Harkening back to the classic arcade racers you’d gleefully waste your £2 coin on at the back of Hollywood Bowl, Hotshot Racing is a no-frills racing game with simple but satisfying mechanics to entice even the most hardcore racers.
Ghost of Tsushima is a sprawling, epic adventure with some flaws, but these take nothing away from the overall power of the game. It has an emotional, powerful story with a complex central hero and fabulously written side characters, a brilliant combat system that is as fun to get to grips with as it is once you’ve mastered it, and a stunning open world to explore on horseback with something to do around every corner. There is so much to do on the island of Tsushima that it can seem like completing it for completion’s sake, and the mission types are repetitive but, mercifully, the game is so endlessly fun that I didn’t care. The highs of this game are astronomical, with the story ramping up steadily throughout each act resulting in wildly exciting sequences and shocking character moments both in the main story and in the side quests. If not for the existence of The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima would be my Game of the Year. As it is, it’s a worthy addition to the packed PS4 exclusives library and Lord Jin Sakai fits right in among Sony’s vast lineup of memorable main characters. Ghost of Tsushima waves goodbye to the PS4 generation in sumptuous style.
The game is at its best when it embraces the ridiculousness. You’re sure to find plenty of that in Steelport.
Buying Death Stranding was a risk. I’m not one for massive open-world games, I didn’t know what the hell the game was about, and the early divisive reviews made me even more unsure. And yet, the further I got into the game, I realised I was playing something in a way that I’m not sure I’ll ever experience again. The online system is fantastic, the world is photo-realistic and absolutely beautiful (the game reaches its peak visually when you’re up in the snowy mountains), the BT encounters are consistently tense, and as weird as it sounds, the walking is the best part about it. There are cutscenes aplenty to wade through with varying degrees of success (the late game cutscenes, while interesting, are a chore to finish), but you should come to Death Stranding for a wholly satisfying gaming experience that needs to be played to be believed, filled to the brim with a colourful cast of characters (and cameos aplenty from the film world to look out for!) and scenery to die for. As shocking as it may be, Death Stranding is my first ever Hideo Kojima game. I think I know what I’ve been missing out on.