PlayStation Universe
HomepageIn many ways, Ride 4 gets its racing simulation so right. The intricate detail of the bikes themselves and the tinkering you can do with them is a testament to that. Unfortunately, the attempt to make its A.I. riders more realistic results in an unwanted level of unpredictability that makes an already challenging experience tougher than it should be.
Using dismembered limbs to solve puzzles has never been this much fun, and aside from a few fiddly control issues, this fresh, original and highly irreverent comic book adventure through an alternative Nordic afterlife is highly recommended.
Hitman 3 closes out the World of Assassination Trilogy with developer IO Interactive in confident mood. Lessons learned from the past five or six years have worked their way into this splendid epitaph for a series that looked dead and buried more than once along the way. As with its predecessor's, there are some lows to go with the highs, but those highs? They are truly something special and make the future of IO Interactive an exciting prospect.
Much more than just a sterling evolution of arcade legend Gauntlet, Heroes of Hammerwatch melds superbly robust dungeon crawling gameplay together with ingenious roguelike design to create the genre's next must-have title. If like me you missed out on Heroes of Hammerwatch when it first release, now is the time to correct that mistake. You won't regret it.
Not quite the next-gen (currently gen, I guess) debut that motocross fans would have hoped for, MXGP 2020 nonetheless does a relatively commendable job of filling a distinctly motocross shaped hole in the PlayStation 5 library. It's just a shame that more hasn't been done to make use of the cutting edge technology that has brought MXGP 2020 to life - doubly so given the resoundingly solid core racing experience that developer Milestone has wrought and refined here.
The landscape of the beat 'em up genre may have altered in the ten years since Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game first released, but it's return is wholly welcome. A wonderful compliment to the graphic novel series, and a stylish throwback to the delightfully gaudy brawlers that boomed and bloomed loudly in 90s arcades. Add friends for maximum impact.
Override 2: Super Mech League is a playable game, but almost all of its parts feel poorly thought out or are lacklustre to play. The gameplay is repetitive and uninspired and the few technical issues and lack of players mean you will just be fighting bots the entire time. Ultimately, this experience really isn't worth a look.
Colt Canyon is really just what the doctor ordered to kick off 2021. A breezy and consistently satisfying twin-stick shooter roguelike with a surprising amount of depth and where gunfights, stealth murder and dynamite powered destruction go hand in hand, Colt Canyon is a smart, wild west shooter that's well worth saddling up for.
Despite its few flaws, When The Past Was Around tells a beautiful love story through simplistic mechanics and themes. The only thing that gets in the way is puzzle pacing at the end, which breaks the formula in an uncomplimentary way.
A brief but mesmerising monochrome puzzler which constantly impresses with its audio/visual brevity, and occasionally stumps you with some impassable brain-teasers. Highly recommended for fans of graphic novels and puzzles, but with the caveat that you'll be on a YouTube walkthrough at least once during your time with Iris.Fall.