PlayStation LifeStyle
HomepagePlayStation LifeStyle's Reviews
Chronicles of Teddy: Harmony of Exidus might be labeled "just another indie game" by cynical gamers before they even get a chance to see what it has to offer, and that's a huge shame. This is a huge, gorgeous adventure by any reasonable standards, and while retro gamers will probably get a kick out of it more than anyone, it's not content to rest on its laurels and exploit nostalgia. For every way it recalls classic titles like Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Teddy doles out a few original ideas of its own. Excellent level design, a number of fun-to-use items and the creative "Musicom" system, which lets you communicate with NPCs using music, prove that LookAtMyGame's wonderful little indie goes beyond its inspiration. If you can put up with some irritation at the outset, including some frustratingly limited combat, you'll watch this adventure blossom into something truly special. It's one of the coolest indies so far this year.
Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure is a nostalgic throwback to the heyday of local multiplayer, when groups of buddies gathering around a couch was the predominant method by which people played games with others. Its wacky sense of humor and chaotic gameplay are best enjoyed through the cacophony of laughter that only good friends can bring, and the ease by which you can pick it up and just start playing will be sure to draw in reluctant living room holdouts. The appeal might not last forever due to a lack of content and depth, especially in the game’s story mode, which doesn’t fully explore all the great wacky ideas it seems to have. Even so, this is a standout indie that will bring a lot of people back to the couch — both the literal one and the figurative one of their past.
This is the game rally fans have been waiting for. DiRT Rally boasts a simple title that reflects its deceptively simple goal: to be the best rally game, or even the best racing game, released to date. While they may fall a little short of being the best racing game ever made due to its purposely limited scope, DiRT Rally is by far the best rally game we've ever seen. DiRT Rally sports world-class visuals, visceral, challenging racing, and true-to-life audio design. This is really a complete package for rally fans the world over.
It almost goes without saying, but MLB The Show 16 knocks it out of the park yet again.
Nights of Azure is a bit shorter than your average JRPG, but it jam-packs a ton of variety into its 20-25 hours of story — and if you stick around to collect everything afterward, you'll have even more time to sink your teeth into the game's various systems. On the combat side of things, the hack-and-slash at Nights' core keeps things from getting too button-mashy by mixing it up with collectible Servan that can do the majority of the fighting for you, as well as an appealing transformation system and changeable set of weapons. Plus, you've got a compelling reason to fight thanks to the sweet and adorable romance between heroines Arnice and Lilysse; for once, a same-gender relationship in a video game handled with considerable respect. You can enjoy all this no matter your skill level or availability; with gameplay equally suitable for marathon sessions or bite-size pieces, and with a challenge level that can be easily tailored to your play style, this is one of the most enjoyable and accessible pieces of light RPG entertainment available on PS4.
Trillion: God of Destruction is a bold experiment by Compile Heart, but unfortunately, it’s one that doesn’t work all that well. Though the 2D art is nice to look at, and the story brings all the demonic whimsy its Disgaea-import team members can impart, it falls apart when it actually comes time to play. An overabundance of menus to sift through, a heavy reliance on random elements and a disastrously clunky combat system combine to make for a pretty miserable experience. Players who think they can put up with the frustration might be able to enjoy the sense of growth that comes from repeatedly tackling and eventually besting an overpowered enemy, but everyone else should steer far clear of this one.
Candlelight is a lot of great and fun ideas that feel more disjointed than cohesive. Rather than teach the player or provide a challenge, it throws things at you as if to say “hey, check this cool thing out,” without utilizing that mechanic as a lesson to overcome future challenges, instead getting redundant by often falling back on very basic platforming in the later levels. A bit more thought out design could have made Candlelight shine its own candle as an indie gem, but as it stands, the enjoyment waxes and wanes as little more than a testament to a bunch of pretty cool ideas that the developer had.
“Adorable” is about the biggest compliment I can give to Catlateral Damage as a whole. As a cat lover, I relished the chance to vicariously experience the destruction they cause, only to find that knocking things over ad nauseum wasn’t all I thought it would be. In any case, there are plenty of laughs and smiles to be had if you’re of a mind to enjoy this silly “Simulator” stuff, and creator Chris Chung has seen fit to stuff the game with a plethora of cutesy collectibles (including a surprise “Pawlatinum!”). Go in with modest expectations and a lighthearted attitude and you’ll be sure to have a good time.
Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault is a safe tower defense game. Its rotating zones of units is a novel approach to changing up the gameplay a little bit, but at the end of the day this is yet another tower defense game in a genre full of them. But it does have anime-inspired cutscenes and characters, so it will appeal to a certain niche of gamers. Outside of some blocky textures, there’s nothing terribly wrong with Aegis of Earth — but there’s also nothing groundbreaking here, either.
