PS5 Game Reviews
Review Necromunda: Hired Gun (PS5) - DOOM Rip-Off Broken Beyond Belief
Go to hell
You can hardly blame Streum On Studio for trying to make the next DOOM Eternal. With shooters very few and far between this early on in the PlayStation 5 generation, the developer had the opportunity to leave its mark with a fast-paced FPS that picks up right where id Software left off last year. It even had the Warhammer 40,000 license...
Mini Review Exodemon (PS5) – A Fun By-the-Numbers Throwback Shooter
Jump on it
Retro shooters have a well-trodden formula these days, so anytime a game sets out to tweak that, the results vacillate between clever and calamitous. Exodemon happens to come down on the side of cleverness, tweaking the process in just the right ways to cleverly mask a small development team while making the experience a fun one. Whereas...
Naill-ed it
The open world, RPG-infused Assassin's Creed games — Origins and Odyssey, before Assassin's Creed Valhalla — received some great post-launch support. Origins in particular was blessed with a fantastic expansion in the form of Curse of the Pharaohs, and Odyssey lived long thanks to a slew of solid episodic escapades. We had reasonably...
Review Subnautica: Below Zero (PS5) - Aquatic Open World Is Cooler Than Cool
Ice cold
Subnautica: Below Zero is a game about crafting for convenience. This frigid follow-up to Unknown Worlds’ seafaring survival sandbox subscribes to the same blueprint as its 2017 predecessor, plunging you into an aquatic open world and willing you to explore it. Where you go, and how you get there, is entirely up to you. While there is a...
Mini Review Call of the Sea (PS5) - A Pretty But Predictable Puzzler
Lost at sea
Norah is ill, and her husband Harry is missing after having gone searching the world for a cure. After receiving a mysterious package, Norah decides to go to the place Harry was last known to be — an island off the coast of Tahiti. Call of the Sea bills itself as a Lovecraftian mystery game, and whilst the first person adventure...
Mini Review Terminator: Resistance Enhanced (PS5) - Enhanced Is Pushing It
I'll be back, without improvements
2019 saw the release of Terminator: Resistance, a dull FPS that performed poorly and boasted unconvincing character models. This year, Reef Entertainment has released Terminator: Resistance Enhanced on PlayStation 5, complete with additional content, bug fixes, and DualSense features. Unfortunately, much like...
Mini Review Wreckfest (PS5) - Not a Huge Jump on PS5, But Still a Smashing Good Time
Get wrecked
Wreckfest just fully embraces what it is, and you have to respect it. Bugbear's brash, fender-bending racer has been unleashed on PlayStation 5 as part of May's PlayStation Plus lineup, and it's still very much the chaotic, crash-happy, Destruction Derby-esque experience people love. In the jump to new hardware, the game definitely...
Review Resident Evil Village (PS5) - Capcom's Best Horror Game for 16 Years
Goth punk
If we're being brutally honest, Resident Evil Village puts Resident Evil 7: Biohazard to shame. That's not to say we've soured on Ethan Winters in the four years since his introduction, but rather what Capcom has done next goes way above and beyond the events of the Baker incident. Resident Evil Village is incredible. By borrowing the best...
Review Returnal (PS5) - Housemarque's Deep, Dark Shooter Is a PS5 Must Have
Selene Die On
Returnal is a much, much bigger game than you think it is. For all the noise surrounding the game's price point, Housemarque has produced its largest, most ambitious project by a country mile. This isn't a small scale title with a premium cost; the studio has made something on a whole new level. There's an awful lot of game here, and...
Review Judgment (PS5) - A Truly Gripping Detective Thriller, and One of the Best Yakuza Games
Another day in Kamurocho
We loved Judgment on PlayStation 4, but over time, our appreciation of this Yakuza spinoff has only grown. Upon reflection, we actually think that our Judgment PS4 review was a bit off the mark, and having now played the game's remaster on PS5, we're fully convinced that this is, hands down, one of the best Yakuza-style...
Review MLB The Show 21 (PS5) - A Lead-Off Double But Not a Home Run
Ace of base
Sports games, for all the ire they attract, subscribe to some of the most brutal development cycles in the industry. Spare a thought, then, for Sony San Diego, which has not only transitioned from one platform to four with its annual baseball simulation MLB The Show 21 – but it’s also done it during a global pandemic. There are clear...
Review Disco Elysium: The Final Cut (PS5) - A Hauntingly Brilliant RPG That Lives Long in the Mind
Killer moves
Disco Elysium is one of those games that you think about even when you're not playing it. Even just a few hours in, you'll find that this strange and at times absurd role-playing title has claimed a space in your mind. In truth, it's like nothing else on the market — and reviews like this one don't really do it justice. But, this is...
Review Oddworld: Soulstorm (PS5) - A Tough Game to Love
It's an odd, odd world
It's hard to know where to begin with Oddworld: Soulstorm. The series has definitely had its ups and downs, but it's always felt like part of PlayStation's flavour, so it's nice to have it back after so many years. It's a reimagining of Abe's Exoddus, a sequel to New 'n' Tasty, and in some ways it's one of the better entries...
Review Balan Wonderworld (PS5) - One of the Worst 3D Platformers of the Past Decade
There is no wonder in this world
Gamers have been treated to a 3D platformer renaissance over the past few years. The likes of Yooka-Laylee and A Hat in Time have shown the world that 3D platformers aren’t just a genre of the past, but a formula that can still be iterated upon. Enter Square Enix and legendary game designer Yuji Naka, best known...
Mini Review Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (PS5) - Still a Skateboarding Great with Decent Upgrade
Keeping the combo going
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, in case you weren't aware, is an excellent remake of the first two games in the legendary series. It originally launched last year on PlayStation 4, and it's a fantastic reimagining of these skateboarding classics. While it looked great on the older hardware, Activision has seen fit to develop...
