John-Paul Jones's Reviews
Not the big jump in quality we saw from the last Don Bradman's to Ashes Cricket, Cricket 19 is at least a small improvement on its predecessor, strengthening its modular gameplay options and packing in a bit more detail to the engrossing career and Ashes modes. It's fair to say more was expected of this latest willow-whacker, but it does manage to keep the series on the path to greater things.
Don't let the massively blocky visuals fool you - The Last Door: Complete Edition is one of the atmospheric titles to come out in quite some time and one of the very best point and click adventure games the PS4 can offer right now. Don't sleep on this one.
A visually resplendent sequel, Layers of Fear 2 is frequently terrifying affair - though it fails to capture the ponderous melancholy of its predecessor and boasts plot that is far too often disjointed. All the same for those willing to stick with it, there are no shortage of hair-raising and spine-chilling moments.
A charmingly old-fashioned crime epic, American Fugitive's ambitious intentions are summarily undercut by a raft of poor design decisions and technical issues.
A sublime, impeccably crafted roguelike card-battler that is absolutely without peer, Slay the Spire cements its place as one of the best games of this console generation. This. Is. Essential.
Though RNG issues can render it punishing and solo play is not hugely captivating, For The King nonetheless states a decent case for itself as a tactical, fantasy multiplayer board game that everybody can enjoy. Get the snacks in, get the friends in and away you go.
Though a touch short and overly streamlined in its vision, Bomb Chicken nonetheless offers up a tremendously entertaining, highly digestible and resolutely clever platformer that everyone will be able to enjoy.
Seemingly long overdue, PSVR has finally gotten its killer exercise app in BoxVR, a frankly hellacious workout that turns your living room into a gym bootcamp. It doesn't get much more intense, or sweatier, than this.
Lackluster combat and poorly explained mechanics aside undermine the fact that Fade to Silence is an often decently crafted survival sandbox effort that neatly dovetails Lovecraftian themes into its design to often surprising effect.
Though a touch derivative and brought low on occasion by the odd technical issue, Days Gone is a sprawling and handsomely made open-world adventure that contains a surprising amount of heart and ample amounts of violence to match.
Stuffed with masses of modes and a veritable avalanche of stuff to do, Mortal Kombat 11 is the best the series has ever looked, sounded and most importantly, played. Oh and it doesn't hurt either that it just so happens to have one of the best story modes ever made, too.
A totally unique odyssey that immediately envelops the player in a richly detailed universe ripe with intriguing lore and some of the finest storytelling on PS4, Heaven's Vault is an essential odyssey for all to embark upon.
With a dollop of polish, a variety of new locations and much more challenging enemies EDF: Iron Rain might just be the best entry in the series so far, and while the trademark jank remains, new franchise developer Yuke's has done a fantastic job of tweaking the formula without breaking it. EDF: Iron Rain is a must for fans of the series and fans of fast-paced, deeply fun shooters alike.
An eye-opening puzzler that boasts an attractive aesthetic and charming cast of characters, Ghost Giant empowers you in a very unique way - you actively feel like you're making someone's life better; how many other games can claim the same?
A confident revamp of Phoenix Wright's earliest legal adventures, the Ace Attorney Trilogy is a cleverly constructed hybrid of logical conundrums and visual novel beats that combine to make one of the most accessible and gleefully silly puzzlers the PS4 has seen in quite sometime.
Though Dangerous Driving doesn't quite boast the budget it needs to properly do justice to the notion of bringing classic Burnout kicking and screaming onto contemporary systems, it absolutely does nail the fundamental core of that concept and in doing so provides both a highly enjoyable racer and an evocative blueprint for what developer Three Fields Entertainment will do next.
A resolutely no-nonsense open-world, survival RPG that forfeits the hand-holding and unearned grand destinies of other genre titles, Outward instead replaces such comforts with a thoroughly player driven affair where satisfaction and reward come in the completion of the smallest of tasks and everything must be earned.
By only making skin deep improvements to the game and not touching any of the deep-seated flaws that lurk at the core of Gods original 1991 offering, Gods Remastered ends up being a largely disappointing and straight-laced remaster that will likely only appeal to the most die-hard of fans.
A stirring, if conservative conclusion to Telltale's The Walking Dead, 'Still Not Bitten' provides fans with a gritty and grisly closer with an ending that hints at what might have been.
Resolutely challenging without ever being unfair, frequently gut-bustingly humorous and stuffed with all manner of unexpected twists and turns, The Messenger one of the most essential platformers on PS4. It really is that simple.