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Mini-Mech Mayhem isn’t the most innovative use of VR and it lacks a local multiplayer mode but these are small gripes with another exemplary, smartly designed and impeccably implemented title from Futurlab.
The game has so much potential to be something really quite special. The setting and the characters, the Lovecraft Cthulhu-inspired imagination of the world of Oakmont and Charles Reed’s search for his own sanity is really quite interesting. There’s definitely something here, it just all feels half-baked. Each critical narrative moment should have the power to knock the player on the ass falls flat, leaving you wanting more but it never arriving.
My Friend Pedro has more than lived up to my expectations and I’m absolutely thrilled that there’s yet another utterly brilliant Devolver Digital title out there in the world. It’s hilarious, ridiculous and has a fair number of ‘punch-the-air’ moments that very few games can pull of with the same style as My Friend Pedro.
As a console game, it’s a waste of everyone’s time to play a terrible knock off of a timeless classic (of which there are much better versions of out there).
The intentions of Venture Kid are obvious – to pay tribute to the NES shooters of yore, Mega Man in particular. Via the level design and sound track, the game does this admirably. Unfortunately, at only 6 or so hours long, with bosses that are vanquished easily and with additional weapons divorced from the level design themselves, Venture Kid is a shade of the game it attempts to emulate, resigning it to an “also ran” in a genre that is seeing genuine innovation elsewhere.
If you're after something a bit lighter on the action RPG pallet, you can't really go amiss with Super Cane Magic ZERO. If Crossing Souls was the Goonies of this genre, then SCMZ is the Monty Python: some jokes hit, some miss, some are too daft and some fall completely flat. But you can tell that everyone involved has had a good time making this, and that is conveyed in the end product.
Blood & Truth is a game that is leading the charge in smart, player centric, accessible and enjoyable VR games design. From the comfort of my couch, I’ve been made to feel like a highly skilled soldier for 5 whole hours (and more, thanks to the time trials now available), pulling off impossible feats while requiring just the right amount of effort to keep me immersed without making me feel like a passenger.
Visually splendid with a terrific art style, a surprisingly unique premise and a whole bucket full of charm makes Bow to Blood a very entertaining and worthwhile game. While it’s not quite an essential title, feeling a little clunky at times, it’s certainly one I’d recommend to any PSVR owner who’s in the mood for something a tad different.
As a full title, I would recommend Team Sonic Racing as a suitable counterpart to the Mario Kart games. It may not have the same pedigree as that series, but remember: Sonic and Mario are always going to be competitive.
Observation is a game that is dripping with potential, and starts brilliantly, but the further you go through the game the more your desire to keep playing drains, a bit like a leaky space suit with oxygen depleting issues. It is worth a play through to soak up the brilliant atmosphere and gasp at the visuals. But only the most hardened walking-sim gamer will find much game in this.
American Fugitive is solid, it does what it does well without really picking a lane and allowing the character of Will Riley to shine through. What feels like a story arc that is justifiable (you see Will not commit the crime he’s in prison for, after all), it’s soon forgotten for murderous mayhem and whilst I’ve complained about it somewhat, what’s on offer is really good fun. It’s an easy game to recommend, but I think more so than usual it’s important to know what the game is before you jump in. It’s fun and frantic and a nice love letter to that which its inspired by.
While The Padre does an admirable job of resurrecting the survival horror tropes of the 90’s, it brings with it a number of the flaws those games had too. If you’re itching for those retro Alone In The Dark vibes, The Padre delivers them alongside an odd side salad of pop culture references – but compared to the modern day peers, there’s aspects of this game feel like they should have been left in the grave.
If you missed it the first time around, treat yourself. If you’re coming back from the original, cast aside any aspersions and just lose yourself in some classic Sniper Elite goodness.
It’s intense, searing with tension and absolutely nerve-shredding, whilst telling a hugely powerful story that hit me hard a few times over. There’s a tremendous depth in this game that I wasn’t expecting, but I’m so glad it’s there. It makes you care for this brother and sister duo who are doing everything they can to stay alive in impossible circumstances, and given everything you’ve had to put them through to reach some kind of other side, you want to see them succeed. Every free moment I had was given to this game, I had to know how it all ended. Amicia and Hugo deserved my time.
World War Z has plenty of rough edges and for love of god it really REALLY needs an evade button, but it’s a small price to pay for such a video game event.
Despite the faff and taint of shady modern practices, it is still a competent and well worked fighter. The length of moves and tricks at hand, as well as the wealth of extra skills to learn is staggering, coupled with a very strong roster of new and old favourites. Combat has been reworked and tweaked to suit a faster fight system, and there is enough customisation to suit most kinds of playstyle for each character. Push aside the flaws and embrace it for the legacy that Mortal Kombat has created for itself.
Snooker 19 brings a fully licensed simulator back to players and does so in some style.
Katana Zero is simply a very easy recommendation. From the utterly perfect mechanics tweaked to an inch of their life to the visuals, the overarching story and inner conflict of your highly skilled protagonist and his external relationships with the world around him, counteracting with the hyper-violence he calls his work, the game finds a delicate balance between ridiculously stylish action and the more subtle downbeat moments that really bring out some wonderful character development.
Blood Waves would have been an adequate mode tacked onto another full game, a tiny side dish to a main meal elsewhere that could kill 2 hours. Unfortunately, as a standalone experience, it’s lacking in depth, excitement and personality. The trap building, the most interesting aspect of the game, is not enough to make this anything more than an also-ran in a genre that’s seen genuine quality over the years.
God’s Trigger is a smorgasbord of twin stick goodness. It takes the challenge of Hotline Miami, the genre innovations of Mr Shifty, blends it with a fun, pulpy if shallow narrative and then blends it with as much blood splatter as humanly possible. It doesn’t do anything particularly new but it does provide a twitchy, immensely gratifying 9 hours of action with the occasional satisfying set piece.