Sammy Barker's Reviews
It all just needs a little more polish: the execution isn’t quite tight enough, the pace not quite brisk enough to achieve that addictive, rapid-fire feel of WarioWare. It’s close, and certainly another entertaining idea from Atari, but unless you’re from the era of the 2600 and its ilk, you’ll probably struggle to look beyond the sloppy feel of this otherwise likeable release.
EA Sports PGA Tour proves what the publisher is capable of at its pomp: this is a jaw-droppingly beautiful sports game, with a sublime selection of licensed courses and a surprising amount of depth. Its demanding swing mechanic is slightly let down by a sluggish frame rate, but its single player is boosted by a strong sense of progression – and in multiplayer there's tons to do. This is an impressively strong effort overall, and a sign of good things to come ahead of the company's other anticipated comeback, EA Sports College Football.
The excellently executed Negro Leagues are the MVP of MLB The Show 23, adding an educational and entertaining interactive documentary to an already top-tier sports game. Diamond Dynasty sees some of its biggest structural changes yet, and has strengthened its already respectable single player slate with some smart additions to Mini Seasons. Meanwhile, rebalanced fielding and batter/pitcher matchups add more tension to the gameplay, but the graphics are starting to look stale and Road to the Show feels like it's almost been abandoned at this point.
Until Dawn continues to elude Supermassive, and now even Rush of Blood appears out of reach. Switchback VR is a scruffy game that fails to match up to its well-liked PSVR predecessor, delivering low-budget visuals, lousy combat encounters, and some pretty low-energy level design. There are a handful of memorable moments, and some may find fun in the jump scares – but this should and could have been so much more.
Of course, if you’re new to PSVR2, then this is pretty much essential: it’s not only an easy-going introduction into the world of virtual reality, but it’s also a hilarious game that executes on its ideas flawlessly.
Before Your Eyes left a lump in our throat, which we weren't expecting at all. The game starts fantastical, but eventually matures into a relatably human tale, which we imagine will touch the majority of people who play it. Strong writing, fantastic voice acting, and an outstanding 3D audio mix all contribute to an impressively poignant campaign, which helps showcase how impactful interactive media can be.
The slight input lag and dark visuals are disappointing, but Pinball FX has so much content that pinball fans will struggle not to find the fun here. The biggest problem with this package is its messy monetisation: the developer can't decide whether to lean on its subscription-style Pinball Pass or traditional DLC, and its hybrid approach is neither here nor there really. When you consider that no previously purchased content carries across, it's hard to recommend reinvesting so heavily here – especially when, even with all the bells and whistles, the core nuts-and-bolts of playing many of these tables remains the same as in past games.
In addition to the synth-driven city pop soundtrack, the neon punk aesthetic looks really nice in 4K in PSVR2, and while the vibrant colours may lead to headaches, we like the chaotic, almost violent nature of the presentation. But ultimately, we found ourselves tiring of the overly long levels fairly quickly, and so the title lacks that sense of replayability that’s so fundamental to truly great arcade releases.
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge - Enhanced Edition starts out flat but does eventually get a bit better. You'll need to trudge through a couple of hours of bland shooting galleries to get to the good stuff, though, and even then the title is largely let-down by repetitive encounters and some dated design decisions. The game takes decent advantage of PSVR2's innovative features, but also underlines its Meta Quest 2 origins at times. And while there's an unquestionable novelty to existing within George Lucas' legendary universe, it feels like the license is doing a lot of the lifting for a mostly average adventure.
All in all, this re-release doesn’t fumble the ball – and American football fans in particular will find a lot to like.
All in all, this re-release doesn’t fumble the ball – and American football fans in particular will find a lot to like.
While it does feel quite scrappy, and you will have to spend a bit of time setting the title up to your tastes, we reckon this is a fair trade given the ridiculously low price point. There is local multiplayer if you want to play with family and friends, which extends to a nifty little tournament mode, too. So, if you’re in the mood for some multiplayer baseball, you really can’t go wrong here.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is not without its flaws, but it's hard to imagine a better showcase of PSVR2's potential than this. The core climbing gameplay is impressively executed, and it evolves just enough over the course of the campaign to remain fulfilling. We're not a huge fan of the combat, and the plot is practically impenetrable unless you're a franchise die-hard, but these niggles don't necessarily deter from the overall satisfaction you'll feel as you scale rock-faces several hundred metres into the sky.
Each level feels unique, and goes through phases that ensure the gameplay remains interesting and engaging. And it’s all complemented by a jaw-dropping art style, which can feel a little grungy on occasion, but has some true standout set-piece moments – like the boss enemies that fill the entire screen. A CRT toggle is available for true retro enthusiasts, but we preferred to play with unfiltered, razor-sharp 4K pixels. And we loved every minute.
Nevertheless, we like this little collection. As a game, Breakers and its refreshed Breakers Revenge re-release does little to set itself apart from its peers of the era, but its simplistic gameplay and vibrant aesthetic still manages to ensure it’s an entertaining time.
Firefighting Simulator: The Squad takes an underrepresented concept and delivers a rousing co-op experience. Despite its name, the game doesn't get too bogged down in details, making for an entertaining gameplay loop that's oddly relaxing – despite the intense scenarios on display. Some shoddy AI and repetition mean we wouldn't recommend it solo, but there's undeniable fun to be had with friends.
Not all of the mechanics work: we like scoring strikes in High Velocity Bowling, but MotorStorm’s route selection rails are a bit of head-scratcher. But there’s a thoughtfulness to all of the tables that’s easy to appreciate – especially if you’re fond of this very specific era of PlayStation’s first-party games.
Marvel's Midnight Suns is a hero on the battlefield, where its card-based combat is a hit. The release's more adventurous social aspects are conceptually interesting, allowing you to candidly interact with a spectrum of personalities, but the writing and cutscene direction simply isn't up to scratch. It means that you'll spend long stretches of gameplay itching to get back to the action, but the lure of the tactical battles with pull you through. It's an unusual, unfocused title at times, but one with character and ambition that's easy to appreciate.
The core arcade fighting, with its persistent clothing damage and blend of vivid 2D and 3D visuals, makes it a compelling curio for fighting game faithfuls. But the package as a whole falls short of expectations, and will either need major updates or a chunky price drop moving forwards.
But ultimately, this game misses the target. If you’re itching for some footie amid the World Cup, and you absolutely can’t stand sims like FIFA 23, we suppose you might eke some mileage out of it. Otherwise, leave this one on the bench where it belongs.