Sadly, Bounty Battle plays about as well as it looks. The goal is to empty the health bar of your enemies, but character animations are so basic and stunted that it's near impossible to tell what's going on — especially during three or four player fights. The controls are responsive enough, but the release is riddled with stuttering issues on PS4 — combat just never feels smooth, and that's a nail in the coffin of any fighting game.
Wasteland 3 is a fantastic post-apocalyptic RPG. Great writing, satisfying, tactical combat, and a world full of memorable characters and meaningful player choice make this a no-brainer for fans of the genre. If you can look past the bugs, there's so much to love about this deliciously dark humoured excursion.
With a sensible update or two, Nexomon: Extinction could evolve into a much more enticing experience. It's never going to have the charm of Pokémon, but it could yet be a decent alternative.
As a mostly solo experience, Crystal Chronicles is a decent, if somewhat repetitive dungeon crawler -- but this remaster should have been so much more.
Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS. Maxiboost ON is the ultimate Gundam Versus experience on consoles. The series' steep learning curve remains, but once you've broken through that initial barrier, there's a massive amount of metal-mashing fun to be found. As both a comprehensive gameplay package, and as a celebration of all things Gundam, it's very, very hard to fault.
In particular, quests with strict time limits can often feel unfair, and grinding out tasks purely to improve your relationship with different characters is a slog.
Ghost of Tsushima is a joy to play and a joy to behold. Sucker Punch has crafted one of the most memorable open world games of this generation, buoyed by an immensely satisfying combat system and an engaging, dramatic story.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor is another solid expansion, but it's nothing that you haven't seen before. Western Skyrim is fun to explore, and the DLC tells a decent tale, but quests continue to lack any real innovation, highlighting the title's ageing gameplay loop.
The controls are wonky and the mission design is straight outta last-gen, but there's still dumb fun to be had with Saints Row The Third Remastered. Even all these years later, it's a refreshingly stupid sandbox title that offers up some memorable moments -- it's just a shame that they're buried beneath tedious activities and gameplay that feels incredibly basic by today's standards.
The game's at its best when you're being forced to adapt, but it has a bad habit of introducing scenarios that feel like they require trial and error
Sakura Wars is an entertaining fusion of dating sim elements and button mashing action, but it's held back by tired anime tropes and some disappointingly underdeveloped characters. The overarching story may be painfully predictable, but there's still waifu-chasing fun to be had here, and the combat is enough to keep the otherwise relaxed pacing in check.
All in all, Trials of Mana is a delightful throwback.
Measured against the immense expectations that surround it, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a great game that will inevitably disappoint some fans.
Arc System Works has done it again. Granblue Fantasy Versus is a fantastic-feeling fighting game that's jaw-droppingly gorgeous at times.
It's just not good enough for a game that revolves around loot and item management.
Whether it's Kiryu's horribly addictive taxi driving quests or Saejima's reflective survival-based hunting expeditions, you can lose hour after hour after hour to Yakuza 5, but it always feels like there's a new obsession just waiting around the next corner.
For newcomers, Warriors Orochi 4 now gets a recommendation. For existing fans, you'll have to weigh up whether the additions are enough to pull you back in.
The campaign alone is worth playing, but Hardcore Mecha's extras give the package a real boost.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's inconsistent quality holds it back from being a great Dragon Ball game, but ultimately, its high points do outweigh its problems -- especially if you're a fan.
Fight'N Rage borrows heavily from classics like Streets of Rage and Final Fight, but its combat does a great job of building on the basics without making things too complex.