PS5 Game Reviews
Mini Review Turbo Golf Racing (PS5) - Fun, if Slight, Golfing Game Is Worth a Little Drive
Driving range
Hugecalf Studios' golfing/racing hybrid title, Turbo Golf Racing, is a fun time. It's a wacky arcade game that sees you using cars to launch oversized golf balls through maze-like environments, taking many cues from Rocket League. Mechanically, Turbo Golf Racing is comfortable doing its own thing, with the golfing angle pairing...
Mini Review Moonglow Bay (PS5) - Fishing RPG Not Quite Catch of the Day
Hook, line, and stinker
Previously released on Steam and now ported to consoles, Moonglow Bay is a slice-of-life fishing game set in 1980s Canada. After a devastating loss, the protagonist must move on with their life and help revive the town they live in: a struggling fishing port. Obviously, as a fishing-based game, there's a large amount of...
Mini Review Freedom Planet 2 (PS5) - A Brilliant 2D Platformer Sequel
Move aside, Sonic, again
Sonic's influence on the gaming world has been well documented over the years, resulting in many attempts to recreate the 1991 classic's momentum-focused gameplay. In 2014, developer GalaxyTrail released Freedom Planet, an excellent 2D platformer that managed to invoke a similar exhilarating feeling with its emphasis on...
Review Planet Zoo: Console Edition (PS5) - A Tame But Charming Zoo 'Em Up
There is no Dana, only Zoo
Planet Zoo is at its best when things are going well. Some park building games thrive when they turn into disaster management sims and you're forced to frantically resolve crises before the whole thing comes crashing down like a house of cards. Planet Zoo ain't that. Sure, things can and will go wrong in the zoo you've...
Review Open Roads (PS5) - Mother-Daughter Road Trip Is a Leisurely Narrative Cruise
Driving down memory lane
Things haven't been easy for Fullbright, the company that most famously produced Gone Home back in 2013, a slice of indie narrative heaven that won plaudits. After the excellent (but less virally successful) Tacoma in 2017, it's now back with another long-awaited game, Open Roads — except, in fact, the name Fullbright has...
Review Grandia HD Collection (PS4) - Barebones Collection Bundles Worthy RPGs
Tough sell
Grandia HD Collection bundles together two classic JRPG adventures from the tail-end of the genre's golden age, a series that has long since fallen by the wayside. Grandia, initially released on the SEGA Saturn, would make its way to PS1 in 1999, and its narratively unconnected but mechanically superior sequel, Grandia II, first came to...
Review South Park: Snow Day! (PS5) - 3D Co-Op Card Brawler Is a Step Back for the Franchise
Let's Fighting Love
The South Park franchise has an eclectic history of genre choices, trying (and mostly failing) everything from FPS to kart racer. 2014's South Park: The Stick of Truth and its comic-book-themed follow-up redressed the balance with an excellent comedic spin on the old-school RPG. Now it takes another genre pivot, becoming the...
Review Dragon's Dogma 2 (PS5) - The Apex of RPG Adventuring
Dragon's godma
When you think of truly memorable open world games, it's hard not to picture the likes of Elden Ring and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Both are ultimately shooting for different goals, but they share a deep appreciation for discovery. Their worlds aren't defined by map markers; they're designed in ways that push players...
Mini Review Slave Zero X (PS5) - A Brutally Hard Brawler That Oozes Style
Putting on a Shou
Slave Zero X serves as prequel to the cult hit Dreamcast game Slave Zero, but while their stories and universe are connected, they couldn't be more different. Set five years before the third-person shooter original, this new title is a 2.5D beat-'em-up, in which you don a biomechanical super suit as the vengeful warrior Shou is out...
Review Rise of the Ronin (PS5) - A Safe, Outdated Open World Game
A whole Nioh world
By trying to do so much, Rise of the Ronin feels like an inferior version of everything it's inspired by. With an open world populated by map markers and side activities, it’s a worse Assassin's Creed. With a historical Japanese setting, it's a worse Ghost of Tsushima. With a combat system that prioritises parrying, it's a worse...
