I doubt I’ll be playing Knockout City long into the future. But I think I’ll enjoy it for a few more weeks. And as a PlayStation Plus freebie, I’d certainly recommend you check it out.
Death Stranding Director’s Cut is a refined experienced. From the memorable sound design to the meticulously detailed open world, it has stuck with me – even more so than when I played the original back in 2019. If that was Hideo Kojima’s intention with this re-release then bravo. Mission accomplished.
For people who have the time to sink into it, they’ll likely find some enjoyment in Hunter’s Arena: Legends. The steep learning curve will unquestionably put casual players off, though. And if it wasn’t a freebie, I wouldn’t recommend it for that reason.
Returnal is the game the PlayStation 5 needed. It demonstrates every aspect of the new console’s technical prowess and sets the standard for future games. On top of that, it packs in a thoroughly enticing story with fantastically fluid gameplay.
A Plague Tale: Innocence is imperfect. The repetitious and unoriginal nature of its gameplay does hold it back and might be a deal breaker for some. Even if it is technically sound. But I would still recommend it for its story and atmosphere alone.
While there’s fun to be had with the deep combat and competitive multiplayer, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is let down by underwhelming graphics, poor sound design and the critical lack of any story.
If you persevere, there may be some small enjoyment to be found in Stranded Deep. After all, it is (mostly) functionally playable. But most, including myself, won’t be in a hurry to load it up again after their first few hours.
Valhalla would’ve benefited from being smaller in scope. This is something that is blatant throughout. Even at 20 hours in (a third of the overall 60-hour length), the game begins to feel repetitious.