John-Paul Jones's Reviews
One thing's for sure: There isn't anything quite like Party Hard. A delirious, if flawed, marriage of Hitman, Hotline Miami, and Home Alone, Party Hard's idiosyncrasies will no doubt turn off those without the patience to persevere; but for those willing to put the time in, Party Hard is murderously good fun at its most unhinged.
A visually beguiling though relaxing explorative adventure, N.E.R.O fails to properly capitalise on its unique setting as its simple puzzles, brief duration, and lack of replayability ultimately damages its long-term appeal.
A scrappy but accomplished take on the whole Metroidvania shtick, Bard’s Gold marries tactical platforming action with great progression systems to create an effort that is highly worthwhile for fans of the genre.
Though not significantly difficult from its predecessor and prone to bouts of repetition, Space Run Galaxy remains a wholly refreshing take on the tower defence genre. Indeed, the focus that Space Run Galaxy places on speed and immediacy makes for a furious effort that is as challenging as it is rewarding.
A recommended expansion for fans of the original.
Over eighteen months on from the release of Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments and there still hasn't been anything quite like it on PS4. Trust the developers of that game then to be the ones who surpass it with Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter, an effort that not only meaningfully evolves over its predecessor but also one that sadly suffers from a small handful technical issues, making it fall just shy of greatness. All the same, the fact remains that sleuthing about Victorian London has never been as entertaining as this.
A turn-based tactical effort that manages to deftly marry cheeky style with small scale strategy, TASTEE Lethal Tactics might not be the most groundbreaking effort around but its charm and accessibility make for a compellingly fun prospect.
There isn’t exactly a shortage of twin-stick shooters on the market that much is for sure. Neon Chrome however, while not doing anything especially innovative, nonetheless does a great job of pulling together roguelike elements, deep progression systems and satisfying twin-stick shooter beats into a single, compelling whole.
Lumo might not be perfect, but in resurrecting a very specific sort of puzzle adventure that the industry has seemingly forgotten, Gareth Noyce’s heartfelt love-letter to the past succeeds in weaving a yarn which manages to feel both fresh and compelling at the same time. This is the isometric platform puzzler you never knew you wanted.
A mediocre third-person stealth effort revolving around a singular gimmick that is both intriguing and also damning to its ambitions, Shadwen is nowhere near the lofty standard that we would expect from the house that Trine built.
A confident resurgence of one of the FPS genre's pioneering efforts; DOOM not only manages to boast perhaps the finest single-player campaign in the genre but also a blissfully entertaining multiplayer suite and map editor to boot. Make no mistake, this is DOOM 2.0 and it's one of the very best shooters you can buy on PS4 right now.
An oddly eclectic yet ultimately satisfying side-scrolling action adventure, Shadow of the Beast remains a solid and enjoyable gory brawler though it demands tolerance of its myriad of idiosyncrasies, some of which are far more forgivable than others.
In keeping with the spirit of the nearly three decade old original, Pang Adventures entertains with its easy to grasp, difficult to master shooter sensibilities. While the broad repetition of mechanics and lack of online play and truly new content will surely grate, Pang Adventure remains decent fodder for a quick session whenever you have the odd few minutes to spare for its classic arcade beats.
A top-down, turn-based tactical battler with a solid core and not much content to go around it, Special Tactics has the beginnings of something great that it can’t quite parlay into excellence.
A grim and foreboding fairytale liberally swathed in colourful style, Severed masterfully combines touch screen combat, metroidvania game design and hugely satisfying character progression to make the most essential PS Vita title to date. Severed is quite simply a handheld tour de force without equal.
Stories: The Path of Destinies is quite the compelling curio; a seemingly routine hack and slash affair at first, it soon elevates its calibre with some satisfying ARPG style action, entertaining writing and a wonderfully non-linear multi-faceted narrative. It's just a shame that a multitude of bugs and performance issues tarnish the experience.
Star Wars: Battlefront's first foray into DLC proves to be a mixed bag with uninspiring heroes and a couple of dud maps failing to match the caliber of the new Extraction game mode and Jabba's Palace level.
A toweringly charismatic twin-stick blaster that expertly marries retro shooter beats with roguelike game mechanics, Enter the Gungeon is one of the cleverest and most enjoyable shooters money can buy.
Boasting a mostly decent remastering effort and a much welcomed wealth of content set against a frustratingly incoherent set of campaign scenarios and frustrating clunkiness, Resident Evil 6 on PS4 is the definitive edition of the series’ most divisive entry and is perhaps more easily recommended to the uninitiated rather than those who were turned off by the game’s original PS3 outing.
A frequently funny and riotous take on Dodgeball, the lack of online multiplayer and occasionally soft-headed AI isn’t enough to meaningfully detract from the lustre of Stikbold’s blissfully enjoyable local multiplayer shenanigans. This is the dodgeball video game you never knew you wanted.