Sammy Barker's Reviews
Even though the core of Gravity Rush 2 remains largely unchanged, you'll be hard pushed to find a fresher open world title in a sea of Grand Theft Auto and Assassin's Creed clones. Kat's traversal mechanic is still among the most satisfying that the sandbox genre has to offer, and an endearing cast of characters means that you'll actively want to spend time in their world. The combat and mission structure may still be this series' biggest shortcoming, but colourful scenarios mean that you'll stick around long enough to see the sizeable story and its many side-quests through. So, while not everyone will be dazed by what this release has to offer, the sequel should at the very least ensure that existing fans continue singing Kat's chorus.
Air Race Speed is one of those pleasant surprises that never sets the world alight but yet still manages to thoroughly entertain. Rock-solid performance and a great sense of speed means that adrenaline junkies will enjoy this, and while it doesn't exactly threaten WipEout's speed freak crown, it should ease the wait for the Omega Collection next year.
Crystal Rift is far from an enjoyable experience, with cumbersome controls, lacklustre visuals, and poor enemy AI. The entire experience gets very tiresome very quickly, and with the ever increasing expectations for great quality games, this just doesn't cut it. This rift would be better left unexplored, unless you think you'd enjoy its torturously repetitive depths.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier – Episode 2: Ties That Bind (Part Two) maintains the opening episode's great pace with a more action-heavy instalment. The new characters continue to compel, even if you'll see the closing twist coming a mile away. Telltale's definitely getting better at directing these narrative-centric experiences, and while the creaky engine still sticks out at times, the production values in this particular instalment are above and beyond anything that the developer's done before.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier – Episode 1: Ties That Bind (Part One)'s title may appear to promise something wholly original, but this is the same old episodic adventure that you're already familiar with. That's no bad thing, though, as Telltale appears to be on top form with this third series, setting up a compelling new cast of characters while re-introducing the most important of them all: Clementine. The same old quirks remain, but you should know by now whether the engine issues or lack of player agency will affect your enjoyment. If you're comfortable with the usual shortcomings, then this is a strong start to what promises to be another compelling season.
The Last Guardian is a modern masterpiece, and a worthy addition to Team ICO's already flawless track record. Some will be unable to look past the mechanical shortcomings, but they'll be missing out on one of those most meaningful and truly original experiences in years.
Weeping Doll's one of those games where you can see the intentions of the developer, but the end product just isn't very good. The muddled mismatch of time periods could be forgiven if the writing wasn't so woeful and the voice acting so unintentionally amusing. There's the nugget of a good idea here, but like an action figure with its appendages in the wrong places, it's been sloppily assembled.
Carnival Games VR is about as entertaining as a funfair organised by gypsies in a community centre's car park. The tracking issues don't help, but the actual moment-to-moment gameplay is so morbidly boring that you may need medical attention to resuscitate you from this virtual reality yawn-fest. In a word: candydross.
Contrary to common opinion, Farming Simulator's always had the root of a great game buried beneath its Eurojank surface, but now that nugget's really starting to blossom. This edition doesn't reinvent the veal [Sorry – Ed], but it refines what's enjoyable about the originals, and sprinkles some Miracle-Gro on top. It's still an acquired taste, and you're going to need to be patient to get the most out of it, but if you've ever dreamed of being an agricultural extraordinaire, then this is a series now very much in its hay-day.
Headmaster scores a hat-trick with its sense of humour, quirky concept, and well-executed gameplay. It's one of those games that you really want to get into, diving around your living room as you try to score the perfect goal. It's a shame, then, that the realities of actually wearing the PlayStation VR headset mean that you can't actually ever unleash your inner-Alan Shearer – but we'd be being pretty harsh if we gave it a red card for something that's out of the developer's control.
Super Stardust will always be an outstanding arcade game, but this particular version is a tired attempt at repurposing an ageing experience for yet another PlayStation platform. The classic gameplay options function fine in virtual reality but offer nothing new, while the added PlayStation VR-exclusive Invasion Mode fails to grasp what's great about the original experience. It's one of those launch games that's just kinda… there.
Magnificent many years after its original release, Rez Infinite finally feels at home on PlayStation VR – and virtual reality has got its first killer app. A sensational sensory overload, this sublime shooter may be short-lived, but you'll be hard pushed to find an experience more deserving of your attention this year.
RIGS: Mechanized Combat League may be the posterchild for PlayStation VR, but it's not the headset's MVP. While this future sports sim has a strong art style and some interesting ideas, it struggles to get the business done where it matters – on the pitch. Nauseating action and mushy combat really cause this contender to drop points.
DriveClub VR has all of the features and functionality of its PS4 forebear, so you're guaranteed quality handling and plenty of content here. But the compromises made to get the virtual reality working strip the racer of its visual prowess, and its poor image quality can make it hard to see. There's no shortage of effort been invested here, but we can't help but wonder whether the rewards were worth all of the evident exertion.
The silly simulation gag has long outstayed its welcome, but Job Simulator's biting writing and intuitive gameplay means that the punchline plays one last time. Owlchemy Labs' launch title won't keep you occupied like real labour, but if work was always this entertaining then we'd never pull a sickie ever again.
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood does nothing to sully Supermassive Games' fledgling series, and in fact it delivers an enjoyable rails-shooter that overcomes its lack of originality thanks in part to the novelty that virtual reality provides. It's not a long game, but there are different routes to explore, and multiple difficulty settings with online leaderboards to entice you back. As with the main game, though, it's the jump scares that are the real stars here – and they help this likeable launch title live up to its name.
How much would you pay to be Batman for an hour? If your answer sits somewhere in the region of £15.99/$19.99, then Batman: Arkham VR is a virtual no-brainer. With the exception of the finicky motion tracking and brief running time, this is an exceptional short story that eloquently demonstrates many of the advantages of virtual reality. But perhaps the most impressive thing here is that, in transforming you into the Dark Knight, it illuminates both the pros and cons of being a masked vigilante. And while the former interactions will make you feel downright awesome, it's when the Caped Crusader slowly begins to unravel that it comes into its own.
PlayStation VR Worlds is messy attempt at repurposing tech demos into a retail package. While there's no doubt that The London Heist is among the best that Sony's headset has to offer, Ocean Descent is short-lived and Danger Ball won't hold your attention much longer. VR Luge is a nice idea that demands a more precise control scheme, while Scavenger's Odyssey will leave you reaching for your sick bucket. There's some amazing presentation and tech on display here, but despite London Studio's best efforts, it never really comes together as a complete, cohesive package. And while it's undoubtedly left us excited to see which worlds the developer will take us to next, it's hard to shake the feeling that these ones are nothing more than proof of concepts.
Minor tracking issues aside, Tumble VR builds upon its PS3 predecessor by augmenting extra variety and an interesting asymmetrical multiplayer mode. The depth enabled by the stereoscopic image makes positioning that little bit easier to judge, and thus it's more entertaining than ever to assemble colossal towers. The attempts to inject humour fall flat, and the presentation is still cold and clinical as a result, but this shortcoming isn't anywhere near large enough to rock the release's sturdy foundations.
By trimming the fat, Telltale has delivered a much stronger episode in its fledgling Batman series. The story's beginning to take a shape of its own now, and more interesting personalities are beginning to come to the fore. While it still feels like the developer's laying foundations, this episode begins with a twist and goes out like a rocket – and that's how we'd like it to continue, thank you very much.