John-Paul Jones's Reviews
For better or worse, Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is simply more Horizon Forbidden West and for fans of the game and also its detractors, that will be to their joy and chagrin respectively. As it is, Burning Shores is an impressively spectacle stuffed, though routinely unambitious expansion that does little to address the weaknesses of the core franchise but still manages to provide an effective bridge to the third game in the Horizon trilogy.
At just over five hours long with scope for additional playthroughs depending on whether you're sympathetic to Petrian regime, rebel against it or fall somewhere in-between, Road 96: Mile 0 belies its budget price with a surprisingly choice-stuffed narrative that doesn't match the broad calibre of Road 96 but is nonetheless still worth playing all the same.
Curse of the Sea Rats is a perfectly fine Metroidvania effort. The hand-drawn art is gorgeous for the most part and the combat together with the platforming are both well executed and ultimately satisfying. However coupled with the absence of some odd quality of life features, a general lack of polish and a lack of any real ambition, Curse of the Sea Rats arguably struggles to elevate itself in an increasingly competitive genre filled with top-tier efforts.
Absolutely overflowing with evocative characters, situations and stunning world building, Citizen Sleeper effortlessly punches its ticket as one of the best narrative adventures on PS5. Sure enough, the lo-fi presentation and plodding tabletop mechanics won't be for everyone, but for everyone else Citizen Sleeper is a beautifully written, often emotional cyberpunk adventure that will linger long in the mind long after completion.
Puzzling Places unexpectedly evokes that early childhood memory of connecting my first two Lego pieces together, not least because it deftly leverages the haptic feedback capabilities of the PSVR2 to replicate that sensation from those halcyon days many years on. Wholesome, relaxing and never anything less than totally satisfying whenever I need a break from the world, Puzzling Places is puzzle solving zen distilled into its finest form on PSVR2 that everybody can play.
The same notion applies here as it does for Tetris Effect: Connected in that Rez Infinite on PSVR2 is arguably leagues better than its OG PSVR predecessor and confidently makes its mark as one of the best games you can get on PSVR2 right now. With super sharp and buttery smooth visuals, arresting 3D audio, deftly implemented haptic feedback and a brilliant use of PSVR2's eye-tracking capabilities, this is as good as Rez Infinite gets.
Tetris Effect: Connected is as essential as it ever was and its PSVR2 debut adds yet more polish and immersive features to what was already the best Tetris game money can buy. I would award Tetris Effect: Connected more than ten out of ten I could, but I can't, so here we are. Buy it.
Though savagely undercut by performance issues, The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice still remains a stellar RPG and a muscular content offering despite its technical problems. Nonetheless, the unstable framerate coupled with frame pacing issues results in the tarnishing of the definitive version of The Outer Worlds that really should have been so much polished than it is here.
A fitting way to celebrate the first year anniversary of Gran Turismo's resurgence, Gran Turismo 7 on PSVR2 is a tour de force showcase that not only brings the vast gulf that exists between the original PSVR and PSVR2 into stark relief, but also how provides a masterclass on how racing can and should work in VR. A triumph that elevates the core experience, I couldn't imagine playing Gran Turismo 7 any other way from now on.
Cave Digger 2: Dig Harder is a tremendously fun, roguelike adventure with a hugely compelling neo-western, dieselpunk aesthetic that is best played with friends, so long as you can ignore the current choice selection of glitches and repetitive nature of its core gameplay loop. If you've ever wanted to play a SteamWorld Dig game in VR, this is currently the closest you'll get to it.
Though the somewhat ho-hum resource management and survival mechanics are a little shop-worn at this point, Song in the Smoke: Rekindled nonetheless soars as the best survival adventure on PSVR2, thanks in no small part to its evocative world, endlessly clever procedural design and stunning improvements made possible by Sony's latest lump of VR tech. If you missed Song in the Smoke the first time round, this is your chance to right that mistake definitively.
Generously awash in heart-warming whimsy and charm, together with puzzles that encourage the sort of playful ingenuity that really captures the imagination, Tentacular is simply great fun that anybody, regardless of skill or age, can easily get stuck into. Tentacular is a true PSVR2 indie gem and a feel-good VR experience that everybody should play.
The definitive version of After The Fall thanks in no small part to the impressive capabilities leveraged by the PSVR2 hardware, After The Fall: Complete Edition still makes its mark as a roundly enjoyable VR shooter, albeit one that comes slightly unstuck thanks to some dodgy AI and not quite enough maps or unique modes for players to get their teeth into over the long-term.
In the end, Demeo does that most unexpected of things - it provides a deep and highly enjoyable tabletop RPG experience for folks who are typically put off by the notion of setting up a board, potentially losing important figures, worrying about missing dice and all that other nonsense. Absent such tedious administrative concerns and with clear design, tactile physical feedback and easily grasped mechanics that ensure everyone can play, Demeo is a shining example of how to translate one of the most socially beloved hobbies into an all new digital realm.
While younger folks might still get a kick from its occasional scares and familiar locations, Jurassic World Aftermath Collection is a desperately linear adventure that struggles to break free of its humble technical origins and fails to both do proper justice to the setting of its source material and the PSVR2 hardware itself.
As much as Returnal carved a niche of its own on PS5 as a stunning third-person shooter that had been masterfully blended with roguelike design, so too does it manage to inhabit a similarly unique place for PC gamers in 2023. One of the best PlayStation exclusives of 2021 has ended up being one of the best and most glossy PC shooters of 2023. Long may PlayStation Studios incredible run of PC ports continue.
With its relaxed nautical paddling beats, accurate kayak physics and photorealistic locations, Kayak VR: Mirage is my go-to PSVR2 game after a particularly stressful day or as a palette cleanser after playing more intense PSVR2 titles. Though its content offering could be broader, the simple fact remains that Kayak VR: Mirage effortlessly commends itself as one of the highlights of the PSVR2 launch line-up and is a VR experience that everybody should play.
Able to be entirely completed in just a few hours, it's certainly fair to say that Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy's Edge Enhanced Edition is more of a morsel than a banquet and yet, it still feels compelling because of how lovingly authentic the universe of Star Wars has been replicated here. Though folks who aren't fans of Star Wars won't quite get quite so much from it, Star Wars: Tales From The Galaxy's Edge Enhanced Edition nonetheless earns its keep as an attractive showcase of what PSVR2 can do, all wrapped up in the delectable veneer of a galaxy far, far away.
Pistol Whip on PSVR2 is nothing less than a masterpiece of sensory excess, exhilaration and expertly paced challenge. An essential PSVR2 launch title that crafts a masterful mixture of visceral excess, classic arcade score chasing, a bountiful content offering and effortless style, there's only one score that will do for Pistol Whip's PSVR2 debut and it happens to rhyme with 'ten'. Oops.
Though a significant amount of time has passed since its original release resulting it not being quite as fresh as it was and its relatively brief five hour or so duration might frustrate those looking for a more substantial morsel, Moss nevertheless enthrals thanks to its extremely likeable heroine, superbly judged platforming adventure gameplay and sublime VR presentation. If you've yet to hop on the Moss train, now is the time to address that.