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SUPERHOT is excellent. It may lack the physicality of its virtual reality alter-ego, but it makes up for this with a mind-bending story and an on-point menu system. The slow-motion shooting is still super satisfying, and the added locomotion makes for a different kind of cadence to the PlayStation VR version. Buy both editions if you can, as they complement each other nicely and are unmissable in our humble opinion. Now, tell all of your friends…
So is this an improvement over the original version of the remake? Absolutely. Tower Five seems to have done its best to re-work the experience without completely starting over, but it could only take it so far. This is one remake we really don't need.
All in all, The DioField Chronicle is a decent strategy RPG. Its characters certainly won't live long in the memory, and it can be a an unnecessary grind, but it's well crafted and fairly engaging on the battlefield.
The mission structure of the game devolves into going to a place, doing a trick or route, strung along by forgettable story dialogue. The missions have a habit of being poorly explained, furthered by being unable to re-read text boxes explaining what you need to do. And rarely do the inputs needed for specific moves get shown during these prompts. For better or worse, Session is a game for the hardcore skater. While its dedication to realism is impressive, the frustration in the early hours is likely to turn most off.
Trails from Zero has been well worth the wait. This is a classic Falcom RPG - an engrossing, crime-fighting adventure through one of the property's greatest settings. The experience as a whole does get bogged down in tedious side content and some poorly aged design, but fantastic characters and fascinating story beats hold everything together. Based on our time with Zero, we can't wait for Trails to Azure in 2023.
Isonzo is a decent game. Solid in many areas, but never one to show off, the title delivers a good gameplay core, and offers it up at a reasonable price. Performance problems aside, good gunplay and interesting maps are enough to make the experience worth it, at least in the short term. A campaign or a large pool of maps could certainly enhance the value of the title, but even without it, you have a lean, satisfying experience that will be especially appealing to anyone with an interest in the First World War.
Ultimately, you have a game with one masterfully designed core element — the rhythm gunplay — surrounded by a number of elements that, while not terrible, are mediocre at best.
A blue collar simulator-cum-puzzle game, where each ship feels like a mini-campaign, Hardspace: Shipbreaker is a truly unique and rewarding experience, if you have the time and patience to clock in and put in the work.
By and large, Temtem is a well-made, generous monster-taming RPG that differentiates itself enough from the obvious competition. The battle system is perhaps its main strength, offering quite challenging 2-on-2 fights even against wild encounters. It's jam-packed with stuff to do, and its online integration means connecting with other players is easy. The creature designs could be better, and the writing and human characters aren't particularly memorable, but if the game clicks for you, those weaknesses will fade into the background.
It may be easy to accuse sports games of offering the same experience year in and year out, but you simply can't say that about NBA 2K23. The game still has issues with its overemphasis on microtransactions in MyCareer and to a lesser extent MyTeam, but the new MyNBA Eras mode is a revelation – and the Jordan Challenge campaign is damn fun, too. On the court, 2K Sports has made some nice balancing tweaks and also improved the overall AI to make matches more dynamic and competitive, and when you pair all of that with all the new animations, you end up with a basketball sim that's the very definition of a slam dunk.
With a lovely cast and setting, Wayward Strand is sure to land into your heart even if it does lack gameplay essentials such as more frequent save points or, at the very least, a skip button.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is delightful. The title is a brilliant life sim sandbox that already has a staggering amount of content, and has already begun outlining what comes next. If Gameloft plays its cards right, this game could be a mainstay on many people's consoles for years. Thousands of Disney-themed items and a robust construction mode pair with all the traditional life sim trappings executed at a high level to create a surprisingly excellent experience. Whether you want to completely redesign your town or just go fishing with Mickey, the game has everything in place to ensure you get the most out of your experience. A slew of camera bugs and the odd crash stand out as early access hiccups, and the framework for an extensive microtransaction economy is a red flag, but this isn't enough to stand in the way of having a lovely time.
F1 Manager 2022 is a strong first entry in Frontier's new series, filling a niche that's been sorely lacking on PlayStation for years. Capturing the spirit of Formula 1 with its strong attention to detail, there's some thrilling races to be had and we're impressed by how well it handles race days with its 3D engine. As a management sim, it's a slow burner and we do wish you could create your own teams, but it still holds a distinct charm of its own. If you've got the patience for the long haul, F1 fans won't want to miss this.
Train Sim World 3 is the most immersive railway simulation from Dovetail to date. For the first time since the series debuted, the game really sells the illusion that you're on a journey – and impressively enormous routes like Schnellfahrstrecke Kassel-Würzburg help. While the release still has obvious visual flaws, the new lighting, volumetric clouds, and dynamic weather system take the presentation to the next level – and the user interface improvements should not be underestimated either. The target audience for a title like this will never be especially large, but few other franchises find a balance between simulation, virtual tourism, and zen-like relaxation quite like this one.
As we said, Need for Speed Heat is the best entry in the franchise for quite some time, but it's still not quite where it needs to be. The day vs. night gameplay is a compelling loop, and it's a big step in the right direction for the series in general. It's a solid effort with fun handling and lots of customisation options. It's a shame the open world lacks personality, and the police are perhaps a little too hardball, but there's still plenty to like. At the tail end of this generation, Need for Speed is back to being good — let's hope it can be great in future.
LEGO Brawls feels like an insult to LEGO fans after the fantastic LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga released earlier this year. From the terrible core gameplay to the incredibly grindy unlock system, there are very few redeeming qualities to this package. If you're really desperate to build your own minifigure, most LEGO games already have a character creator of their own. Your time and money are best spent elsewhere.
Steelrising is Spiders Studio's best game to date, but one too many bugs and tech issues hold it back from greatness. Its combat system remains engaging and enjoyable throughout, and the unique, mechanical take on the French Revolution means it'll live longer in the memory than previous FromSoftware tributes. It's one for the genre fanatics for now, but six months down the line, Steelrising may be in tip-top shape. It's more than worth playing at that point.
Unfortunately, the game's issues run a bit deeper. Like the 2016 version, the gameplay is stiff, slow, and rather dull, and sometimes it's unclear precisely how to proceed. Inventory space is a near constant headache. Building up your town is hard work, which is probably intentional but isn't very fun — especially when giant monsters unceremoniously wander over and destroy your buildings. Fighting back can feel futile and isn't particularly satisfying, either. It's tough, because there's great potential in its collaborative, common goal nature, and Phoenix Edition really does make many improvements to the overall experience, but its cold, repetitive core holds it back.
It's such a shame that the game's online suite is so behind the times, because All Star Battle R is an otherwise brilliant ode to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. A technical fighter that's always deserved a second chance.
Madden NFL 23 is the best gridiron game on PS5 to date, but the series is taking toe-taps forward rather than big, confident strides. There's no doubt that both Franchise and Face of the Franchise are better this year, and we like the improvements to the run game and the addition of precision passing. But is this enough for a series that's been accused of stagnation over the past decade? It feels like EA Sports is settling for the easy five-yard gains, rather than the deep ball down the field.