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An entertaining, emotional journey through the health care system that hides some darker edges within its brightly-colored style. Fall of Porcupine doesn't ride the wave of good feeling it generates early on for the entire length of its playtime, but it does have enough heart and good intentions to make its issues feel smaller than they are.
Synapse is a confident outing that offers some of the most compelling moment-to-moment gameplay available on PSVR2. And while it may feel a little samey over its three-run duration, there's little doubting that what's here is worth the price of entry alone.
Other than playing as some of my favourite wrestlers, I struggled to find many redeeming qualities with AEW Fight Forever. The game is lacking in modes, match types, wrestlers, and creation suite options. Combined with a generic and alarmingly short career mode, AEW Fight Forever is far from elite.
The murder mystery puzzler makes the jump to PlayStation as Capcom successfully revives Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. Captivating characters, an engrossing mystery, and inventive puzzles ensure Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective's appeal is alive and well in 2023.
Very little gets in the way of the success that Final Fantasy XVI creates. The strength of combat on top of a compelling, deep narrative steal the show. Despite little need for world exploration and the occasional lower resolution texture, Final Fantasy XVI stats true to the namesake while forging its own path forward.
Rogue Legacy 2's long gestation has benefitted it immensely. It comes to PS5 in the shape of its life, and it is easily among the best Metroidvania-style games on the market today.
If Crime Boss: Rockay City pulled off even one part of its package, it'd be passable. In reality, it doesn't do a whole lot of anything right. So we're left with a lot of wasted potential and a game that is about as pleasant and exciting of an experience as being stuck in a lift with Kevin Sorbo.
The addition of 12 underplayed Game Gear Sonic titles and a playable Amy Rose are more than welcome in this beefed up version of Sonic Origins.
Greyhill incident is an unpleasant and downright laughable attempt at a sci-fi survival horror game. Rancid dialogue, shonky game design, wafer-thin substance, and a complete lack of cohesive storytelling are just the tip of a very large iceberg of problems.
There's no better way to play this series than the PS5 release of Layers of Fear, combining both stories under one cohesive umbrella. It also shows fantastic early potential in Unreal Engine 5, showcasing exactly what it can offer the rest of the gaming industry.
We Love Katamari ReRoll continues to spread the word of this wonderful series to a fresh audience. Tongue-in-cheek meta jabs at itself and a greater focus on what makes the King of All Cosmos tick just adds extra flavor.
An underwhelming PSVR 2 port of a PSVR gem, Budget Cuts Ultimate manages to scrape by on its fun factor and tense stealth.
This may not be the horror romp you're itching for, but Amnesia: The Bunker provides a fantastic map to explore with engaging gameplay to make it that much more enjoyable. It's too bad the game's stalker creature lacks the necessary delivery to generate authentic scares.
Loop8: Summer of Gods tries many ideas but doesn't execute any of them well. Most of the game involves you building your relationship with people who don't even want to help you save the world. Its combat is unrewarding and doesn't even feel like its necessary. Its only saving grace is its great art design and, on most occasions, its voice acting.
Convergence: A League of Legends Story doesn't just manage to stand on its own two feet as a gripping spin-off to the League of Legends property at large, but so too does it also craft an astoundingly accomplished Metroidvania that stands on its own two feet, tying together innovation and heart in one of the most welcome surprises of the year so far.
No One Lives Under The Lighthouse is an interesting take on Lovecraftian lore, with the focus more on letting you feel and discover the effects rather than showing them to you. Not everything pieces together conveniently, the gameplay can feel mundane if you're not into it, and some of the events leave room for improvement. Still, there's something compelling here, juxtaposing the complexity of the mythos that inspired the game with the simplicity of its overall presentation.
I had a great time with Miasma Chronicles, and I legitimately didn't want it to end. The accessible tactical combat had me coming back for more, and I loved the environments and the visually pleasing destruction the Miasma has wrought. Though its story is pretty wonky, I still enjoyed what I experienced and hope that a sequel will fully flesh out what is happening in this world.
Killer Frequency is a refreshing puzzle adventure under the guise of an 80s slasher flick. Its flirtation with real-time life-or-death decision-making serves to keep it an interesting and varied horror experience.
The Tartarus Key combines thoughtful puzzles, engaging writing, and a compelling setting and melds them together inside a PS1 package. It may not create a great deal of horror, but the writing and suspense keep you moving forward.
Chances are I'm not going to improve my take on "Euphoria" anytime soon, but Let's Sing 2023 makes it effortless to keep on trying and embarrass myself in front of my friends and family. And this is the central issue - if you're new to the Let's Sing then feel free to add a point or so to the final score as it remains a whole heap of fun and is both handsomely made and presented. However if you're a tenured veteran of the series, then the lack of innovation and the pay-walling of songs that you've already paid for before will likely grate more than the worst sonic assaults the Eurovision Song Contest has conjured thus far.