Stephen Tailby's Reviews
Celeste is a wonderful precision platformer that does far more than simply challenge your dexterity. While there's plenty of intense screen-hopping to enjoy, it's offset by a well-told, personal story that softens the hard edged gameplay with some great slower moments. What's more, you can enjoy the story even if you're struggling with the platforming using the Assist Mode to bend the game's difficulty to your liking. The action is super smooth (though we did have to battle with the dash on occasion), there are lots of secrets to uncover, and it looks and sounds great. Even with some rare bugs, fans of both a steep challenge and a heartfelt narrative will find a lot to like about Celeste.
Iconoclasts blends a complex story with neat puzzle platforming, and does so in great style. The game's length occasionally works against it, and the boss fights aren't all winners, but the story is worth seeing through to the end thanks to a memorable cast of characters and plenty of variety along the way. It's just a very robust, unique game that you'd be a tool to miss.
What we're left with is a multiplayer game that still has the ability to delight and surprise, but perhaps lacks some finishing touches to make it truly great. With online play a bit of a mess and a limited number of modes, Gang Beasts isn't short of issues, but just about gets away with it due to a solid core idea that, with friends, can be uproariously entertaining. If you're after a new title for gaming nights with buddies, or indeed, the Christmas party, you can do far worse than this.
Aside from some more inventive level design and a couple of new bells and whistles to keep you occupied, LocoRoco 2 Remastered is more of the same, which in our book is no bad thing. There's little here that will surprise you, but it does just as good a job as the first game in providing a simple, grin-inducing few hours. We've rather enjoyed revisiting both titles this year, and we think fans old and new will still get a lot of fun out of them. Games as jovial as this one don't come around very often these days, so if you're after something light, you'll have a ball.
Somehow, de Blob still feels contemporary, and it'll cheer you up if this year's other 3D platformer efforts have left you feeling blue.
Sonic Forces is a disappointing step back for the franchise. Uninteresting level design and subpar gameplay on all three playable characters make for a game that can be frustrating to get through. The nonsense story is poorly written and makes more tonal shifts than Mariah Carey with an ice cube down her back. The game is perfectly fine for the younger audience it's targeting, and we're sure they'll enjoy it for what it is, but in the wake of Sonic Mania's tremendous success, the problems 3D Sonic has always faced are becoming much harder to ignore.
Spintires: Mudrunner is a hard-crusted simulation title that makes you earn your fun through hard work and determination. It's certainly not for everyone with a crawling pace and a muted aesthetic, but the impressive physics and sandbox design make for some great moments, especially if you're playing with others. The UI and vehicle handling will have you wrestling for control at times, but if you persevere, this is a game with surprisingly rewarding gameplay and plenty to get stuck into.
Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back is a wholly unremarkable experience. The presentation, controls, and level design are all lacking, and the handful of stages offer little variety. It's not the worst platformer ever – it's not even the worst Bubsy game – it's simply inconsequential, forgettable, and bland in every aspect. Fans of the original games may get a kick out of this, but even they may feel disappointed by the bobcat's latest, and probably last, adventure.
Some presentation niggles aside, Brawlhalla is an entertaining fighter with fun, punchy combat that just about manages to capture that “one more match” feeling. While it isn't quite as tightly designed as the seminal Super Smash Bros., the large roster, wide range of modes, and a reasonable level of depth help it achieve a similar balance of accessibility and challenge - you can play as casually or as competitively as you like. With pay-to-win nowhere to be seen and exceedingly good online play, this is one free-to-play title that's well worth a try.
Semispheres is a short but sweet title with a simple aesthetic that belies a surprisingly complex set of puzzles. Controlling two characters simultaneously takes a fair amount of dexterity, which can at times be more of a challenge than the puzzles themselves. Despite this, there is some clever design on display here with some devilish levels and multiple abilities to utilise. You'll likely be done with it within a few hours or so, but if you're after a neat little game to play in short bursts on the go, Semispheres is worth a look.