Mini Review I Saw Black Clouds - Interactive Thriller Won't Be Winning Any Oscars
Thank you for supporting interactive drama
I Saw Black Clouds begins with a warning that tells you that the game features graphic depictions of suicide and then about four seconds later someone commits suicide. The deceased is a troubled girl named Emily and we move swiftly on to her funeral where we're introduced to Kristina and Charlotte who are...
Journey to the East
Immortals Fenyx Rising's second DLC takes the form of an entirely separate adventure titled Myths of the Eastern Realm. Based around Chinese mythology, this expansion features a new playable hero, a new map, and a new story. However, things have barely changed on a mechanical level, making for a very familiar journey. Main...
Review Spacebase Startopia (PS5) - Deep Space, Shallow Management Sim
In space, no one can see you disco dance
Spacebase Startopia is a management simulator based on Startopia, released way back in 2001 on PC. Much like in the original, you're put in charge of a series of doughnut-shaped bases that you’ll need to turn into fun places for aliens to live, work, and play. Every visitor has a wallet filled with Energy...
Mini Review Tennis World Tour 2: Complete Edition (PS5) - New Balls, Please
Second service
The wait for a good tennis game has, at times, felt longer than Roger Federer’s career – but Tennis World Tour 2 on PlayStation 4 offered a glimmer of hope last year. This new Complete Edition for PS5 repackages the original sports simulation and all of its DLC, but incorporates a number of key under-the-hood improvements as well...
Review It Takes Two (PS5) - An Insanely Inventive Co-Op Adventure
Life is a rollercoaster
Like its predecessor, It Takes Two is only playable in local or online co-op. In keeping with this theme of working together, associate editor Stephen Tailby enlisted the help of his girlfriend, Rachel, for this review. You'll hear from both of them below as they go over their thoughts on this shared experience, laid out in a...
Mini Review Can't Drive This (PS5) - Chaotic Fun That Ends Too Quickly
The truck that couldn’t slow down
There’s an interesting concept behind Can’t Drive This. Developed by Pixel Maniacs — last seen with 2017’s ChromaGun — imagine Speed, but someone set the Bus route with a real-time level editor, and you’ve got the idea. Designed as a co-op experience, player one drives a customisable monster truck,...
Mini Review Hunting Simulator 2 (PS5) – An Unexpectedly Tranquil Excursion
A walk in the woods
While the title may suggest violence and shooting, Hunting Simulator 2 is a surprisingly meditative game. Sure, on the most basic level, it’s a shooter – but you’ll pull the trigger so rarely that it barely qualifies, despite the large number of weapons and gear at your disposal. Ultimately, it serves a better role as an...
Mini Review Monster Truck Championship (PS5) - An Enjoyable Simulator
Kind of a big wheel
We’ve not seen many racers based around monster trucks. THQ Nordic recently released a new Monster Jam entry, but that’s more arcade racing than realistic simulator. Launched on PlayStation 4 last October, Nacon’s Monster Truck Championship offered us that alternative, and now it’s back with a next-gen
Beautiful bandicoot
There's lots to like about Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. A direct sequel to Naughty Dog's classic trilogy, this latest platformer takes the marsupial and his pals on a time-twisting adventure as they put a stop to the antics of Neo Cortex and N. Tropy. It debuted on PlayStation 4 last year, and while it's perfectly...
Mini Review Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition (PS5) - Souls-Like Gets a Deserved Second Chance
Time to shell out for an upgrade
In an era where Souls-like games have become increasingly popular, Mortal Shell on PlayStation 4 gained a cult following for its expansive world and dedication to its Dark Souls roots. As The Foundling, your goal is to defeat The Unchained and the many difficult bosses in your way, all while inhabiting new shells and...
Mini Review Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS5) - Not a Huge Upgrade, But Still a Brilliant RPG
A hero's work is never done
The tale of incredibly endearing protagonist Ichiban Kasuga shines brighter than ever on PlayStation 5, where Yakuza: Like a Dragon offers enhanced visuals. This next-gen upgrade lets you choose between 60 frames-per-second at a slightly higher resolution, or 30 frames-per-second with 4K support. And, well... That's about...
Review Maquette (PS5) - A First-Person Puzzler That's Just a Few Steps from Greatness
It's a small, small world
Maquette is a tricky game to explain in words, but here goes. This first-person puzzler is set in a recursive universe — meaning each iteration of the world contains within it a smaller version of itself. By extension, that means there are ever-larger worlds beyond your reach. It's one of those concepts that's easier to...
Mini Review The Sinking City (PS5) - A Re-Release That Struggles to Remain Afloat
Let it sink in
After months of publisher disputes, The Sinking City has resurfaced on PlayStation Store, alongside a new PS5 version. Based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft, the game places you in the role of private investigator Charles Winfield Reed, investigating the supernatural town of Oakmont. Using your detective skills, you'll uncover why...
Review The Nioh Collection (PS5) - Backwards Compatibility Causing a Conundrum
Death defies Nioh
A collection of last-gen games gussied up to be re-released on a new console is nothing new. This particular Nioh collection is perhaps a bit more unique in that it includes a supposed remaster for a game that was released a mere ten months prior, but that’s not even the strangest thing about this Nioh bundle. The Nioh Collection...
Review Destruction AllStars (PS5) - A Confident But Flawed Start for Chaotic Car Combat Game
Dodgy ignition
Destruction AllStars is quite a frustrating game. Not really because of anything the game does wrong, but because it clearly holds a lot of potential. As an idea, it sounds great: a destruction derby style title that keeps you in the action with on-foot gameplay when you're between vehicles. In practice, while it does succeed in some...