With LucasArts reduced to a licensor under Disney at this point, Day of the Tentacle Remastered serves as a sobering reminder of the brand’s storied past as a home for some of the most talented storytellers and developers in the gaming industry. Overflowing with buckets of self-aware humor and charm, and bringing the beloved point-and-click cartoon adventure into gorgeous HD, this should be a priority for both fans of the original game as well as anyone looking to play an important and influential part of gaming history. While not all of the game stands toe-to-toe with modern expectations — with some puzzles remaining obnoxiously hard to figure out and voiceover volume that’s sometimes inconsistent — the vast majority of this Maniac Mansion sequel passes the old “test of time” with flying colors.
République has a story to tell, one that will make most players empathize with Hope while laughing at Cooper's dry sense of humor (especially when told through your phone's TTS engine). A lot of thought and care went into this game, more so than expected at first glance. While République can be a little rough around the edges at times, its flaws are never so pronounced that it ruins the experience. If you can power through the occasionally awkward controls and camera cuts, this is a cheap, thought-provoking, and perhaps more than a little terrifyingly realistic view of a possible future for our society. Pick this up if you want a neat take on the stealth genre, and especially if you bought it on mobile and want to experience controlling Hope directly.
If you're going to pilfer game concepts and ideas, the Souls series is up there as one of the best franchises to take from. Salt and Sanctuary is fairly shameless in the way it replicates elements from games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, but that's not really a bad thing when you see how it all comes together as a polished and thoroughly enjoyable final product. Sure, it would have been nice to see Ska Studios put a bit more of their own flavor and identity into the project, but let's be honest — effectively bringing the gorgeous aesthetic and brutal challenge of From Software's work together with classic 2D side-scrolling is quite an accomplishment of its own, and players will relish the way that marriage instills a sense of retro nostalgia like never before.
Senran Kagura Estival Versus sure has a lot of fanservice…and, unfortunately, not a whole lot else. If you're a longtime addict of the tongue-in-cheek T&A action here, you may just find enough to enjoy. For everyone else, however, the simplistic beat-'em-up action isn't likely to be substantial enough for more than a quick laugh or two — barely distinguishable characters and repetitive stage design actually make the teenage titillation quite tedious. The presentation, both in the visual and audio departments, has a cartoon energy that leaps out of the screen and the speakers — it's just a shame the gameplay comes nowhere close to matching that level of enthusiasm.
Fast loading, fast hitting, and ready to rumble, EA Sports UFC 2 is ready for the octagon.
The Division is something special that's never really been done before in games, and while I don't expect perfection from such a bold experiment, I'm impressed with what they have been able to pull off so far. We're just one week post-pandemic. Imagine what's in store for us going forward.
It’s been several years since the Western countries last saw a Samurai Warriors Empires release. It appears that the core of this entry is solid, with a few new strategic elements thrown in. Samurai Warriors 4 Empires is definitely an entry for hardcore Empires fans — with the same repetitive combat, and even reused graphics and audio assets, this release will not do much to convert anyone who isn’t already heavily invested in the series.
Io Interactive has taken a different approach to Hitman's release schedule, and if each mission is as fleshed out as what we've seen in Paris, then there is much for fans to be happy about. There's so many ways to take on this single mission, part of the fun will be seeing other players' creative ways that they assassinate the targets. If you've ever wanted to play the part of a super agent in a large sandbox, this is as good as it gets. With a fairly robust content creation engine, and future missions promised throughout the coming year, it looks like Hitman will be the weapon of choice of stealth gamers for the foreseeable future.
Adding up all the features in this arcadey game gives it a pretty high value. There's replayability in the different modes like Daily Drive, Infinity Drive, and Boss Rush for those that like to buckle down and test their skills to get top scores on leaderboards. There's the campaign, which has an interesting story with different dialogue per character. There's extra stuff to buy with credits (earned by your scores per level) like game altering fun features, or concept art and codex entries to further learn about the characters and enemies. The soundtrack is very appropriate to the game, and you can go back and listen to any songs you want. I will even say I would love to see an Assault Android Cactus 2 in the future, because I was so impressed with this one. And hey, if you don't like their silly huge heads, just turn them off with the extra feature!
For those that miss the '90s and its truly classic FPS titles, then Gunscape is going to be a real treat. The builder is easy to use and offers a pleasantly nostalgic array of materials that are really only limited by your imagination, as cliché as that sounds. The story is poor beyond belief, but works well enough to inspire creativity and showcase the tools at your disposal. It's a very niche title that's not going to appeal to those looking for a plug in and play experience, but for those looking to sink some methodical hours and create something unique, it's an undeniably effective tool that's as functional and rewarding as it is nostalgic.
If you're a huge fan of Nippon Ichi's games, then this is the game for you. However, the same reasons that fans enjoy their games are the same reasons to avoid them if you've not liked their work up to this point. The story is absurd, bordering on nonsensical at times. The graphics are disappointing at best, laggy at worst. Combat has a unique multi-weapon approach, but still mostly boils down to mashing the Square button until you can occasionally use a special ability. But by now, you likely know what to expect from this developer. Nippon continues to show that they really understand their demographic. They even have a decent combat system. This is, however, still the same game that released two years ago, with the same flaws and blemishes as before. If you really wanted the game on the PS3 but missed it, then go ahead and grab this. However, if you already own the PS3 version, then there is little reason to pick it up.