John-Paul Jones's Reviews
With its massively upgraded visual presentation and much more responsive racing together with a surprisingly immersive DualSense implementation, one of the best hardcore racing simulators out just got even better on PS5. This is the definitive version of Assetto Corsa Competizione on console and that fact alone should be a cause for celebration for anyone with even a passing interest in highly detailed racing simulations.
Though it's a hardly a tall hurdle to clear, WWE 2K22 is the best WWE 2K game since they started appending '2K' to the title. Much more than that though, it's the best wrestling game to come along in a long, long time and one which almost completely banishes everything that has been historically wrong with the franchise, while also managing to strike out in a bold direction for the series future. Here's hoping that the likely return to annual release schedule doesn't result in a lapse to bad habits and lazy innovation because, well, we've been there for the last ten years or so - and it isn't fun.
Shadow Warrior 3 isn't lacking in bombastic, blood-splattered shooting or giddily puerile humour. It comes up a bit short in gameplay variety and its scattershot approach to jokes produces more than a few misses, but as a fairly relentless and compact first person shooter with its heart beating to the drum of nostalgia, it's a pretty tasty morsel
Though Gran Turismo 7 certainly carries the baggage of some of the weaker elements from previous games, a steadfast return to the generous single-player campaign offerings of old, together with a significantly upgraded visual presentation and most importantly a deeply felt love for cars that bleeds through every aspect of the game all ensures that one single statement is true - Gran Turismo is back.
Something of a welcome throwback to when games revelled in creativity and developers weren't afraid to combine deeper, more profound themes with some smart genre blending, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath ascends beyond its mish-mash of platforming shootery to create a memorable effort that a whole new generation of gamers can finally enjoy in its best form. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath might not be perfect, but it is delightfully odd, full of charm and laden with surprise and that, in 2022, still remains more than enough to make it irresistible.
Ultimately then, PowerSlave: Exhumed is a throwback to an earlier era - that much is true. However, while it clearly and proudly wears its retro design sensibilities on its digital sleeves, so too does its satisfying blend of frantic shooter action and Metroidvania design provide us with a bittersweet reminder that so few others have seen to follow in its largely forgotten footsteps.
Bolstered by the absolutely stellar and largely transformative remaster work that Nightdive Studios has put into the game, Shadow Man Remastered represents an interesting curio for those who have yet to sample its esoteric delights, while eager fans crusty enough to remember Shadow Man's third-person horror adventure escapades from the PSOne days should probably add another point or so to the review score.
In every way that it can be, Horizon Forbidden West is Horizon Zero Dawn 2.0 and while I might crave some more variety in its open-world activities, Guerrilla Games has nonetheless crafted a triumphant sequel that earns its place among the very best that PlayStation Studios has to offer.
Whether you're experiencing these stunning games for the first time or are returning for another playthrough, emboldened by the technical facelift that the PlayStation 5 provides, Uncharted: Legacy Of Thieves Collection brings together two absolute banner PlayStation exclusives into a delectable and unmissable package that serves as a timely reminder that Nathan Drake and company have been long missed.
With some seriously neat moments that echo some key scenes from the first two films and at just over five hours in length, is a neatly digestible morsel that doesn't surprise or innovate in any sort of meaningful way, but instead gives us more of that Terminator: Resistance goodness. Essentially, if you're a Terminator fan and played Terminator: Resistance through to completion, enjoyed it and wanted to stay in that world, then Annihilation Line is absolutely your ticket.
I really wanted to like Twelve Minutes, but by playing through it multiple times I've come to understand that in order for the timeloop to concept to really work in videogames, it needs time to breathe - both in physical game world terms and also in the various elements that it requires players to solve and master in order to progress. As it is, Twelve Minutes is an undeniably stylish looking and sounding thriller that finds itself summarily undone by poor writing, unwieldy controls and a shoddily frustration execution of its overarching timeloop concept. A shame.
Much like Manual Samuel and other titles of that ilk, Heavenly Bodies certainly feels tailor-made for the streaming scene. With its penchant for generating knee-slapping laughs and red-faced moments of white hot anger that are both best enjoyed with friends and in front of a captive audience (not to mention the speedrunning mode that would arguably garner a fair audience), 2pt Interactive have certainly crafted a commendably enjoyable co-operative yarn that should last well into the holidays and beyond.
Easily the best entry in the long-running series to date, though Farming Simulator 22 might not have a picture perfect PS5 debut, it does augment the series already robust strategic and micro-management fundamentals with a number of new additions and features that make it an erstwhile choice for series veterans. Though newcomers will likely struggle with the tutorial and learning curve, Farming Simulator 22 soon becomes an engaging time sink that not only taxes the brain duly, but helps to provide a modicum of insight into the sheer amount of hard graft that goes into one of the most challenging occupations in the world.
As it stands now, Battlefield 2042 is a formidable and enjoyable shooter that once again delivers on the series promise of peerless open world combat theatre in a way that no other series or franchise has managed to match. It's just a shame that while Battlefield 2042 looks to the future for its setting, so too must players for the short-term as EA and DICE scramble to fix what could potentially be the best Battlefield in years.
If you can get through the relatively humdrum, lifeless and unneeded open world of Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One you'll uncover a whip smart detective adventure that is up there with the series best. It's just a shame that a smattering of technical issues and poorly executed combat sections detract from what should have been the Pride of Baker Street's triumphant return to PlayStation.
Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars cloaks a very traditional JRPG in an alluring tabletop veneer. Sure, it doesn't really shake up the genre in any real meaningful way, but the unique presentation and laid back approach to player engagement all combine to make one of the more relaxing and easily accessible JRPG offerings to come along in a good while.
Between all three games, the Crysis Remastered Trilogy effectively provides something of a microcosm of how the first person shooter genre has evolved over the years, with the completely freeform open world beats of the first game soon being replaced by the linear opulence of the final game in the trio. That said, if you're a fan of the genre in general or have been hankering to play Crytek's impressive trio of shooter offerings for sometime now, there really is no better place to jump in than with the Crysis Remastered Trilogy.
Though well-intentioned as an interactive educational documentary about the spectacular lives of sugar gliders, AWAY: The Survival Series simply isn't sufficiently sophisticated or well designed enough to pass muster as a videogame that will keep you coming back. As it is, AWAY: The Survival Series is an attractive, if clunky edutainment title that only the youngest and most inexperienced PlayStation gamers will truly enjoy.
A strangle little blend of god sim and hack and slash genres, Actraiser Renaissance is extremely uneven to say the least in almost all facets of its design and yet despite that, it's also oddly compelling and enjoyable. A proper little curio indeed.
One of the most intense and authentic feeling shooters to come along in a long while, Insurgency: Sandstorm prides itself on realistic gunplay and tactics to fashion one of the better online shooters that PlayStation platforms have seen in a good long while.