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Fans of the genre will definitely find their fix here. God Wars may not push the envelope though adheres to what can make tactical RPGs so deep and rewarding. With a little more care given to the story, friendly AI, and graphics, this could easily have been a much-needed triumph for Kadokawa Games.
Mixing the old with the new, it's clear that Codemasters have tried to bring Micro Machines up to date in World Series. While there's plenty of charm to the classic racing and elimination mode, I feel they could have gone even further with the ideas in Battle mode and the variety of vehicles and weapons that it contains, bringing these back to the classic modes.
The release of Stormblood only cements what some players have known for a very long time; Final Fantasy XIV is a phenomenal MMORPG. The structural changes to combat and PvP, as well as the two new classes, introduce plenty for both veterans and newcomers to sink their teeth into, while the emotionally charged central campaign is easily amongst the best the franchise has offered in years.
As far as remakes go, you can't get any better than this. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is exactly how fans envisioned it – an unadulterated celebration of a PlayStation pioneer. With such a weight on their shoulders, Vicarious Visions have pulled it off with such diligence, infused with a streak of their own creativity. Then there's Naughty Dog original efforts, of course. Even those only acquainted with Uncharted and The Last of Us can appreciate how the studio first made its name, and the journey from Crash Bandicoot to Warped is one of continued innovation. Some two decades later, it's great to see that some things never change.
Chess Ultra is one of the best chess games available at the moment, but is let down by the blurriness in the VR portion of the game that puts some strain on the eyes. Aside from this shortcoming, Chess Ultra is basically the complete package for chess fans, and for those who would like to get into chess due to featuring the in depth tutorials and guides that educate about one of the world's oldest games.
If you're serious about PlayStation VR and love first person shooters, Arizona Sunshine is a no-brainer. Mowing down mobs of the undead is immensely satisfying with a great spread of weapons and plenty of opportunities to have some fun.
The Golf Club 2 improves on the original in every way, and most importantly it plays a fantastic game of golf. It's a shame then that there are still some technical hiccups, as they do take some of the sheen away from it, but I don't doubt that HB Studios will continue to improve on what has clearly been a labour of love, and one which shows that sports game development isn't solely in the realms of the biggest publishers.
Ancient Amuletor is actually fairly close to being a hidden gem for PlayStation VR owners, with fun gameplay across four characters and motion controls that work rather well, but there's simply not enough levels at launch and only vague promises of more in the future. As they add more worlds and characters, TiGames can hopefully make this shine.
It takes a little while to reach its best, but Danger Zone takes the classic Crash Mode from the Burnout series, distils it and then finds ways to push it to new, even more ridiculous heights. Crash Mode is back, and despite a few flaws, it ends up being as morbidly compelling as ever.
Ever Oasis is a decent game for a younger audience to get into, but it doesn't do a lot that's completely new. It blends the adventuring with town management nicely and is a well made game, but at the same time there's nothing that really thrilled me while playing it. It's a shame really, as there's nothing necessarily wrong with Ever Oasis, there's just nothing particularly special either.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing: Extended Edition is a good action RPG that is a welcome addition to the PS4, but is held back by some uninspiring loot, uneven difficulty and the decision to release the trilogy one game at a time.
While it has its flaws, there's a uniqueness to Get Even we rarely see in video games today. Right away, The Farm 51 demonstrates its desire to be different, crossing between genres and actually taking a gamble. While it doesn't always pay off, we're still left with something both intriguing, experimental and, at times, thought provoking.
MotoGP 17 could be seen as a last hurrah for Milestone's ageing game engine, but even with new modes and technical improvements, it feels more like they're treading water while waiting to revitalise the series next year with Unreal Engine 4. Get it if you absolutely must have 1080p60 MotoGP, but otherwise, there's something better on the horizon.
Sadly, a rather major flaw in Drifting Lands' level design really brings down a game that is mostly well crafted. Looting has all the well-thought out tropes that similar games have in spades. It's just a shame that each level is essentially a miniature horde mode rather than featuring proper level design, and that the number of levels could have been cut drastically to make for a more coherent experience. These hang-ups sadly prevent me from recommending Drifting Lands for diehard fans of the genre, but it's otherwise an alright effort.
Nex Machina is the pinnacle of all things Housemarque, with concepts and ideas that have been refined over many games in their purest form. That's both its strength and its weakness, as there is nothing you haven't seen before in one of their previous games. If you are a fan of the Finnish developer's game, this is still an essential purchase, but if you're a newcomer, this is the best place to join the party.
Whilst Spellspire is not a bad attempt at a word game, adding in the interesting layer of dungeon crawling gameplay on top, but it seems somewhat ill-suited to consoles. The central typing mechanic of the PC version is lost and the clumsiness of navigating an onscreen keyboard causes frustration.
There are still plenty of reasons to tune in to Telltale's Guardians, but this is a B-side rather than a hit single.
Bringing motion controls back with a bang, ARMS can feel surprisingly retro, yet it also fits in perfectly with Nintendo's modern twist on gaming and the Switch. ARMS exhibits Nintendo's flair for game design to its fullest, confidently taking a well-known genre and injecting it with colour and character to craft something that's inimitably their own.
Despite the promising names behind the title, Dark Rose Valkyrie stumbles over its own ambitions. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the parts of the game that were the responsibility of the Tales series veterans, the art and the writing, were the most successful, but where other collaborations have been able to balance each party's strengths an diminish their weaknesses, that's not the case here. Rather than find collaborators who could help balance Compile's consistently lukewarm gameplay design, this joint effort substitutes Helvetica for Times New Roman instead of fixing 10 pages of typos.
The Town of Light isn't a game you play for fun. There's nothing enjoyable about the true face of mental illness nor the fear and isolation it engenders. Instead of aiming to reward players with a sense of enjoyment, LKA.it strives to help them empathise with the character of Renée and the unspeakable horrors she's forced to endure. There's a sobering, meaningful story to be witnessed and while its delivery is imperfect, The Town of Light still makes for one of the most thought-provoking games of this year.