John-Paul Jones's Reviews
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.
An ultimately conservative though meaningful improvement upon the previous Division title in every way, Tom Clancy's The Division 2 stands as a sterling third-person loot shooter experience that is best enjoyed with friends and is one which plays host to an evocative setting that lingers in the memory.
Much like the setting that inspires it, Beat Cop is crass, dirty and morally reprehensible at times. Though it certainly isn't for everybody, there is a certain attraction that Beat Cop exudes which has you coming back, time and again, to its grimly framed world of corrupt cops, jobsworth toil and pressure-based strategy.
The sort of crushing disappointment that only comes around once in a while, Left Alive feels like an emaciated, innovation bereft meditation on Metal Gear Solid and in matching up so poorly with its inspiration, provides the Front Mission franchise with arguably its weakest entry in years.
Oozing heart, wit, charm and adventure from every digital pore, Ghost of a Tale is a beautifully crafted and warmly affecting adventure that deserves a place in the collections of PS4 owners everywhere.
A fiendishly compelling re-imagining of the gun-toting cop shows of yore, RICO is an effortlessly playable, highly enjoyable and deceptively clever roguelike FPS that is at it's very best when enjoyed with friends.
A superb, smart and taut detective thriller lay beneath the stack of technical and design issues that The Occupation has, it's just a shame that, in its current form at least, those shortcomings are at the forefront of the experience.
Though the setting is evocative, the poor combat, raft of bugs and meagre duration all conspire to ensure that Fimbul fumbles its setting and results in disappointingly poor roaming brawler.
The only offering of its ilk on PS4, Stellaris: Console Edition squeezes a galaxy of emergent strategy, discovery and story onto Sony's home console with very little compromise. Stellaris is certainly the biggest, if not one of the best pure strategy titles you can get on PS4 right now.
Easily one of the best visual novels available, Steins;Gate Elite is a stellar and beautifully framed retelling of its source material and one that is grandly suited to series newcomers and stalwarts alike.