Overall, even though the controls sometimes made me swear in frustration and the hackneyed narration made me laugh out loud, I am still, on the whole, pleased to have played The Descendants. It is worth trying out in a sale, and if you can cope with the shortcomings in design, the story is an entertaining five-episode arc.

In the end, while we in the Western world have been blessed with a few Hatsune Miku games in the past, nothing comes close to what Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone offers. Its arcade roots might mean the highest difficulties are some of the hardest songs the series has introduced on console due to not having an identical controller to the arcade, but there is no denying that this is the Hatsune Miku game to own above all other titles available, while at the same time being an amazing value proposition.

These two short episodes (about three hours for both) did keep me invested and reminded me that Telltale can spin a good story. There were a few effective moments and a few tricky choices. However, the technical and narrative flaws are too glaring to ignore. And, perhaps saddest of all, I am just not as excited to play the next episode as I usually am with Telltale games.

These two short episodes (about three hours for both) did keep me invested and reminded me that Telltale can spin a good story. There were a few effective moments and a few tricky choices. However, the technical and narrative flaws are too glaring to ignore. And, perhaps saddest of all, I am just not as excited to play the next episode as I usually am with Telltale games.

The action is repetitive and dull, even with the extra visual trappings and character variety. The main hook is the lengthy story, but only a select group of hardcore fans who have been following the plot since the PSP days will be able to truly appreciate the metaphysical terminology and boisterous soliloquies from the various historical figures reincarnated as sword-swinging waifus and husbandos.

In short, Lethal VR is a basic game concept that does exactly as advertised. It’s a quick arcade-style target range game with a lot of neat objectives and weapons to play around with. It’s just a shame that more time could not be given to the controls in order to better accommodate the PSVR’s hardware, as precision and comfort are absolutely instrumental for games like this. We’ve come far in the last few years, yet it seems target-based gaming has not evolved much since the Nintendo Wii’s remote-waggling days.

The criticisms only come because Beholder sets its sights at such lofty heights and complex issues but fails to reach them. And of course, it suffers by association with the ethically sensitive and artistically cohesive Papers Please. What it achieves, however, is an entertaining and challenging strategy game. It is just good, which is a shame because it could have been brilliant.

The potential this title had is washed away by it being plagued with performance issues and a lack of variety in its level and mission design. When everything is working, I was having fun, even if it was a little shallow, but these issues cannot save the amusingly raw and brutal combat from being part of a game where the overall experience is repetitive and its cooperative play is cumbersome.

This game is a must play for any Batman fan and a must play for any Telltale fan. The story is different and refreshing but has the best of Telltale baked in with the decisions and the flowing dialogue. It was a pleasure to play and another shining example of great story telling in a game and had some of the best QTE I’ve seen in one of their games.

Overall, Pinball FX2 VR does exactly what is advertised, and it does so adequately. It’s just unfortunate that there aren’t more viewing options, not to mention the costly requirement just to own a handful of tables that don’t even include the more popular licensed games beyond The Walking Dead. Only the most hardcore pinball players will truly appreciate the recreated table perspective with required standing, while more comfortable (and cheaper) alternatives are available with previous console iterations.

I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Last Guardian and in retrospect I believe a friend put it best – 'it’s a flawed masterpiece’ he said and I truly believe that. The essence and meaning of the game is in tact but it’s presented in a cracked vessel.

Yesterday Origins is straight up a point-and-click game as they come, bringing all the things from the old days of the genre and does nothing drastic to change from the norm. It might be a short trek for an adventure game, lasting around 6 hours, but what is here is a fascinating tale that manages to do flashbacks in a way to compliment the story its telling. It certainly won’t be looked upon as a classic – it has some issues with its gameplay – but its style, narrative and characters make it a good, enjoyable time for fans of the genre who can look past some of the annoyances that they are most likely used to.

VR space exploring is an inspired concept, but a good game idea matters little if the gameplay doesn’t measure up, and Space Rift fails doubly as a VR experience due to its lackluster aesthetics and unrefined VR controls. Chalk this up to yet another quickly conceptualized concept that lacks the necessary polish to make it work, and only makes players yearn harder for the time when a competent developer fulfills one out of many VR dream games that companies try too quickly to capitalize on during a hardware’s launch window.

Dimps has created a sequel to Xenoverse that doesn’t quite feel like a massive advancement in the series, but there is no doubt that this is a larger and more improved experience. Dimps has decided to keep things similar and use the first game as the foundation to build this sequel on. What this means is that there is so much to do, even when one has finished up the 15 hour single player story quests.