Caveman Warriors is a half-decent platformer with a relatively unique setting, but is sadly underwhelming in most regards. It plays fairly well and offers some quick and easy fun in multiplayer, but some questionable presentation and frustrating enemy encounters let it down. With a vast pool of quality 2D platformers to choose from on PS4, this game doesn't do enough to truly compete, and we fear it will subsequently be consigned to history.
What you end up with is a sci-fi exploration title that is, ultimately, dull. There's barely anything going on in Morphite. Once you've beaten the story and upgraded your equipment, there's very little reason to go back to previous locations, and new ones are too similar to offer any meaningful extended play. Myrah's adventure may pique the interest of genre die-hards, but the limited scope of the game makes it difficult to recommend.
We wish we had more positive things to say about Maize, but unfortunately, it just doesn't have much going for it. The story and writing are atrocious, the characters are forgettable, and the puzzles themselves are too easy. The game is honestly quite boring, despite its bizarre premise, and the attempts at humour are ham-fisted at best and excruciating at worst. If you're after something different, Maize is certainly that, but be warned that it may leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is another solid adventure that's just as generous and involving as either of the main games. It's a shorter experience, but everything you love about the series is present and correct, and as always, replayability is extremely high. Billie is a great character and inherits some cool abilities that allow for multiple approaches to missions. Some narrative niggles let the game down a bit, and it feels a little rushed at the end, but all told, this is every inch a Dishonored game, which can only be a good thing.
It's a real shame that it's currently experiencing these connectivity issues, as Absolver is an otherwise great melee action game. The combat is deep, tactical, and wonderfully customisable, and interacting co-operatively or competitively with other players can be a real joy. Once SloClap can ensure players of a lag-free environment to play in, this will be a knockout multiplayer brawler.
Rock of Ages II: Bigger and Boulder is a fun title that just about pulls off its strange cocktail of genres. The Monty Python-like presentation is executed well and suits the game's off-the-wall appeal, and its trio of modes and online or offline multiplayer give the game some legs beyond the story. Moreover, the gameplay offers a lot of potential for daft fun despite some sluggish boulder controls and frustrating AI balance issues. If you're after something different, or enjoy some cathartic destruction in your games, you'll have a ball.
Sonic Mania is the best Sonic game in years, and stands proudly alongside its ancestors as a great 2D platformer. The levels, both remixed classics and brand new stages, are broad and a lot of fun to speed through, while more cautious exploration is also rewarding and just as viable. The feeling of playing an old-school Sonic title is spot on and it's filled to bursting with secrets, Easter eggs, and surprises that will delight fans. If you've never enjoyed Sonic games, this certainly won't change your mind, but anyone with an affinity for the Blue Blur's seminal Mega Drive series can rest assured that this is more than worth your time.
Patapon Remastered is a decent port of the madcap PSP title. It's a unique, challenging game with real personality that fans of rhythm and/or strategy will have fun with over its ten hour campaign. Difficulty spikes and some well hidden key items can put a dampener on things, while the audio mix isn't quite up to scratch. Fortunately, the fun, simplistic gameplay is compelling enough that you won't be too worried about its flaws. Fans will love the trip down memory lane, but we also hope newcomers will drum up the enthusiasm to give this a go.
When all is said and done, Cars 3: Driven to Win is a decent arcade racer that fans will enjoy. The racing is good fun once you get a handle on it, and we can see kids having a great time with the family in its four-player split screen. It's difficult to recommend it to anyone else, however. While there are plenty of ways to play, there lacks a certain depth that will keep you entertained for more than a few hours. Having said that, the PS4 is sorely lacking in arcade racing titles, so this may be worth a look if you're in the market for some bright and breezy driving – and can stand the repetitive voice lines.
World Series is a hollow shell of a Micro Machines game. Codemasters has focused on an undercooked Battle mode and online play to the detriment of the core racing. The local multiplayer is when the game is at its most enjoyable, and zipping around the colourful courses in miniature cars remains a fun novelty. However, some glaring omissions and the small number of tracks and cars means you probably won't stick around for long, and no amount of loot boxes will change that.