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If it were one complete collection it’d be easily recommended but, as two separate purchases, these are for hardcore Namco fans only.
More than anything, this game being both 20 years old and incredibly fun is a clear sign that a modern Podracing title should absolutely be a thing.
SpongeBob Rehydrated is a vibrant remake of a much loved PS2 platformer. It's a little rough around the edges, but it's a solid effort that brings back a type of game that's all too rare on modern machines. The simple fun of collecting, bashing enemies, and exploring a beloved location is very much here, and fans young and old will get a kick out of this underwater excursion.
The flaws in Disintegration's execution are easy to spot. Restrictive level design and a limp narrative hamper the single-player, while the multiplayer suffers from a dearth of content and no way to make the squad combat sing. Perhaps a sequel could expand on the genuinely good ideas V1 has brought to the FPS table. Disintegration is an interesting genre blend that ultimately falls short.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor is another solid expansion, but it's nothing that you haven't seen before. Western Skyrim is fun to explore, and the DLC tells a decent tale, but quests continue to lack any real innovation, highlighting the title's ageing gameplay loop.
The Last of Us: Part II adds a couple more inches to the already outrageously high bar that Naughty Dog has set for itself. This is the developer's crowning achievement to date, expanding and improving upon the concepts that it's been iterating on for over a decade now. Unparalleled presentation combines with an engaging gameplay loop that puts you in the shoes of its characters – and forces you to feel all of the tension and misgivings of its cast. It's uncomfortable and not everyone will necessarily enjoy its direction, but that's ultimately what makes it so essential.
Desperados III's Wild West setting makes for a charming backdrop, and the well-balanced, varied cast of bounty hunters means that each mission can be seen off in multiple, equally rewarding ways. But while the blend of refined real-time strategy mechanics and ever-escalating challenge will surely appeal to fans of the genre, novices could be perplexed by the often unforgiving difficulty and occasionally finicky rules.
Beyond Blue excels in presenting gorgeous marine environments stuffed to the brim with fascinating ocean life and interesting places to explore. Whether you're swimming with humpback whales or exploring underwater caverns, this is an experience that really does make waves.
With five worlds, each with five sub-levels consisting of between one and four stages, as well as a plethora of secrets to find, there’s enough here to keep any FPS fanatic entertained for hours.
This is all topped off by some beautiful visuals. Pixel art is used to full effect with gorgeous, colourful scenery that is just begging you to stop and admire your surroundings. Combine that with an entertaining narrative and fun puzzling and you've got a title which pleases in all the right places.
Monstrum crafts a genuinely frightening game of procedurally generated hide and seek.
While the gameplay is solid, we came away more impressed with the art direction and sound design than expected. The lightly stylised, cel-shaded look works for 1971, with the organic environments looking especially nice. The sheer variety of locations is impressive, too, including an oil rig, airbase, canyon, and nomadic village. Meanwhile, the exploration music is absolutely beautiful, though the combat soundtrack gets a bit repetitive.
Ion Fury is a shooter that phenomenally emulates what made the early FPS so wonderful. A timeless gameplay loop that effortlessly coaxes fun out of a formula so old it stretches decades into gaming's past, the game is an incredible amount of fun. The technical problems we encountered muddy the waters, but even with those present (and a fix incoming for that game-breaking bug) we enjoyed our time with the game enough that we still recommend that anyone interested in playing it, do so.
Those Who Remain is a psychological horror experience completely lacking in scares and atmosphere. Its uninspired gameplay loop has already been done better time and time again, resulting in a dull, unnecessary title.
Mafia II: Definitive Edition could have been a welcome distraction during the quieter summer months, but in its current state, it must be avoided at all costs. While its narrative and writing may still hold up 10 years later, the long, long list of technical flaws and glitches overshadows its few accomplishments. And that's all it deserves because this is the worst remaster of the PS4 generation.
You may be tired of open world collectathons, but Maneater bites back with more than enough novelty to make the format feel as fresh as Port Clovis' well-populated oceans. A moreish gameplay loop with a well-designed sandbox mean there's some-fin special here, and while it makome as a surprise, not even control and performance issues will deter you from flashing your teeth.
The controls are wonky and the mission design is straight outta last-gen, but there's still dumb fun to be had with Saints Row The Third Remastered. Even all these years later, it's a refreshingly stupid sandbox title that offers up some memorable moments -- it's just a shame that they're buried beneath tedious activities and gameplay that feels incredibly basic by today's standards.
Gorn puts you in the boots of a powerful gladiator and gives you everything you need to let loose on hapless opponents. When it's at its best, this is a satisfying PSVR experience, offering up truly physical and cathartic action with over-the-top violence. Sadly, it does run into some problems, such as iffy movement and motion tracking problems. There's plenty to like about this OTT title, but without these sticking points it could've been a real PSVR champion.
But this is a novelty at best, and once you’ve squashed a few cardboard cars, you won’t be coming back.
It was a risky gamble to tackle such an incendiary era of US history, but Mafia III handles it much better than an open world crime game has any right to. It masterfully hits the target in terms of its characters, story, and setting, lulling you into a misplaced belief you're playing something really special. Unfortunately, once the grind of taking over territory kicks in, and the lack of originality in much of its mission design is laid bare, it almost completely ruins the experience.