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Octopath Traveler II manages to improve on almost every aspect of its predecessor, whether they needed it or not. The exploration is deeper with more nooks and crannies to nose your way through. The combat is far more intricate, giving greater options to build your party and skillset, and a large degree of player choice. The visuals are absolutely beautiful, and the sound design is phenomenal once again. Honestly, Octopath Traveler II has basically negated the need to play the first title, and I cannot think of higher praise.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a labor of love that is worthy of loving back - it's game packed to the brim with iconic songs, unforgettable characters, and fun excuses to revisit and collect them all. Accessibility options, versatile difficulty levels, and simple yet addicting multiplayer help make a great package even greater. Any Final Fantasy fan owes it to themselves to dive into this game and take a musical trip down memory lane.
Like A Dragon: Ishin is a really fun spin off for this long-running series. Many of the big characters from the mainline Yakuza games, bar some of the newer games, are recast as new ones but none of the impact is lost. Edo Period Kyo is a great city to explore with plenty to offer players, and the combat styles are really fun to experiment with, even if Brawler is a bit wasted. The long wait for a Western release has been worth it.
With a positively batty sense of humour, What The Bat? is a thoroughly daft VR successor to What The Golf? and the best baseball game I've played in years – also the only baseball game I've played.
Horizon Call of the Mountain is an ideal showcase for what PlayStation VR 2 can do. Stunning PS5-powered vistas and a great blend of intuitive climbing and combat make this a must-play game for anyone picking up the next generation headset.
Wild Hearts has proved to be an immense surprise. It navigates the line between well-worn ground and exciting new innovation immensely well. It's the best non-Capcom hunting game we've ever had, and a hugely enjoyable action RPG in its own right.
Despite its clear and comprehensive flaws, Wanted: Dead is still weirdly likeable, and will undoubtedly find a similarly strange and unique fanbase to worship at its feet.
A few tweaks to a shooter from 2007 aren't going to covert anyone in to a schmup fan, but for those who already are, Raiden IV x Mikado offers a lot.
We Were Here Forever certainly grew on us the more we played, with some great brain-teasing puzzles that really make the most of the split player perspectives (though we did give up on the walkie-talkies).
Demeo: PC Edition lacks some of the more physical entertainment of the VR edition, but it's no less enjoyable as a game. There are few bells or whistles here; it's all about enjoying the run and trying to survive as monsters fall to your spells and attacks, and feeling incredible every time you do.
The sights and sounds alone make Hogwarts Legacy the dream Harry Potter game fans have been longing for. There's an intriguing mystery to unravel, though you're bound to spend most of your time exploring a wealth of side content, visiting virtual landmarks and roleplaying as a Hogwarts student. That said, it's more successful in being a sandbox teeming with nostalgia rather than a stand-out action RPG in its own right, let down by gameplay foibles and spellcasting combat that quickly slides into repetition.
Hi-Fi Rush is an utterly beguiling new take on rhythm-action, combining some of this generation's most impressive visuals with music and mayhem.
Deliver Us Mars is another engaging science fiction tale with something to say about our modern world. This message is wrapped in a more personal story this time around, that's bolder in how it tells it, and mixes it well with broader action and puzzling, so it's just a shame that the game can't match that ambition with some technical weaknesses even on the latest consoles.
Jurassic World Aftermath Collection brings the tense experience to Switch mostly intact, but the Quest version - and the upcoming PSVR2 port - remains the best way to play.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a decent 3D platformer filled with all the SpongeBob humour you'd expect, but it feels like a step back when compared to the far more imaginative Battle for Bikini Bottom: Reheydrated. The lack of alternate characters or costume abilities really hurt it, as does the very linear level design, so while there's still fun to be had but I was left with a general feeling of disappointment.
Season: A letter to the future is a melancholic and touching ode to the things we leave behind, while the world continues on regardless. It's beautiful, and those of an inquisitive nature should step into its world to create memories of their own.
EA Motive have done incredible work with the Dead Space remake to bring a horror classic up to date, injecting true horror back into the genre alongside considered changes and expansions to the original story. It's hands down one of the best remakes ever made, and it's like playing Dead Space for the first time all over again. Welcome back, Isaac.
OmegaBot is a solid side-scrolling action platformer, but it lacks that certain something to really stand out. The platforming is decent, but could be better especially when using weapons as a jump assist, while boss design leant too far in the direction of bullet sponges.
Forspoken was once one of the big reveals for the PS5 in 2020, but aside from using the SSD for open world magical parkour and the ultra quick fast travel, it is difficult to really see how it takes advantage of the latest console generation. The world of Athia looks good, and the combat full of flashy magic, but there's no major side quests to divert from repetitive activities and a predictable main story.
Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters has some fun ideas and absolutely beautiful visuals, but with an incredibly flawed combat system that fails to learn from its predecessors, we're ultimately left with another clunky spinoff that fails to move the needle for the franchise. There's so much room for exploring new, exciting, and impactful ideas in the world of Neptunia, but Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters is adamant in taking another step sideways rather than pushing the series forward.