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TopSpin 2K25 offers an exhilarating tennis experience that’ll keep players on their toes with its authentic and strategic action. The core mechanics demand a blend of good timing, strategic planning, and clever positional play to add to the authenticity of the experience, with the game easily standing out as one of the more realistic tennis experiences I’ve seen in a video game. It’s wonderfully executed to make for a really fun experience, whilst the package is complemented by a decent selection of game modes that’ll keep both solo and multiplayer fans invested for a long, long time.
Sand Land delivers a thrilling RPG experience that perfectly captures the exciting antics seen in the manga and anime series. Driving and customising the range of creative vehicles is always a treat, whilst the compelling vehicular combat mechanics ensure there’s plenty of depth and strategy found in-battle. It gets all of the core RPG mechanics right too, whilst the gorgeous visuals really help bring the world to life. It can feel a little bit dull on-foot and the stealth sections weren’t great, but they’re minor issues in what is otherwise an action-packed experience. I’ll admit, I didn’t know a whole lot about Sand Land before playing, but now? It has made a BIG fan out of me.
Indika is uniquely brilliant in its own peculiar way, with the bizarre yet enthralling narrative unlike any that I’ve seen in a game before. It’s suspenseful, thought-provoking, and bizarre in equal measure, yet it had me utterly enthralled from start to end. It looks absolutely gorgeous too, and whilst the slower pace of the gameplay won’t be for everyone, it has enough ideas on show with its interactivity and puzzling to keep players engaged. It’s just a compelling experience that I adored being a part of. I don’t want to give too much about Indika away because its constant surprises are one of its greatest strengths, but believe me, you wouldn’t have played anything quite like this before.
Stellar Blade is another sublime PlayStation 5 exclusive that showcases the power of the console with its thrilling action and mesmerising visuals. I’ll admit, I wasn’t fully sold on the game before playing, but after spending twenty-plus hours partaking in Eve’s action-packed antics, I’ve been blown away. Sure, I wasn’t too keen on the storytelling, but when the gameplay packs such a punch, it’s hard to complain too much. With its, uh-hum, ‘stellar’ combat mechanics that feel like a blend of Dark Souls and Bayonetta, captivating set pieces and level design that really pull you into the world, and some of the best visuals seen on the console, Stellar Blade is one PlayStation 5 release that you’d be a fool to miss.
Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes is a delight, with the Suikoden-inspirations perfectly implemented to make for a wonderfully memorable adventure. I loved recruiting characters, building up a homebase, and partaking in strategic showdowns with enemies, whilst the variety of mini-games that show up across the experience keep the action varied and exciting. Add to that the wonderful visual presentation and a stellar soundtrack, and you’ll quickly find that Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes delivers more than enough to keep RPG fans very, VERY happy.
Another Crab’s Treasure is a wonderful souls-like adventure that offers a unique and charming take on the genre with its creative shell-based action. There’s plenty of depth to be found in its mechanics that encourages player experimentation, whilst the boss encounters are some of the best that I’ve seen from a non-From Software release. It looks delightful too, whilst the accessibility options make it the perfect title to introduce players to the typically brutal nature of a souls-like release.
Ready, Steady, Ship offers a chaotic take on the world of shipping, with the clever level design keeping the co-op action fresh and fun. The use of conveyor belts ensures it has a unique hook when compared to similar titles, whilst the constant introduction of new mechanics ensures there’s plenty on offer to keep levels interesting as you progress. I don’t think it’s as good as the likes of Overcooked and it’s nowhere near as to fun to play solo, but Ready, Steady, Ship still manages to deliver an amusingly frantic co-op experience that won’t fail to keep you laughing.
Phantom Fury is far from perfect, but it still offers a satisfying boomer-shooter experience that feels like it has come straight from the noughties. The weaponry on offer is a lot of fun to use (especially when upgraded) and there’s plenty of variety to be found across the game’s levels, so you certainly won’t tire of the action. Just don’t expect anything unique, with Phantom Fury not offering anything that you wouldn’t have seen before. It does have a few technical issues, the difficulty could be better balanced, and there were times when I got completely lost in levels, but I still had a good time with the game. It’s silly, it’s over-the-top, it looks great, and it features some great weaponry – it gets all of the basics right to ensure fans of the genre will enjoy this blast to the past, even if a couple of patches would probably make it better (and knock my score up to an 8).
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants can be fun, but it’s a bit too simple and short to stand out for anyone other than fans of the series. The side-scrolling brawling gameplay is simplistic and doesn’t bring with it any fresh ideas, whilst the unbalanced difficulty feels like its designed to drain your health as opposed to offer a satisfying sense of challenge to the player. There’s some fun to be had if you can get four players together and there’s no doubting that a younger audience might appreciate the simplicity of the gameplay more, but for everyone else, it’s hard to recommend Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants when there are so many better releases available in the genre.
The Rising Tide is a fantastic piece of content that builds upon the brilliance of Final Fantasy XVI perfectly. With its engaging storytelling, gorgeous landscapes, thrilling battles, and additional challenge with the Kairos Gate, there’s plenty to get stuck into to ensure it stands out as a worthwhile expansion to the tale of Final Fantasy XVI. And come on… who doesn’t want to use Leviathan’s abilities in combat?
