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Wild Hearts have dismantled the beast, and retrofit its parts into something more accessible and highly addictive in its own right. Obnoxious exposition and an uninspired narrative can sometimes get in the way of its well crafted gameplay loop, but the thrill of the hunt is more than worth it.
It may not be the most in-depth sim, but Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator does a great job of recreating the mechanics of running a restaurant without devolving into grim spreadsheet nonsense or coming off as loose-limbed mobile port fodder. I wouldn't give it a Michelin star, but I'd definitely eat there.
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is a mediocre Metroidvania through and through. It starts with a solid foundation but lacks the kind of all-around refinement and conceptualising to be taken seriously. There's some fun to be had here, but it's not worth the price of admission.
Tales of Symphonia Remastered shows exactly why it's a classic game: a fine story with plenty of heart and consequence. Gameplay even lets you make it as simple or involved as you wish. Navigation is a terrible chore, though, and the remastered efforts feel too much like a basic port to be anything else.
In the end, Demeo does that most unexpected of things - it provides a deep and highly enjoyable tabletop RPG experience for folks who are typically put off by the notion of setting up a board, potentially losing important figures, worrying about missing dice and all that other nonsense. Absent such tedious administrative concerns and with clear design, tactile physical feedback and easily grasped mechanics that ensure everyone can play, Demeo is a shining example of how to translate one of the most socially beloved hobbies into an all new digital realm.
Jett The Far Shore + Given Time definitely makes for a more complete experience of Jett's narrative if you're a newcomer, who'll get to play them back to back, but those initial frustrations even for a veteran player like myself made me feel like not picking up the controller. Jett can still be beautiful, and Given Time does provide a satisfying conclusion, though fails to really offer any answers to the big questions it began asking in the original campaign. Try Given Time out because its a free upgrade, but it's not a must-play.
An outstanding achievement from start to finish. Octopath Traveler II takes what made the original such a success and builds on it. It may feel more of the same but why fix something if it isn't broken. The additions made to exploration and combat are all for the better. The only real issue is that not much effort went into making the game less grandy or addressing the various difficulty spikes Octopath Traveler II suffers from.
The definitive version of Cities Skylines on console brings quality-of-life improvements and a fresh coat of paint to the visuals. A worthy upgrade for one of the best sim games on PlayStation.
Atomic Heart throws up some interesting ideas and visually is a very impressive game. Otherwise, it's a jack of all trades and master of none that entertains with its brazenly silly throwback madness.
While younger folks might still get a kick from its occasional scares and familiar locations, Jurassic World Aftermath Collection is a desperately linear adventure that struggles to break free of its humble technical origins and fails to both do proper justice to the setting of its source material and the PSVR2 hardware itself.
As much as Returnal carved a niche of its own on PS5 as a stunning third-person shooter that had been masterfully blended with roguelike design, so too does it manage to inhabit a similarly unique place for PC gamers in 2023. One of the best PlayStation exclusives of 2021 has ended up being one of the best and most glossy PC shooters of 2023. Long may PlayStation Studios incredible run of PC ports continue.
You can't go wrong with Like A Dragon Ishin. The game includes what makes the Yakuza franchise so special and combines it with samurais and Edo Period politics. A handful of oddities aside, it leans into its strengths and irons out several of the franchise peculiarities. Every gamer, either invested in the franchise or still uninitiated, needs Ishin in their console.
For a game that should not be fun, PowerWash Simulator is very addictive. The 'ding' you get when each piece gets cleaned is so satisfying and rewarding, as is seeing a massive area go from being dark brown and dirty to shiny and new. In a world of very similar games that fail to offer anything new, PowerWash Simulator achieves this with aplomb and makes me happy for future unique titles. There's nothing quite like this game on the market and that in itself means you should give it a try.
With its relaxed nautical paddling beats, accurate kayak physics and photorealistic locations, Kayak VR: Mirage is my go-to PSVR2 game after a particularly stressful day or as a palette cleanser after playing more intense PSVR2 titles. Though its content offering could be broader, the simple fact remains that Kayak VR: Mirage effortlessly commends itself as one of the highlights of the PSVR2 launch line-up and is a VR experience that everybody should play.
Able to be entirely completed in just a few hours, it's certainly fair to say that Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy's Edge Enhanced Edition is more of a morsel than a banquet and yet, it still feels compelling because of how lovingly authentic the universe of Star Wars has been replicated here. Though folks who aren't fans of Star Wars won't quite get quite so much from it, Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy's Edge Enhanced Edition nonetheless earns its keep as an attractive showcase of what PSVR2 can do, all wrapped up in the delectable veneer of a galaxy far, far away.
Pistol Whip on PSVR2 is nothing less than a masterpiece of sensory excess, exhilaration and expertly paced challenge. An essential PSVR2 launch title that crafts a masterful mixture of visceral excess, classic arcade score chasing, a bountiful content offering and effortless style, there's only one score that will do for Pistol Whip's PSVR2 debut and it happens to rhyme with 'ten'. Oops.
Though a significant amount of time has passed since its original release resulting it not being quite as fresh as it was and its relatively brief five hour or so duration might frustrate those looking for a more substantial morsel, Moss nevertheless enthrals thanks to its extremely likeable heroine, superbly judged platforming adventure gameplay and sublime VR presentation. If you've yet to hop on the Moss train, now is the time to address that.
Despite its linear nature, Horizon Call of the Mountain remains a truly stellar showcase of the PSVR2's capabilities. From the retina-searing 4K HDR visuals that are generously bleeding with detail and fidelity, through to the deft use of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers in the PSVR2 Sense controllers which ensure that players are utterly immersed in the climbing, exploration and combat within its world, Horizon Call of the Mountain is a highly enjoyable action adventure that fans of both the series and great VR games in general can effortlessly enjoy.
No Longer Home wishes to retell a point in two people's lives that impacted them both. Its minimalistic style and thoughtful writing carry the day hands down, even with its odd control choices. Even if point-and-click games aren't your thing, I still highly recommend giving No Longer Home a shot.
Ten Dates breaks away from the confines of its predecessor and emerges as a genuinely interesting interactive date movie by way of a reality show.