PlayStation Universe
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The marriage of Arkanoid with the Battle Royale concept is a welcome one and equally warmly received is the inclusion of the classic Arkanoid for older gamers or those who are inquisitive enough to reach back far into those halcyon days of arcade gaming. However, a distinct lack of modes and a seemingly lukewarm player base effectively cut the legs out from under Arkanoid: Eternal Battle's titular and marquee mode.
God of War: Ragnarok is the perfect sequel. A carefully iterative offering that beautifully maintains the essence of 2018's Game of the Year while making meaningful improvements to augment its already stellar combat and progression systems, God of War: Ragnarok is a meaty and deeply emotional epic that effortlessly secures its place as one of the best games on PS5 and a sure-fire Game of the Year candidate.
The Chant is a flawed experience filled with some fantastic moments, stellar monster design, light exploration and puzzle-solving, and a solid narrative to keep things moving. Despite its dated visuals, oversized linear world, and simplistic AI, you can find a nice survival horror romp in The Chant if you let yourself be taken by it.
Shatter is one of my most played and favorite PSN games from the PS3 era. While Shatter Remastered Deluxe doesn't quite capture my obsession with the original game, it does improve on every aspect of it. While the game falls short with its controls on specific maps, they are still enhanced from the original version. Nevertheless, the game still excels at fast-paced, chaotic fun. From stunning visuals to amazing music, Shatter Remastered Deluxe is a must-buy for anyone looking for a stellar arcade experience.
Old Moon has crafted a delightfully atmospheric metroidvania, with satisfying gameplay, and endearing characters. Ghost Song boasts an intriguing narrative of self discovery, with a world of mystery that rewards exploration. Despite playing at its best too late in the campaign, Ghost Song is a beautifully somber, sometimes relatable experience, that I wasn't ready to leave by the time I had finished.
A roster of uncanny characters and their interactions is enough to detract from a well-trodden, predictable story. New Tales from the Borderlands is chock full of mini-games, laughs and great performances throughout. With cameos from well-known, returning characters and that distinctive art style, New Tales from the Borderlands is definitely worth playing, especially for Borderlands fans.
A warmly feel-good and highly accomplished 3D platformer filled with wonderous worlds and delightful characters, though Sackboy: A Big Adventure might lack the bombastic profile of other offerings such as Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered and God of War, it's certainly no less essential than its PlayStation Studios brethren. Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a great big hug in videogame form and I cannot recommend it highly enough. PC owners are in for a treat.
Saturnalia is a striking homage to Giallo films and makes effective use of Italian folklore to power its horror. It's often better in the ideas than it is in practice, but those are some damn good ideas.
NHL 23 isn't EA's best year, but it's not the worst either. Stumble actions and loose-puck plays help enhance gameplay, but they remain less than groundbreaking. The addition of IIHF Women's teams is long overdue and quite welcome, and the visual quality in this year over last is a noticeable step up. The expansion of franchise mode is the biggest improvement over last year, though it almost feels like the only mode that was actually worked on, while everything else was simply lifted from NHL 22, unchanged in their function. Disappointing, when there's still plenty of changes that could be made.
Signalis is a brooding, atmospheric slice of survival horror that unfurls its dread in a slow, tantalizing manner. Its bleak retrotech world is a fine backdrop for the disturbing mysteries that must be uncovered in the frozen wastes of an ice planet.
Resident Evil Village: The Winters' Expansion is packed full of great content and definitely worth putting down the cash for. While Shadows of Rose feels cut a little short in terms of potential, it's still a great narrative-based DLC and a unique look at some familiar areas, while the third-person view and extra Mercenaries content is the icing on the cake.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord roundly excels because it lets players be whatever they want to be and rather than penalise those choices, instead makes players own those decisions and provide a peerless theatre for them to thrive. Though technically not perfect, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord invites players to weave their own tapestry of ambition and be whomever they like in their own Game of Thrones, letting them wage war, engage in diplomacy, fight in the arenas, trade illicit goods, be a town alderman and absolutely everything in between in one of the most ambitious PS5 games to date. If you'll let it, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord II will become your new obsession. And you should.
Though that Tenchu shaped hole in my heart remains unfulfilled, I do appreciate how NIS America have reached back some sixteen years in time to bring Kamizawa: Way of the Thief to an all-new audience. Sure, it's very much a relic of its time that struggles to escape the gravity of its PS2 era origins, but for those willing to invest the time and patience, Kamizawa: Way of the Thief is a steadfastly warm-hearted stealth yarn that satisfies so long as you can forgive its largely archaic/nostalgic design.
Don't let the delightfully twee My Little Pony style aesthetic fool you, Them's Fightin' Herds is an ultra legitimate, one on one fighter with an abundance of charm and an unexpectedly compelling story mode. Though the diminutive roster is a concern, Them's Fightin' Herds is nonetheless a superb fighter that I fear owing to its decidedly cutesy presentation, not nearly enough folks will play.
The Last Onicru features some cool narrative choice work, putting some true impact on your choices. If you can get on board with the cheeky dialogue and peculiar main character, you should be able to overlook the lackadaisical combat.
Gotham Knights step out of the shadows of the Dark Knight and provide a breath of fresh air with four unique characters that provide a different approach to protecting Gotham. Gotham Knights' combat may feel stripped down, but it still provides some of the best melee combat on the market. Gotham City has plenty of crimes to solve and challenges to get through. It's just a shame some of its traversals can be so bothersome.
Certainly it's difficult to make a strong argument for exactly whom should be buying Persona 5 Royal on PS5. If you've absolutely never played Persona 5 before than that person would be you, although you there is a compelling argument for just buying the PS4 version at a cheaper price anyway. For everyone else that has already sampled the delights of the game on PS4 and PS4 Pro, Persona 5 Royal not only doesn't offer enough to make the leap worthwhile but the lack of charitable continuity when it comes to save files and cross-gen upgrades makes it that much more challenging to provide a reason for its existence in the first place. This should have been a free PS5 patch upgrade, it's that simple.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection on PC not only cements Sony's commitment to delivering some of the best single-player games money can buy on the platform in optimised form, but also brings the best of Naughty Dog's whip smart action adventure series to PC gamers for the first time. As true as it is for PlayStation gamers the world over - Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is utterly essential for PC gamers.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed brings family-friendly fun to the asymmetrical multiplayer horror space, and provides warm nostalgia for Ghostbusters fans.
The Eternal Cylinder then remains a roundly entertaining survival adventure with a true eccentric streak that runs through every aspect of its design DNA. Equal parts Q Bert and Spore, if you've been sat on the fence regarding ACE Team's excellently off-beat survival adventure offering, now is the time to hop in thanks to this superb PS5 update.