John-Paul Jones's Reviews
A stellar remastering of one of the best fighting games ever, Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Edition is at the very apex of Sega's long running series and in doing so, its elevated profile will hopefully propel the franchise forward as a whole to heights that it has long deserved. Virtua Fighter is back and it's better than ever.
DOOM Eternal on PS5 quite simply underscores the already lofty calibre of one of the best shooters ever with a delectable coat of visual polish which keeps id Software's PlayStation swansong ripping and tearing among the very best of its genre contemporaries.
Arguably the modern template for so many self-styled retro shooters, Quake has returned in stunning form. A stellar remaster, Quake not only maintains the essence of id Software's classic 1996 shooter, but it meaningfully iterates upon it too with all new additional content, mod support and crossplay. At a super budget price point, there is no reason to dive into one of the very best 3D shooters of all time.
A deeply thoughtful, eminently accessible and cleverly crafted bite-sized puzzler, Bonfire Peaks has more subtle emotion, charm and smile-cracking ingenuity than most of the games that have released this year. If you want to hone your logical senses and embolden your spirit concurrently then Bonfire Peaks is certainly one summit worth conquering.
Whether you're experiencing these stunning games for the first time or are returning for another playthrough, emboldened by the technical facelift that the PlayStation 5 provides, Uncharted: Legacy Of Thieves Collection brings together two absolute banner PlayStation exclusives into a delectable and unmissable package that serves as a timely reminder that Nathan Drake and company have been long missed.
In every way that it can be, Horizon Forbidden West is Horizon Zero Dawn 2.0 and while I might crave some more variety in its open-world activities, Guerrilla Games has nonetheless crafted a triumphant sequel that earns its place among the very best that PlayStation Studios has to offer.
An enduringly clever inversion of traditional survival genre tropes coupled with a palpably tragic and gut-wrenching experience, This War of Mine: Final Cut offers up 11 bit studios magnum opus in its perfect form. By packing in all of the DLC released to date in addition to the stellar Stories expansions and providing a pin-sharp 4K presentation, This War of Mine: Final Cut is an ageless, horrifying and inventive survival effort that everybody should play without delay. This is as essential as survival games get and its mediation on the desperate plight of civilians during a time of war has never been more resonant.
A beguilingly beautiful and practically pitch-perfect mixture of Legend of Zelda and Dark Souls mechanics, Tunic is a boundlessly charming and highly challenging adventure that gets so much right that it borders on ridiculousness.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection on PC not only cements Sony's commitment to delivering some of the best single-player games money can buy on the platform in optimised form, but also brings the best of Naughty Dog's whip smart action adventure series to PC gamers for the first time. As true as it is for PlayStation gamers the world over - Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is utterly essential for PC gamers.
A warmly feel-good and highly accomplished 3D platformer filled with wonderous worlds and delightful characters, though Sackboy: A Big Adventure might lack the bombastic profile of other offerings such as Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered and God of War, it's certainly no less essential than its PlayStation Studios brethren. Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a great big hug in videogame form and I cannot recommend it highly enough. PC owners are in for a treat.
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.
Despite being a port of a nearly four year old release, Paper Beast remains a roundly effective showcase for the capabilities of PSVR 2. A ponderous flight of fancy into an alien world filled with exotic flora and fauna, Paper Beast Enhanced Edition invites players to play a key role in the development of its engaging ecosystem, all the while taking them on a stirring adventure through a realm that will remain long in the memory. If you previously owned a PlayStation VR and didn't buy Paper Beast, now is the time to correct that mistake.
A jack of all trades and master of some, though Rise of the Ronin feels like a melting pot of influences from other games, it is also quite the surprise of the year for me thus far as it clearly shows that Team Ninja has a confident grasp of compelling open world design in a way that many of its genre stablemates do not. Though the visual presentation might be comparatively a little rough around the edges, Rise of the Ronin nonetheless is simultaneously the most accessible and ambitious game Team Ninja has done to date and one that both hardcore action RPG fiends and open world adventure aficionados will surely embrace.
Bolder than ever before, Olli Olli returns with new stages, tricks and a superb tutorial and practice system for folks who may have been dissuaded by the steep learning curve of the original. While no ground-breaking alterations have been made to last year's game, Olli Olli 2 still effortlessly proves itself as the finest skater in years.
A classic arcade puzzler with gameplay compounded by a tremendous amount of scope for mastery and blistering retro aesthetics, Pix the Cat is one of the most essential pressure-puzzlers that you can buy on PlayStation right now.
Trine 2: Complete Story is a grand embellishment of one of the most charming and accomplished adventure platformers in recent years. Bolstered by a wealth of additional content, multiplayer modes and the gorgeous 1080p/60 fps veneer that PlayStation 4 allows, this should be the next game to find a home on your PlayStation 4.
Even though it stands as more of a refinement over its immediate predecessor than a genuine leap, this latest entry in the BlazBlue series stays true to form by overwhelming players with a deliciously deep combat system, brilliant cast of characters and a veritable avalanche of content.
A confident resurgence of one of the FPS genre's pioneering efforts; DOOM not only manages to boast perhaps the finest single-player campaign in the genre but also a blissfully entertaining multiplayer suite and map editor to boot. Make no mistake, this is DOOM 2.0 and it's one of the very best shooters you can buy on PS4 right now.
Horrendously entertaining, boundlessly violent and with one eye on ancient history, Wulverblade provides an exceptionally thoughtful and enticing roadmap for the growth of the side-scrolling brawler. Pick up your controller and prepare for war; the North beckons.
An ambitious and yet more elegant evolution over the first Banner Saga, The Banner Saga 2 fires on all cylinders and provides one of the newest and most enthralling strategy series money can buy with an absolutely belting middle act. Much like the horned, Norse warriors that make up the rank and file of its cast, The Banner Saga trilogy is shaping up to be a fearsome entity indeed; its place in the pantheon of great strategy games already comfortably established.