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Last reviewed: Palworld · yesterday
there's no denying that Age of Mythology’s gameplay can feel simplistic, which is ironic, considering how influential the series has been. Having played a bunch back in the day, the missed campaigns are appreciated, but we can’t see ourselves regularly returning to the well.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn't quite BioWare back to its absolute best, but it is the most cohesive and emotionally engaging RPG that the studio has delivered since Mass Effect 3. Its shift to crunchy action combat is an improvement over Inquisition's middle-of-the-road approach, and although the game feels a little light on meaningful player choice, the storytelling pulls no punches when it actually matters. This is a gorgeous and gripping adventure, backed by a cast of endearing heroes and deliciously devious villains.
Namco's developers were adept at squeezing great technical performances out of the 32-bit PlayStation - especially with late fifth generation games like Tekken 3 - and in 1999 Ridge Racer Type 4 stayed steadily on track at achieving its 30fps target and slick circuit designs. The atmosphere from course details adds fine-tuning to the graphics, which is boosted by a magnificent dance soundtrack by musicians like Hiroshi Okubo, with extra pizzazz provided by Kimara Lovelace's vocals. The arcade-style gameplay delivered a fun and fast contrast to Gran Turismo's sim racing, and it confidently tail-slid alongside the best Nintendo 64 and SEGA Saturn drift and blue sky racers. As a Namco racing game it holds pole position amongst the four PS1 Ridge Racer titles, putting the pedal to the metal en route to Ridge Racer Type 4 becoming a genuine PlayStation classic.
Nearly 20 years later, Resident Evil 4 is just as much of a masterpiece today as it was in 2005. Capcom has faithfully remade a genuine classic by bringing it into the modern age and kitting it out with new content, tremendous combat, and striking visuals. What was there before was already enough to consider Resident Evil 4 one of the best games of all time, but now it earns that title in 2023 off the back of better environments and sublime action. This is Resident Evil at its absolute pinnacle; an utterly outstanding experience that will live long in the hearts of longtime fans while inducting a whole new generation of supporters.
Anno 1800 Console Edition is an excellent translation of a deep, satisfying PC strategy experience to console. With engaging mechanics and an insane amount of replay value (not to mention multiplayer), anyone looking for a more arcade-kind of management sim will find a happy home here.
Mato Anomalies is a tough sell; it features some fresh ideas and concepts (which should be applauded) but fails to create a compelling core gameplay loop in the process. With so many other other excellent turn-based titles demanding your attention, it fails to provide a compelling reason to undertake this surreal journey.
After a tumultuous few years of WWE releases, 2K and Visual concepts have finally been able to begin building on the solid foundations of last year's game. WWE 2K23 isn't a huge step up from 2K22 with long load times and a surprisingly unpolished Showcase Mode for John Cena, but the series has still shown growth, considering War Games is pure chaos and MyRise is much improved. The future is once again bright for WWE and 2K, and so WWE 2K23 should be celebrated by fans as though they've just won their first world championship.
As a result, the game subscribes to the “easy to play but difficult to master” cliché, and offers enough replay value thanks to its varied track list that it's worth sticking with over many sessions.
You just have to hope the game cooperates to let you finish! We had multiple hard crashes, one of which corrupted our save, wiping away nearly an hour of puzzling. Still, we're going to assume the developer will issue a patch promptly, and as long as it does, this is PSVR2 at its most relaxed.
If you're looking for breezy superhero action that's especially well suited to younger players, then DC's Justice League: Cosmic Chaos is well worth checking out. Full of character and easy to pick up, there's fun to be had in Happy Harbor.
Before Your Eyes left a lump in our throat, which we weren't expecting at all. The game starts fantastical, but eventually matures into a relatably human tale, which we imagine will touch the majority of people who play it. Strong writing, fantastic voice acting, and an outstanding 3D audio mix all contribute to an impressively poignant campaign, which helps showcase how impactful interactive media can be.
On top of all that, there's good use of haptics in the controllers and the headset, and there are decent comfort settings. The default movement is teleportation and snap turning, but you can toggle smooth motion if preferred. While in some ways, the game's complexities make it potentially overwhelming to play in virtual reality, the end result is great once you get used to it. For a slight sacrifice in image quality, you're getting a deeply immersive experience which plays into that sci-fi fantasy more than ever.
Transport Fever 2 is the type of enthusiast sim that will keep its target audience rapt for hours. For everyone else, though, it's harder to recommend, as even with its single-player campaign serving as an extended tutorial, it can be difficult to parse. Despite an inconsistent frame rate and some questionable dialogue, it's an undeniably satisfying experience for the strategic-minded, and one of the most in-depth titles of its kind available on PlayStation platforms.
Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is an old school survival horror game for better and worse. It's charmingly old school, and for people who grew up on a healthy diet of Resident Evil and Silent Hill back on the original PlayStation like we did, there'll be something nostalgic to the control foibles and camera issues. But there's no getting away from the fact that this is a game that feels older than it is, and the leaden pace will be off-putting to many.
Quite the opposite is Area X, the level made for PSVR, which was reason enough to buy Sony's headset all on its own. Despite how incredible an impression that area left last time, it's that much better now. Between the resolution bump, the HDR, the upgrade from Unreal Engine 4 to 5, and the improved tracking, the newly refreshed Area X is every bit the must-play it was seven years ago. If you're on the fence about dishing out for the relatively slight upgrade fee, rest assured, it's worth it.
Trails to Azure is an amazing sequel. Alongside an expanded combat system, it takes every storyline that Trails from Zero cultivated and delivers a series of incredible conclusions, both for individual characters and the franchise's overarching narratives. In terms of impactful plot points, Azure is up there with the finest of Trails titles - a twisting, turning, gripping RPG that should really be considered a classic.
There is so much we could still cover with this latest expansion, like Buildcrafting 2.0 and the new Guardian Ranks system, both of which aim to streamline the Destiny experience. However, at its core Lightfall is all about its story, setting, and gameplay changes. The campaign and setting largely let us down, with the whole thing feeling like the middle child of the Witch Queen, Ligthtfall, and Final Shape trilogy. However, the vigorous excitement that Destiny 2's brilliant gameplay elicits greatly elevates the overall Lightfall experience, with some stellar enhancements thanks to Strand subclasses and grapples. It's irritating to be left in narrative limbo for yet another year, but you'll still struggle to find a space shooter that is this much fun.