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MLB The Show 24 may not be the best-looking sports game on the market anymore, but San Diego Studio continues to lead the field by pushing the boundaries of the genre overall. This year’s release may feel largely familiar when you’re at the plate, but the expansion of narrative-based experiences in the Storylines section demonstrates how...
Review Alone in the Dark (PS5) - An Admirable Effort with One Too Many Flaws
The new nightmare
In spite of all its shortcomings, Alone in the Dark is a game we can't help but have a soft spot for. It's packed full of glitches at launch. The combat feels awful. It's not scary whatsoever, and the stealth sequences are dreadful. Yet, there's such a clear passion for the survival horror genre coursing through it that it comes...
Review Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection (PS5) - Calamitous Launch Ruins Anticipated Return
Not like the simulations
When highly regarded games see a remaster, the quality tends to fluctuate between two extremes. You have the disastrous launches akin to Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition, or you get the lovingly crafted, impressive remasters like we saw with Quake and Quake 2. Aspyr has been working its way through the back...
Mini Review Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator (PS5) - Taxi Sim Stalls on Arrival
No es bueno
On paper, Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator seems like a great time. Leisurely picking up fares in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, Barcelona. Exploring and finding points of cultural interest, forming and customising your own taxi company — it all sounds like a relaxing experience, right? Wrong. While there’s no denying...
Review Hi-Fi Rush (PS5) - Xbox Gem Makes Its Rhythmic Debut on PS5
It takes two to tango
Hi-Fi Rush was easily one of the surprise hits of 2023, which just so happened to be one of the best years for game releases collectively. Despite not having the immediate chance to experience the latest creation by Tango Gameworks due to Xbox exclusivity, Microsoft’s recent announcement of PS5 support has finally enabled us...
Mini Review Outcast: A New Beginning (PS5) - A Rough Around the Edges Action Relic
We're sorry Ms. Jackson
Remakes, reboots, revivals. Whether it's a lack of fresh ideas, exploiting nostalgia, or an earnest desire to introduce a new generation to past glories, the entertainment industry loves bringing old things back. And we love old things coming back, too, as long as it isn't Nanna after she's escaped from the home again...
Mini Review Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story (PS5) - A Trippy Odyssey Through a Yak's Brain
Drama Llama
Part of its lovingly curated Gold Master Series, Digital Eclipse’s exploration of Llamasoft is a comprehensive and fascinating package. Essentially an interactive museum, Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story presents documentary snippets, archival materials, and, most importantly, the games. A truly singular voice, Minter has been...
Mini Review Contra: Operation Galuga (PS5) - Run-'n'-Gun Series Back to Its Best
Bill Rizes to the occasion
It's weird that Konami has taken this long to ship Contra: Operation Galuga, which is the classic Contra game fans have been asking for. After the damp turd that was 2019's Contra: Rogue Corps, the publisher handed the reins back to WayForward, the team behind 2008's Contra 4. Turns out that's all that was needed to get a...
Mini Review Akka Arrh (PS5) - Next-Gen Port Brings a PSVR2 Mode to the Table and Little Else
If it ain't broke
If the visual insanity of Jeff Minter’s wild Akka Arrh slipped you by last year when it released, you’ve got a fresh opportunity. We rather enjoyed our time with the PS4 version when it launched, so we were more than happy to dive back into a next-gen port of the vibrant, exhilarating retro title. The core gameplay experience...
Review Unicorn Overlord (PS5) - An Utterly Brilliant Strategy RPG
Follow the white horse
Vanillaware doesn't miss. We've been spouting that line for ages, but with the arrival of Unicorn Overlord, it rings truer than ever before. Following up on the superb 13 Sentinels was never going to be easy, but the Japanese studio has somehow manged to produce an equally excellent game three years later — and it's not even...
