John-Paul Jones's Reviews
One of the greatest games ever made returns and finds a perfect evolution in Tetris Effect. The result is a timeless take on that best puzzler ever, and one that gives PS4 owners a true Game of the Generation candidate. This truly is Tetris 2.0.
A highly enjoyable and polished if relatively unambitious bike-fueled action romp, fans of high-octane action platforming will be served very well by Steel Rats.
Though it might lack typical challenge, 11-11: Memories Retold is a journey that is absolutely worth taking. An affecting and tragic look at war from the perspectives of two soldiers who seem least keen to wage it, this is pretty much essential for anybody with a heart.
Clunkier and much rougher around the edges than we'd like, Call of Cthulhu nonetheless does justice to its source material and provides a decently entertaining supernatural detective romp in the process.
Though its vision might be restrained somewhat, The Heist nonetheless makes a compelling case for itself as a hugely satisfying and essential continuation of Marvel's Spider-Man.
A glorious sum of newly implemented RPG systems, refined traditional series beats and boasting one of the most entertaining stories in recent memory, Assassin's Creed Odyssey is simply the best in the series and one of the finest open-world adventures available.
A beautifully told tale of childhood memories wrapped around an inventive, if overly short puzzler, The Gardens Between nonetheless remains a warm and touching experience that deserves your time.
A compelling and satisfying collection of prime side-scrolling brawlers from Capcom's arcade heyday, though there are some missing titles and less bonus material then we'd like, Capcom Beat Em Up Bundle does justice to its selection, making it an essential prospect for fighting fans and co-op players alike.
One of the better dungeon crawlers out there right now, Shadows: Awakening's dimension hopping gameplay help separate it from other efforts in the genre.
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.