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Planet Coaster 2 is a worthy sequel to the original and it seems Frontier has really listened to fan feedback and delivered what fans have been longing for. If you liked the original then you'll love this follow-up, but genre newcomers could find the sheer spectrum of options here a touch overwhelming.
Following the launch woes of Modern Warfare 3, the FPS heavyweight series marks a very strong and impressive return to form in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Its single player campaign is one of the franchise's best-ever efforts, the multiplayer is jam-packed with engaging content, and the Zombies mode seems just as good as it always is when Treyarch is leading things. It never really went away, but Black Ops 6 feels like Call of Duty back at its modern peak.
Horizon Zero Dawn is very much one of Sony's standout projects of the past ten years, and this superb remaster by Nixxes puts it among the best looking games on the PS5. While the side-quests and supporting content don't quite match up to sequel Forbidden West, the more focused story is arguably better than its successor, and it's presented almost flawlessly in this remastered format.
Phasmophobia is a highly replayable co-op experience that expertly manages to blend friendly fun with deathly scares. There's a complexity to its ghost hunting as you gather evidence and test your nerves, and it's made all the better as you bicker, debate, and scream with your friends. A slow levelling system stalls that sense of progression, and finicky controls mean the PSVR2 version of the game is a bit of a letdown. However, if you're looking for a unique kind of co-op experience for you and your friends, Phasmophobia is one of a kind.
Romancing SaGa 2 boasts an expansive 3D world to explore, gorgeous character models and equipment, and compelling enemy designs. You can even choose between the original and a remastered orchestral score full of earworms from the glory days of the '90s. A remake of a classic JRPG many Western fans have missed, even three decades later, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven's inventive mechanics make it a worthwhile experience.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn't quite BioWare back to its absolute best, but it is the most cohesive and emotionally engaging RPG that the studio has delivered since Mass Effect 3. Its shift to crunchy action combat is an improvement over Inquisition's middle-of-the-road approach, and although the game feels a little light on meaningful player choice, the storytelling pulls no punches when it actually matters. This is a gorgeous and gripping adventure, backed by a cast of endearing heroes and deliciously devious villains.
If it seems like we're dogging on this latest outing for the series, it's only because we know just how unique and entertaining it can be. Double Exposure isn't a bad game, it's just not the series at its best. It loses some of that inviting atmosphere with Caledon paling in comparison to Haven Springs or Arcadia Bay, and its narrative suffers from an overreliance on the supernatural. But we'd be lying if we said it wasn't great to see Max Caulfield return and we still think it's worth checking out if you're a fan of the series.
Throw in the crisp texture work — blended with less impressive ones — and rock-solid performance with modern resolutions and frame rate, and you’ve got a winner.
The whole aesthetic of the missions and the menus is retro PS3 at its best, but unfortunately the game's performance tanks when too many bugs are on screen, which is most of the time. Still, clambering over their corpses as the bodies pile up and making a final dash toward the extraction is a blast, and if you're a fan of Helldivers, this is a solid evolution of the genre and well worth your time.
The tactical aspect of the game is also finicky. You can give your four squadmates orders, but only within a short radius of yourself, limiting their potential. Your choice is a map that doesn’t pause the action and is therefore useless in a fight, or a quick menu that takes up most of the screen and isn’t very quick, also making it a burden in fights. The first-person view is neat, and the ability to take control of your squadmate's mechs is novel, but these features aren't enough to shake the feeling your time would be better spent playing XCOM.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake is a great way to test the waters of Koei Tecmo's long-running historical simulation series. It can be initially overwhelming and a little unwieldy at times, but the remake offers a return to a seminal entry in the series and one of the deepest and most intricate strategy games available on PS5 and PS4 to date.
Squirrel with a Gun is a chaotic time that is always looking to place your rodent in the most insane positions to make them look like an action movie star. It is quite janky at times and can wear on you fast, so we don’t necessarily recommend trying to knock all of its content out at once, but for a side game that you can go to when you need a break from everything else, Squirrel with a Gun is worthy of your time.
The Lake House is a brilliant serving of Remedy horror goodness, acting as a cocktail of two franchise identities, to deliver something that is narratively intriguing and visually distinct. It's a tight-knit experience packed with expanding lore and clever scares, and a keen reminder of Remedy's pedigree. It's an interesting link in the wider world of Remedy games too that leaves us sad to see this chapter end, but ever curious to how it will all continue.
Despite this, the game does a fantastic job of immersing you in this terrifying and deadly world, especially with the live mic feature that captures your audio as you play, which can alert the creatures. There's a fantastic set of features and foundation here that we'd love to see built upon in a sequel, as the A Quiet Place franchise is a great fit with games.
Vendetta Forever ends up having a highly replayable gameplay loop with slick combat and incredible variety. This is one of the best titles to hit PSVR2 this year without question.
Survivor Instinct's biggest saving grace is the entertaining set-pieces, which usually involve escaping from a Titan strangely determined to kill you. While this can deliver a visually impressive spectacle, it's frustrating how little room for error there often is. These moments are meant to be fast-paced, sure; you're running for your life after all. However, a split-second delay or mistimed jump is often enough to kill you, and that annoyingly restarts the entire segment.
NHL 25 isn't great. While there are welcome changes this time, almost all of them are cosmetic, or menu-oriented. Ultimately, that's what this iteration amounts to: a hyper-fixation on presentational components. Where are the new game modes? Improvements to the controls? Sure the game looks great, but wouldn't it be awesome if it played great as well?
New World: Aeternum is a high-quality MMO experience, and the transition to PS5 has been smooth. With a focus on action combat, gorgeous visuals, and a free-form, classless levelling system, even castaways on a deserted, haunted island would be hard-pressed to do and see everything it offers.
The horror element is extremely well done throughout the game, and paves the way for an interesting story as you progress through the game, but things can verge on tedious as the gameplay style does feel very back and forth throughout. Fortunately, with each run lasting just a few hours, it doesn't overstay its welcome, and so comes recommended if you like this era of horror games.
Sonic X Shadow Generations is a great two-for-one deal, but for us, the antihero's half of the package steals the show. While the remaster of the 13-year-old platformer is perfectly fine, Shadow's brand new campaign outshines it with much improved gameplay and level design. The older game definitely shows its age in some regards, but bundling together one of the most beloved Sonic titles with one of the best 3D entries in recent memory makes for a compelling double feature.