John-Paul Jones's Reviews
KeyWe is more than just an adorable concept, it actually backs it up with a thoroughly enjoyable co-op experience that always seems to know when to change things up in its formula without ever losing sight of what makes it tick. It's possible to enjoy it solo, but honestly, that pales in comparison to joining friend or family in a round of buttslamming boxes and pecking papers to deliver the mail as the fuzziest little postal workers around.
A deeply thoughtful, eminently accessible and cleverly crafted bite-sized puzzler, Bonfire Peaks has more subtle emotion, charm and smile-cracking ingenuity than most of the games that have released this year. If you want to hone your logical senses and embolden your spirit concurrently then Bonfire Peaks is certainly one summit worth conquering.
Clearly meant for those who have long been ingratiated with the BattleTech universe, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is an appreciably deep mech stomper that needs a lot more polish a better storyline and cast of characters before its appeal can reach beyond the outer limits of its dedicated fanbase.
Though the additions to this newly reinvigorated version of Death Stranding might be considered to be superfluous by die-hard Kojima fans, there's no denying that Death Stranding Director's Cut is the definitive version to play Kojima's most recent opus on console, thanks to an opulent visual makeover and a wealth of quality of life improvements. Though still remaining divisive at its core, Death Stranding Director's Cut is absolutely the best way to see the hype surrounding Kojima's most esoteric work.
Odd inventory design niggles aside and shopworn concepts aside, Tails of Iron is beautifully presented and a roundly entertaining, surprisingly grim action RPG that boasts a grandly enjoyable combat system. Fans of punishing action RPGs and grimdark fairy-tales will find much to love here.
A fantastic action adventure that taps directly into the root DNA of the Yakuza franchise, Lost Judgment not only manages to simultaneously boast both the darkest and the goofiest storylines of any title in the series to date, but it also stuns the player with an absolute avalanche of hugely entertaining side quests and activities. More than that though, Lost Judgment also provides solace for those who found themselves turned off by the turn-based combat system that the mainline Yakuza series now seems to favour, while welcoming newcomers to one of the best new Japanese franchises of the last two decades.
Deathloop is not only one of the most conceptually ambitious and well executed games ever made, but Arkane's PlayStation swansong also has a boundless energy and ingenuity that no other game can match. Quite simply, Deathloop is an unparalleled synergy of first-person shooter design, explorative bliss and narrative complexity that we likely won't see again for a very, very long time.
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is a deftly crafted Metroidvania that while it doesn't do anything especially new or ground-breaking, nonetheless reframes the genre through a distinctly Chinese and attractive dieselpunk setting that fans of the genre and action adventures in general will assuredly enjoy.
A golf game for people that don't like golf (though people who do like golf will likely also get a similar kick), Golf Club: Wasteland cleverly interweaves arcade style golf with deep themes and a superbly smooth soundtrack in a bite-sized package that is both utterly unique and impossible to ignore.
Sniper Ghost Warriors Contracts 2 makes its mark on PS5 with greatly improved visuals, better loading, additional content and DualSense feedback - all of which combine to make it not only the definitive version of CI Games latest effort, but also one of the better sniper offerings on the market.
Though King's Bounty II's presentation is certainly crumbly in ways that would only be endearing to folks partial to PS3 level jank, there still remains a compelling RPG and turn based strategy hybrid here. Bolstered by non-linear storytelling, deceptively deep world building and the sort of accessible strategy that embraces genre newcomers and stalwarts alike, King's Bounty II is a deeply appealing effort that does ample justice to its namesake.
Arguably the modern template for so many self-styled retro shooters, Quake has returned in stunning form. A stellar remaster, Quake not only maintains the essence of id Software's classic 1996 shooter, but it meaningfully iterates upon it too with all new additional content, mod support and crossplay. At a super budget price point, there is no reason to dive into one of the very best 3D shooters of all time.
Utterly absorbing and rarely anything less than completely fascinating, The Forgotten City is an intoxicating microcosm of Ancient Roman society embedded in a dialogue heavy adventure and wrapped around one of the most smartly designed mysteries and sleuthing yarns to come along in a good long while. Occasional technical creakiness and issues aside, it's a deeply pleasant irony that The Forgotten City will remain long in your memory after the credits have completed their roll the first, second, third and fourth time.
An attractive JPRG with a hugely innovative central time manipulation mechanic, it seems as though the developers behind the game fell head over heels in love with that element of Cris Tales design at the expense of crafting a world with memorable characters, motivations, places and events. That said, Cris Tales non-linear story and neat use of time manipulation will still hold a fair amount of allure for genre newbies and stalwarts alike.
With its well designed stealth mechanics, unique setting, captivating story and stifling, often terrifying atmospherics, in A Plague Tale: Innocence, Asobo Studio might well have crafted the best and most pure horror title of the year.
DOOM Eternal on PS5 quite simply underscores the already lofty calibre of one of the best shooters ever with a delectable coat of visual polish which keeps id Software's PlayStation swansong ripping and tearing among the very best of its genre contemporaries.
An extremely entertaining handful of sports themed mini games with just a few duffers to be found amongst their number, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - The Official Video Game distils the longest running athletic spectacle on the planet into a great party game with charming visuals and immediate accessibility. Right now, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - The Official Video Game is one of the better party games of the year.
Though The Persistence Enhanced represents the best non-VR version of what is a sizably satisfying stealth horror romp on PS5, the suite of upgrades, though welcome, is not roundly enough impressive enough to warrant previous players taking another run at the game. For the uninitiated that don't own a PSVR headset however, The Persistence Enhanced on PS5 is still a compelling proposition that unfurls into a taut stealth horror affair.
A much needed re-release of Team Ninja's trio of Ninja Gaiden titles, though the third game is a step below the other two games, and the remastering effort a touch on the conservative side, it's a proper joy to be able to play the first two Ninja Gaiden games once again on contemporary hardware; camera issues with the first game notwithstanding. Bolstered by a neat amount of extras and the seemingly ageless and satisfying combat that's as good now in 2021 as it was before, the king of high-octane, hyperviolent ninja action has returned.
A different kind of survival sandbox, Green Hell's anchoring in a contemporary place together with its narrative help to separate it from its more aimless seeming brethren. Though some additional polish is required, Green Hell nonetheless is still one of the better survival sandbox experiences to come along in a good while.