Mini Review As Dusk Falls (PS5) - Creative Character-Driven Drama
From dusk until dawn
Interior Night has taken pages from the books of Don't Nod, Supermassive, Telltale, and Quantic Dream to craft a choice-driven character drama with As Dusk Falls. The game's stylistic flourishes take time to acclimatise to, but it provides a unique tone and perspective that still stand out in a genre that’s becoming...
Mini Review Dragon Ball FighterZ (PS5) - Anime Fighter Is Still Godlike, Despite Dodgy Online
Your wish is granted
When Dragon Ball FighterZ first released in 2018 for PS4, it was hailed as one of the greatest anime fighting games ever made — and rightfully so. Crafted by the genre experts at Arc System Works, FighterZ was and still is a masterclass in how to adapt an existing franchise. The team-based brawler is both highly accessible on...
Review The Outlast Trials (PS5) - Online Scares Work Well Enough
Night vision for four
Converting a traditionally single player IP into one meant for multiplayer too is a process with just as many hits as there are misses, so developer Red Barrels will be delighted it's landed on the right side of history. With up to three friends along for the ride, The Outlast Trials is a slightly different ballgame to its...
Review WWE 2K24 (PS5) - Another Confident Entry in 2K’s Robust Wrestling Series
Continuing the story
As the calendar rapidly approaches WrestleMania 40, the eyes of the world are once again trained on WWE’s big house of muscular lads and lasses. With The Rock’s involvement in this year’s shindig raising the event’s profile to even loftier heights, WWE and 2K have pulled out all the stops to try and ensure the latest...
Mini Review Ufouria: The Saga 2 (PS5) - NES Sequel Is Jennifer's First Metroidvania
Fabric Sunsoftener
There's something special to a retro gamer about the resurrection of a cult classic, as it either gives a hidden gem a new lease of life, or it introduces gamers to a series they've never heard of before. Sunsoft has capitalised on this idea, as Tasto Alpha has developed the single player platform game, Ufouria: The Saga 2, which...
Review Expeditions: A MudRunner Game (PS5) - An Absorbing Vehicular Puzzler
Complex manoeuvres
If you've ever looked at a stretch of abandoned road, overcome with mud and muck, and wondered whether your little two-door compact could make it through, MudRunner might be a series you already know. From Spintires to SnowRunner, it's a lovely little franchise that seems to be surviving capably, and its latest is Expeditions: A...
Review Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5) - Strong Sequel Seeks a New Direction
Cloudy with a chance of pain
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth feels like a natural progression. Free from the steel skies of Midgar and its corridor-style design, this direct sequel to 2020's Final Fantasy 7 Remake fully embraces that sense of adventure found in the original Final Fantasy 7, as Cloud Strife and his ragtag group took their first few steps out...
Review Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake (PS5) - Cult Classic Shines Through Technical Troubles
It can't all be for nothing
Years before becoming a household name thanks to a hilarious, impassioned speech at The Game Awards, Josef Fares — alongside Starbreeze — was already releasing quality games. His first venture, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, is an emotional excursion that sees two brothers set out on a dire journey. Now, Avantgarden...
Mini Review Penny's Big Breakaway (PS5) - Unique Yo-Yo Platformer Has Its Ups and Downs
Yo with the flow
Penny's Big Breakaway comes from some of Sonic Mania's key contributors, and you can certainly see and feel the influences. This 3D platformer encourages speed, using momentum to your advantage, and exploring colourful, open levels, much like SEGA's mascot series. Despite the through-line, however, this game's core mechanics set it...
Mini Review Pentiment (PS5) - A Slow-Burning 16th-Century Murder Mystery
When everybody plays, we all win
Set in 16th-century Bavaria, Pentiment tells the tale of the small Alpine town of Tassing and the simple people that dwell there. We play as a Nurembergian artist named Andreas Maler who is living in Tassing while he completes work on a piece for the local monastery, and through him we meet the residents of the town...
