Flickering Myth
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If you’ve been long-exhausted by the series’ recent obsession with exo-suits, wall-running and space battles, Call of Duty: WWII is a mostly refreshing tonic that lovingly recalls the more earnest tone of the earlier CoD games.
Even though the second episode is mostly focused on its characters rather than incidents, it is a compelling lead-in to the impending finale all the same.
It’s not perfect, and anyone expecting a colossal leap from the original might feel a little underwhelmed, but on its own merits, this is the sort of daring, bravura craftsmanship the industry could use more of at this time of the year.
There are flecks of intrigue and entertainment throughout Don’t Knock Twice, and a patch would certainly elevate the game from bad to passable, but at launch the ludicrous technical problems mar an already pretty iffy, bare-bones horror “experience”.
Pankapu, a love-letter to the action-platformers of the 80s and 90s, may not quite rise to the top of the pack, but it is nevertheless another welcome, unexpectedly content-rich genre romp that’ll have you swearing at your many, many deaths, and shamelessly fist-pumping when you finally reach the next glorious checkpoint.
As an attempt to bring atmospheric exploration to PSVR, The Solus Project is a decent effort that will nevertheless require considerable player patience. If you’ve been waiting for a sci-fi walking simulator and are prepared to fight the game’s clunkiness every step of the way, it’s definitely worth your time.
Unless you’ve been quite literally chewing your own arm off waiting for a futuristic VR racer, it’s probably best to wait for this one to go on sale in a few months’ time, because it’s neither good enough to give a solid recommendation, nor bad enough to swear off; it’s just…fine and uninspired.
Some may also be disappointed by The Lost Bear‘s aforementioned length of an hour; there’s clearly a foundation here for a game that could’ve been several hours longer across a more diverse array of locations, but instead, like so many VR games it just feels like a slice, an “experience” that’s capable of so much more.
While Knack II is a most improbable sequel and one that few were campaigning for, perhaps its most compelling achievement is leaving one genuinely looking forward to the prospect of a third entry into the unlikely franchise.
Though it’s hard to call Before the Storm a necessary follow-up on the basis of this first episode, it does add some welcome shading to the characters of Chloe and Rachel.
Don’t go in expecting miracles, but given the expectations of many fans that The Enemy Within was going to be a bit of a phoned-in cash-grab, it’s a genuine surprise to see the IP rebound with one of the company’s very best episodes of any kind in a long time.
The follow-up to Fullbright’s much-discussed exploration game Gone Home is an effort both ambitious and familiar, a frequently haunting, character-driven sci-fi drama that mostly overcomes its occasional divergences into ennui. Mostly.
Developer Forge Reply has delivered an atmospheric and intense retelling of the classic Ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, one that makes engrossing use of the VR space, but at just 90 minutes in length, unfortunately feels more like a budget-constrained “experience” than the substantial 3-5 hour adventure most were surely hoping for.
The PSVR version of Superhot could certainly use a patch to clean up the tracking, and introducing a difficulty setting which allows more forgiving continues wouldn’t go amiss, but when you’re in the zone and laying brutal waste to a level full of anonymous digital thugs, there’s a very special brand of wish fulfillment at work here.
Though its old-school sensibilities may prove more divisive with new players, the N. Sane Trilogy will meanwhile be an easy sell to long-starved fans; it’s a gleeful, often infuriatingly difficult nostalgia trip that they won’t be able to stop playing.
It would probably be slightly overzealous to call Star Trek: Bridge Crew PSVR’s killer app, but it’s nevertheless a magnificent, if flawed, experience that expertly melds resource management mechanics with top-notch social multiplayer.
It’s a shame Danger Zone doesn’t offer more in the way of location variety and overall polish, but it does a fine job serving up the basic goods, and sometimes that’s enough.
Making the most of its agreeable 8-bit visuals and amusingly over-the-top voice acting, it’s a budget title that nevertheless feels sharp and tight.
Is it the feature-rich, legitimately brilliant experience you’d gladly play outside of VR like Resident Evil 7? No, but it presents a convincing vision for the future of VR shooters, one its successors can both draw influence from and significantly improve upon.
Forget about the dumb name and moldy hick humour, because beyond that silliness there’s a surprisingly well-made shooter at Dick Wilde‘s core.