John-Paul Jones's Reviews
Moss is an irresistibly uplifting landmark experience that is simply essential for PSVR owners everywhere.
Warhammer Vermintide 2 doesn't just reinvigorate the template that Left 4 Dead established all those years ago, instead it stabs, sets it aflame and proceeds to kick it through the nearest wall. This is one of the best co-op games available and toweringly fine way to close out 2018.
Look, it's really simple, Burnout Paradise Remastered is essential for fans of racing games everywhere. They just don't make them like this anymore (but they really, really should).
A welcome return for PlayStation's original superhero icon, Insomniac Games have not just given us another sublime PlayStation exclusive but also the best superhero blockbuster the PS4 has ever seen. Spider-Man is a thunderous, essential triumph that bleeds cinematic splendor from every digital pore. Every PS4 owner needs to have Spider-Man in their collection.
Nerve-wrackingly terrifying, highly polished and boasting one of the cleverest takes on the survival genre in years, The Forest is one of finest survival horror titles available.
A glorious sum of newly implemented RPG systems, refined traditional series beats and boasting one of the most entertaining stories in recent memory, Assassin's Creed Odyssey is simply the best in the series and one of the finest open-world adventures available.
The best roguelike of this generation and a bonafide Game of the Year contender, Dead Cells is simply beyond peer and utterly, utterly essential for anyone that owns a black plastic box stuffed with silicon that has 'PS4' scrawled upon it.
Stuffed with masses of modes and a veritable avalanche of stuff to do, Mortal Kombat 11 is the best the series has ever looked, sounded and most importantly, played. Oh and it doesn't hurt either that it just so happens to have one of the best story modes ever made, too.
A totally unique odyssey that immediately envelops the player in a richly detailed universe ripe with intriguing lore and some of the finest storytelling on PS4, Heaven's Vault is an essential odyssey for all to embark upon.
A stunning re-release of a pair of genre titans, the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition Pack is an eminently thoughtful and evocative reminder of just how good these RPGs were and how now, PS4 players can finally turn back the clock and see what all the fuss was about. Trust me, you won't regret it.
Thickly atmospheric with an impeccable sense of place unmatched by other games, Return of the Obra Dinn is the smart, stylish and curiosity detective adventure that you've always wanted.
A soaring achievement in the genre, very minor technical issues aren't enough to detract from the fact that Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire: Ultimate Edition is the first must-have game of 2020 and the finest RPG in an age. Adventures don't come much more essential than this.
With its evocative setting and a delectable mix of PvE and PvP gameplay that provides a peerless theater for emergent player stories, Hunt: Showdown is an exceptionally clever and thoughtful shooter that elevates the genre as a whole. I can see Hunt Showdown being a fixture of my gaming diet for months, even years to come.
A triumphant celebration of blood, sweat and fury, DOOM Eternal is a genre and generation defining FPS that through some occult ritual, somehow manages to comprehensively blow its 2016 GOTY contending predecessor completely out of the water with remarkable ease. This one is for the Slayers.
Streets of Rage 4 is an absolute masterclass in maintaining the essence of a classic but also in reimagining certain aspects of its design DNA for a contemporary audience. Streets of Rage 4 is without doubt the best side scrolling brawler you can get on any system.
Three years on from its original release on other platforms and there's still nothing like Cuphead. A delirious, LSD-infused trip through a prohibition-era styled cartoon hellscape, Cuphead underscores its utterly unique presentation with a rock solid and fundamentally excellent platform shooter that stands effortlessly shoulder to shoulder with the best in the genre. The wait has been worth it.
Without a doubt the best MMA videogame ever made, EA Sports UFC 4 supplements a welcome array of new offline and online modes with a revamped and endlessly sophisticated combat system that everybody can enjoy. For MMA fans it doesn't get any better than this.
With its much hyped status as a showcase of the DualSesne controller's fancy new haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, it's equally important to recognise that like Astro Bot before it, Astro's Playroom is a fundamentally excellent platformer that commendably stands on its own merits. Equal parts a stirring demonstration of the capabilities of the DualSense and PS5 console as it is an excellent traditional platformer, Astro's Playroom might just be the best pack-in title of all-time.
An astounding triumph of imagination, Sackboy: A Big Adventure isn't just one of the best platformers ever made, it's also a proper highlight of the PlayStation 5 launch line-up that is steeped in such fun and free wheeling creativity, that it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as other PlayStation platforming heroes such as Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank.
Placing a level of sheen on an already stellar effort, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 on PlayStation 5 is arguably the definitive version of the best two skater titles ever released. If you've somehow resisted buying this twin pack thus far, resist no longer. This is as essential as it gets.