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls isn't just the next must-have tournament fighter for esports pros, but also an essential offering for Marvel and fighting game newbies alike. Put simply, this is the finest brawler featuring Marvel characters to date, period. Your turn, Capcom.
Cultic at once feels it's much too similar to Blood: Refreshed Supply, and yet, it does enough differently to earn an easy recommendation. With a focus on much more deliberate atmospherics and thoughtful level design, not to mention an array of genuinely satisfying weaponry, Cultic is absolutely deserving of your hard-earned cash.
suspect that despite its strides toward something a little more conventional, The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu will still be something of an acquired taste for some, much like a great deal of ACE Team's back catalogue arguably has been. Sure enough it has a heap of jank and the combat isn't as satisfying as it should be, but The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu still represents the sort of resoundingly refreshing take on the extraction shooter that the genre continues to demand thanks to its brilliant use of madness mechanics that deftly elevate its online multiplayer experience.
More of an archival project than a remaster or remake then (though I would admittedly *love* to see the original Rayman remade in 4K & 60 FPS with all new, hand drawn Ubi-art assets), Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition nonetheless comes recommended to fans of Ubisoft's forgotten mascot and gaming history. Taken in tandem with the forthcoming release of Rayman Legends Untold, it would certainly appear that Ubisoft has just woken up to the fact that one of the best platforming franchises in decades remains under their stewardship. As it is, Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition is a fine, though slightly flawed way, to experience the series' genesis on the gaming platforms of yesteryear, all the while soaking in a veritable bounty of behind the scenes material.
All told, Abyssus doesn't really do anything terribly new with its cooperative roguelite, FPS formula and is certainly let down by a lack of imagination in regards to its various locales. That said, the technical presentation is solid, the brinepunk setting still feels fresh, combat is fast-paced and enjoyable, the progression systems are finely tuned to the point that you always want to go back to improve your Brinehunter more and the whole affair becomes much more fun with friends. Throw in its relative budget price point (£19.99/$24.99) and Abyssus quickly presents itself as a compelling way to see through this summer and beyond.
Though Adorable Adventures is extraordinarily simple for older gamers and seems to lack ambition, its impact arguably extends beyond its offering as a video game, at least to younger folk anyhow as it seeks to expand their knowledge of their relationship with the natural world that surrounds them and, of course, the sprightly boars that serve as Adorable Adventures protagonists. A great introduction to open world design for new games and the young folk alike, Adorable Adventures also makes a good case for itself as a relaxing refuge from the worries of the world, one where you can get lost in the beauty of nature, smell flowers and frolic about with your boar siblings. I'm not sure about you but to me, I need that sort of wholesome in my life right now.
Aphelion is very much a compelling, though mechanically nuts and bolts narrative adventure that embraces linearity and spectacle above all else. Though its embedded dynamic of interpersonal relationships is engaging, the technical flaws, occasional clunkiness and aged-like-milk stealth sections sadly do much to undercut its otherwise impressive qualities.
A blistering, rapid-fire epic without peer, Saros confidently delivers a dual masterclass in third-person shooter design and roguelike sensibilities all wrapped in a delectable veneer that elevates it to one of the best looking games on PlayStation 5. To quote the kids - Housemarque cooked here. This is their masterpiece and it is next the must have, utterly essential PlayStation exclusive. Carcosa beckons.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss does ample justice to its grim source material, fashioning a compelling investigative adventure which generously drips with atmosphere but one which is sadly somewhat undercut by a wealth of technical issues that take the sheen otherwise what is a highly enjoyable Lovecraftian romp.