Very little has changed in Killing Floor 2, except where it matters the most: the game just oozes fun and refinement from top to bottom, with every weapon having its own unique pros and cons, a decent enemy variety that requires quick thinking and strategic cooperation (or retreat, for those pushing their luck trying to take out a bigger enemy all on their own), and an overall feeling of visceral excitement over the mountains of corpses beneath your feet and the appropriately head-banging heavy metal soundtrack screaming into your ears. The co-op combat is the main draw, and it is almost always consistent and chaotic fun.

Ultimately, when I finished the game, I didn’t want it to end. The compelling atmosphere, the wonderful level design, the detailed steampunk world and the absorbing storyline, not to mention the precisely crafted gameplay, all coincide to craft one worthy successor. I guess you could say far from dishonouring its predecessor, this game honoured it and even, dare I say, outdid it.

I would still recommend Yomawari: Night Alone to any horror fans simply on the basis of it being unique, but if that’s not what you’re looking for and nothing short of a terror-inducing masterpiece will do, I’m afraid it’s back to Silent Hill 2. Until we do get that next genre-defining horror gem, Yomawari is a nice distraction that will hopefully be worked on to bring us something even more sinister and satisfying in the future.

This is a worthwhile follow up, and Steins;Gate fans will have to snap up and experience this right now. It upholds what its predecessor did and retains the fantastic writing, beautiful art and its many layered storytelling that will have anyone who jumps into this talking about it well after the 40 hours needed to finish it, making it an essential purchase for visual novel enthusiasts.

Shu is perfectly executed and I would recommend everyone go pick this up now even if you’re not into platforms it’s fun and really does feel refreshing to play. I must say the developer has done a fantastic job here everything just seems to fit perfectly in the game from the music to the artwork and gameplay. Kudos.

In the end, Robinson: The Journey is the closest thing to a full-fledged title for the PSVR, which would explain its full price tag. Unfortunately, its average length is only slightly longer than the average VR title, clocking in around five hours. Regardless of the price, there’s no denying the level of polish and immersion that Robinson succeeds at, opening the doors even wider for the kind of innovative experiences Sony’s virtual headset can offer. If the games can steadily improve from here, then it’s a sure bet that the PSVR won’t go extinct before its prime.

It’s certainly on my list of games to show to first-timers and I can only hope there will be a steady stream of DLC challenges to come. Releasing at a very honest price, I’d say Lethal VR is a must have and will be recommending it strongly.

The beautiful presentation cannot hide some of the game’s irksome issues with its occasional wooden delivery and trip-ups within its script. Root Letter isn’t a visual novel that matches up with some of the quality imports that have come from Japan, but if you have exhausted all of those options, then Root Letter makes for an enjoyable alternative to spend a weekend with its intriguing story of friendship and love.

Oxenfree is a curious and fairly short game. The wonderful voice acting and characters, the interesting themes and the beautiful backdrops are sometimes let down by poor design choices. Ultimately, for fans of story, of which I am one, it is worth playing. But if you have to get your kicks from involved gameplay, perhaps this is not the one for you.

It’s a shame that the console version of Darkest Dungeon couldn’t have been a bit smarter with its controller layout, because the rest of the game shines in brilliant darkness as it did on PC; the 2D artwork is a great mix of hard lines and grotesque imagery, quite similar to Hellboy and other comics by Mike Mignola. The persistent narration is delightfully campy with its dreary delivery and macabre musings, and the fear of death (or insanity) makes every duel feel like a tense brush with death. And players will die, again and again and again. But like a certain other difficult series centered around darkness and sun bros, Darkest Dungeon’s maddening tendrils will manipulate even the most frustrated folks to try again…but consider sticking to the PC version to avoid the added frustration of fumbling around with the controls.

Hide and Shriek is a fun game, but can get repetitive after a while. The game needs more levels to hold the players attention longer, but playing against random people can actually make it a little more interesting, as each one tends to play a little different.

In the end, Mantis Burn Racing manages to bring effortless controls and a superb handling model, while being an enjoyable skill-focused racer that gets by just fine with its lack of funky weaponry that often features in these top-down racers. Mantis Burn Racing inhabits an area of gaming that is rather mundane in its selection, and while it’s not the greatest racing game to come out this year, and its online suffers from a lack of players, it’s a solidly made top-down racer with a lengthy career mode and fun multiplayer that I can recommend it for for people who enjoy this now currently niche part of the genre.

In the end, horror aficionados will probably prove the harshest audience for Weeping Doll: the potential for VR horror has already been seen in various demos and titles, creating a deep hunger for more fleshed-out and frightful experiences. Weeping Doll’s attempts to startle or unnerve players fail harder than a PG-rated horror movie on ABC Family.

A cluttered mess that tries to pretend it is high-quality immersion. It’s a shame that developer Untold Games spent so much time reaching for the stars with its VR debut that they didn’t stop to nail the necessary fundamentals to a functional VR experience: when the very act of moving from point A to point B is a nauseating challenge, that would be the time to drop back down to Earth and back into the drawing board.