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Old Time Hockey is not great. While it's not as bad as the 2016/2017 Colorado Avalanche, the game still has a whole collection of problems. Most of the elements of gameplay feel either unpolished or just poor, but the game's overwhelming charm and low price-point make it more palatable than it would otherwise be.
Has-Been Heroes is as tough as nails and built for people that like to lose over and over again. The combat offers an interesting twist on a familiar mechanic, but never really evolves beyond that initial learning process. Some of the whimsy present in the Trine series has been carried over here, but not enough to balance out the punishing difficulty.
For all of its flaws, Snake Pass represents an admirable attempt at blending the past and the present. Its anthropomorphic characters, jubilant worlds, and atmospheric soundtrack all scream of eras past, yet its movement system and excellent controls are things of the future. Those willing to slither past the checkpoint and camera issues will find an enjoyable and heartwarming nostalgic adventure. Snake Pass shall pass.
Korix is a good strategy, tower defence title for PlayStation VR with solid gameplay, bright and vibrant visuals, and outstanding motion control tracking. Unfortunately, there are some issues with guidance for new players, and only having a small online community means the multiplayer component may go underutilised. Still, this title is definitely worth picking up if you have a few friends who you want to nuke.
Persona 5 sets the benchmark for modern Japanese RPGs: it oozes style, charisma, and polish quite unlike anything we've played. With this fifth entry, the series' trademark formula of dungeon delving and socialising has been perfected. Addictive, engaging gameplay, incredibly endearing characters, and a consistently rewarding narrative loop combine to create a spectacularly cohesive whole – whether or not you're already a fan of Persona. A masterpiece from top to bottom.
Fated: The Silent Oath is a brief but worthwhile reason to turn your PlayStation VR headset on. While walking simulators in virtual reality are already becoming dime a dozen, Fated actually backs this up with good voice work, characters that are very easy to care about, and a strong, laser-focused art direction.
For its asking price, Episode Gladiolus is a decent little distraction, but a distinct lack of substance keeps it from being an essential addition to Final Fantasy XV. Combat doesn't have the same spice without the usual party members, and although the DLC ends with an enjoyable boss fight, it's not quite enough to make this a memorable test of strength.
What we end up with is a 16-bit throwback that's worth playing for the reasons that matter the most. The story isn't great and we encountered one or two glitches, but its shortcomings are nullified by excellent platforming and arcadey action. The lengthy levels are impressive, and the three playable characters all offer fun ways to get through them. If you're after a solid 2D platformer to tide you over until Sonic Mania, Freedom Planet will definitely scratch that itch.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episode 3: Above the Law is simmering. Javier Garcia is a great character, and aside from some cartoonish bit-parts, the cast that he's surrounding himself with is equally intriguing. Clem's inclusion feels a little forced at this point, but it's good to have her around all the same. An unsatisfying conclusion lets this instalment down, but we're still very much enjoying the ride.
Two locations and four bosses doesn't sound like a whole bunch but don't be fooled - The Ringed City easily clocks in at four to five hours depending on how you fare with the bosses and other challenges. It's a meaty instalment and a welcome deviation from the practices seen in Ashes of Ariandel, while still interlocking with and continuing the complex narrative. The bosses are challenging and visually fantastic - besides a cheap NPC opponent - and the environments continue the Dark Souls tradition of being large, intricate, and engaging. The Ringed City feels like the climatic end that the Souls franchise deserves, even if we find ourselves hoping that this isn't actually the end at all.
For newcomers, Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is an essential purchase. You've got two excellent games that tell a wild and wonderful story that will stay with you for a very long time, and combine that with the engaging puzzles and you've got a recipe for a quality experience. For returning fans, it's a tougher sell: your purchase mostly balances on the enhancements of the PS4 edition, in which case we can only confidently recommend the package if you're looking to do a play though of the improved Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors.
The end result is complicated: it's a game we bounced off quite a lot but one we still greatly appreciate. The game does something new with the genre and it does it well for the most part, making the game worth at the very least giving a look.
Mass Effect deserves better than Andromeda. The series has stumbled into a new generation, weighed down by tedious open world tropes and a catalogue of performance issues on the PS4. That said, it's not quite the disaster that some would have you believe. There really is a good Mass Effect game here, complete with endearing characters and great combat, but it's buried beneath a mountain of unnecessary clutter. In time, patches may sort many of its problems out, but until then, we can only recommend Andromeda to the BioWare faithful.
An interesting genre mash-up that offers noir adventure and city management in bite-sized chunks. An expertly crafted atmosphere can't hide some rigid storytelling and shallow systems, but fans of cop movies and resource management should give this one a go.
2Dark tries to do too many things at once. Its stealth mechanics, while occasionally satisfying, are frustrating and pedestrian. Similarly, its attempts at horror, while presented well, are undermined by bad writing and repetitive gameplay. A lack of clear signposting and a terrible UI do nothing to help this maddening experience.
Minor annoyances aside, Toukiden 2 has some truly addictive gameplay and tonnes of content to chew through. The game's dripping with atmosphere and looks great, with plenty of varied, large open world areas to explore. Meanwhile, the battle system is satisfyingly fast paced, and nothing quite compares to the power trip of ripping off the body parts of a giant demon.
Everything is not for everyone, and thus it's a hard game to score. This existential experience is not quite as pretentious as it appears to be, but it will still leave you mindful of your worth to the world – and the universe as a whole. Honestly, if you've ever found yourself enchanted by the sheer scale of space itself, then this game does an incredible job of communicating that through rudimentary interactivity alone.
The combat and gameplay are the stars that shine brightest in Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight. Its twisting map will take you to a whole host of vibrant and mucky locations throughout the city of Karst, and within those places you'll encounter a number of engaging boss battles and a ton of enemy variety. Its art style can go one of two ways depending on your tastes, but the lack of upgrades is hard to overlook within a genre that holds this concept as one of its core mechanics. Metroidvania fans will find lots to enjoy here, but the wider audience will be turned off by the throwaway story and visual style that may no longer be appealing.
Perhaps the main takeaway here is that FlatOut 4: Total Insanity is safer than its name suggests. There's not a lot to criticise in terms of its execution, but its ambition feels firmly rooted in the PlayStation 2 era. There's nothing particularly wrong with that, and if you're looking for a distraction to occupy between juggernaut releases, then the PS4 isn't host to many destructive racers that are better. But while there's fun to be had while you're playing, don't expect this above average car crash to live long in the memory at all.
Atelier Firis makes huge strides forward with its lively open world, but it also takes several steps backwards in other areas. Reintroducing the time limit forces you to play the game at breakneck speed, which means that much of the world is ignored until over 20 hours into the game. Once you break away from the time limit, however, you'll discover a brilliantly diverse world that you can get lost in for countless hours, where you'll be free to properly enjoy what is ultimately a solid, but neglected battle system.