Reigns Beyond is a sci-fi treat that offers a unique (and undoubtedly chaotic) adventure as you strive to achieve intergalactic stardom. The unpredictability of each scenario you find yourself in ensures there are laughs aplenty as you endure through each success or failure, whilst the resource management adds a strategic twist to the action that ensures every little decision you make counts. Or you could just piss off a space monster and die. However things pan out, you’ll have a lot of fun along the way, and who knows – maybe you’ll be part of the next big rock band in outer space?
Ereban: Shadow Legacy is an enjoyable stealth-adventure that has enough interesting ideas to ensure it’ll keep fans of the genre entertained. Don’t get me wrong, it has its problems – especially with the iffy enemy AI and some of its technical issues – but I’d still say my experience with it was positive, even if it falls short when compared to some of the greats of the genre.
Children of the Sun is a fantastic experience that blends together time-bending shooting with clever puzzling mechanics in a uniquely creative fashion. Plotting out my kills across each level was always satisfying, whilst the introduction of new mechanics and enemy types as I progressed ensured that the experience never seemed to run out of ideas. It is a bit on the short side and it’s a shame there aren’t any unlockables to incentivise score-chasing, but these issues don’t stop Children of the Sun from being one of the more unique and exciting shooters that I’ve played in a long time.
Pepper Grinder is a platforming treat, with the unique drilling mechanic and brilliant level design making it stand out as a must-play release of the genre. It has plenty of clever ideas in play that build upon the simple nature of the drilling perfectly, whilst the charming visuals and collectibles are the cherry on top. It is a little disappointing that the game wasn’t a bit longer, but given the quality of what you get, it’s hard to complain too much. It’s just a really finely crafted experience that plays into its strengths perfectly, and believe me, platforming fans won’t want to miss out on Pepper Grinder.
Buckshot Roulette is simple in design, but its dark and unsettling premise is executed perfectly to ensure each game you play is full of thrills. It might not take long to find success, but the surprisingly strategic gameplay and endless replayability offered in the Double or Nothing mode will ensure you’ll get plenty of bang for your buck (literally) when playing. It is a shame that the narrative isn’t built upon and some unlockables in the Double or Nothing mode would go a long way in adding to the replayability, but it’s hard to complain too much with the low-price of the game. If you’re a fan of shorter experiences that offer a unique and clever premise, you’ll definitely want to check Buckshot Roulette out – ESPECIALLY since multiplayer should be coming in the future.
The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered has some neat ideas, but the repetitive gameplay loop and lack of engaging storytelling holds it back. It’s not that I’d say that anything in the game is bad at all, but rather that the systems it has didn’t offer enough to keep me invested in the meaty adventure. Whilst I enjoyed toying about with the formation system, loved the visuals, and found the gameplay loop engaging early on, there are a few too many flaws for it to stand out as an essential release of the genre.
Rise of the Ronin’s blend of thrilling strategic combat and intriguing player-driven storytelling ensures it stands out as another hit for the PlayStation 5. It can be a bit guilty of being by the numbers with its open world design, but at the same time offers a satisfying sense of discovery as well as plenty of excitement to ensure it doesn’t grow tiring for the player. And come on, who doesn’t want to use a grappling hook or glider to get around? It’s definitely not as pretty to look at as some of the other big PlayStation 5 console exclusives, but it always delivers where it matters most: the gameplay. The combat is some of the best we’ve seen from Team Ninja, the world is enthralling to uncover, whilst the decisions you make will genuinely shape how your journey unfolds in satisfying ways.
Alone in the Dark puts the series in the right direction following some mishaps over the past eighteen years, with the unnerving storytelling, clever puzzling, and intriguing setting making for a genuinely enthralling horror experience. Sure, it has some missteps here and there with the combat sequences and it does play things very safe, but the intense atmosphere and flurry of surprises ensure that this marks a return to form for the old-school survival horror series.
South Park: Snow Day isn’t the best co-op hack ‘n slash PvE that you’ll play, but it’s still fun and captures the anarchic humour of the TV show PERFECTLY. I just wish it had a few more levels, more varied locales, and the combat was a bit more fine-tuned, because the ingredients are there for the game to be a success… it just needs a bit more content and fine-tuning to keep me coming back for more. There are some clever ideas in play with the likes of the Bullshit Cards, playing with friends is a real treat, and the South Park vibe is present in both the storytelling and presentation, so the game is in no way a disaster. It just might be a little bit too repetitive right now to keep players invested for the long term.
Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection could have been an old-school treat, but a botched launch has made it hard to recommend to even the most die-hard of Star Wars fans. Don’t get me wrong, it has been a lot of fun to re-visit the single player modes and the technical improvements really do enhance the experience, but the issues that have plagued multiplayer are an absolute nightmare. Whilst it has been easier to get into matches since launch, the fact that they still bring with them a myriad of bugs really does sour the collection as a whole. I do believe that Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is going to be fixed over the coming weeks and the single player modes certainly offers enough enjoyable content to keep players busy, but if you’re hoping to re-live the multiplayer battles of yesteryear, you’ll want to hold off on purchasing for now. My score mostly reflects on the single player experience and the rare success I had with online play, but you can take two points off if you’re only interested in the multiplayer.