Steven McGehee
I’m so glad that Namco Bandai re-released these games during Klonoa’s twenty-fifth anniversary year. They hold up remarkable well over time and have aged beautifully. I sure hope we see more of Klonoa going forward.
The most complete and best version of a great game, the Ultimate Evil Edition is an excellent addition to any growing PS4 collection, especially if you enjoy dungeon crawling with friends.
The Last of Us finds a very appropriate home on the PS4.
While not as complete or all-around "perfect" as one might hope, this is still a must-have release for PS4 owners.
A stellar sequel and an outstanding game in its own right, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a AAA experience worth your attention.
If you've waited this long to enter the tournament of Mortal Kombat, wait no longer -- MKXL is a stellar release, combining exquisite fighting with a massive amount of content.
A beautiful game in several ways, Jotun is a treat that Wii U owners should not pass up.
I have had some friends lament some frustration over how monetized MK11 is, and I absolutely see where they’re coming from. It’s not a business practice I like to see because we’re used to games having a final, all inclusive edition released and we just don’t have that with MK11. Maybe we’ll see a Komplete Edition like there was with MK9. Regardless, you can’t really go wrong with MK11U if you’re looking for a superb fighting game on current or next-gen.
In sum, Metro Exodus takes the best elements of 2033 and Last Light and adds a major evolutionary component with open world exploration and crafting.
In sum, the MK11 experience is superb and easy to recommend to any fan of the series or fighters in general.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon is a rousing success. The timing is excellent, too. It’s the dawn of a new console generation and it’s an exciting time for this storied franchise to turn a new page. As far as launch games go, this is one of the best, for several reasons. It offers some presentation ‘wows,’ but even more importantly it offers a deep, long, compelling story with memorable moments and characters, with strong gameplay and lots to do. It’s built off of the success of the previous fifteen years of Yakuza, but Like A Dragon blazes its own path, too — you need not have played any of the previous games to fully enjoy this one, yet I appreciate that this game honors the past while forging its own future. PS5 owners have something great to look forward to in March, but if you’re lucky enough to have the new Xbox, this is a great game that is also very well priced right now at just $50.
Tormented Souls gets way more right than not, and I came away from it very impressed. This was the kind of game that once I got the hang of it (I have not played many survival horror games at all) I became enthralled with playing and exploring every area and uncovering all the secrets and story material I could. This game does not try to advance the genre; it doesn’t do anything particularly new or better than previous champions of the genre have, but for all that it does, it does it very well. I’ll always say there is room in any genre for another solid entry, and that’s what you get here — a great survival horror game built with intentional classic/retro design.
Even if you do the minimum amount of side content and just stick with the main story as much as possible, you’re in for a long, interesting, and fun game. The story matter is heavy, though, and might tax some players into taking breaks more often than they might typically. To balance that, there is a lot of good humor and zaniness that you would expect from this studio, but also some endearing missions in the School Stories section where you do everything from lead a dance team, help engineer robots, box, join a motorcycle gang, and partake in a Virtua Fighter 5 tournament. Additionally, the changes that LJ has compared to the original are all positive, too — big new areas to explore, new gameplay elements in both the action and adventure portions of the experience, and yet the best parts of the original are carried over. Ultimately, this is an excellent game that I readily recommend.
The PS4 version touts some nice presentation boosts while maintaining the excellent gameplay that you would expect from Trine 2. If you don't currently on Trine 2, this version is a great one to get.
Rare Replay is loaded with gems and classics that by and large have stood the test of time. Modern tweaks and goodies make it all the more worthwhile. It's the best value in gaming, and sets the bar for any compilation going forward.
An instant classic in the point and click genre that plays great on the PS4 and goes highly recommended.
So good to see Night Dive Studios revive this classic and make it purchasable and playable again. If you've ever uttered the words 'cyberpunk' or like games that have the word 'shock' or "Deus Ex" in them, give this one an honest try -- it may not look the part in screenshots, but it's a legend.
An excellent fighting game no matter how you slice it complete with superbly detailed yet very accessible and inviting training modes that can take you from total newcomer to master if you put the time into it. Fighting fans can't miss this one.
Gearbox did a fine job here and the new goodies and content are a huge plus. I do wish the other content from the Megaton Edition were here, but this is still a great addition to your digital library.
It's awesome, masterfully blending the old with the new and reminding us all what a true Sonic game is about.