Despite its flaws, Ninja Gaiden Sigma II Plus is a solid hack-'n-slash title and worth a place in anyone's PS Vita collection.

A short and satisfying dungeon crawler with a litany of skins and crazy weapon designs to unlock and slash at a variety of enemies with. Co-op makes it a great family game when you combine it with how easy the game is. It may be a little long for how simple it is, but there is still a great five-to-eight hour experience here.

Drastic improvements made to the core gameplay of Predator: Hunting Grounds vastly enhances the overall experience, making for a much more polished and better game than the one I played back in 2020. Predator: Hunting Grounds deserves a second chance.

A humdrum start to Greedfall 2: The Dying World brings down the experience quite drastically. However, once you scale the prologue, the rest of the game feels like you would expect a Spider Interactive RPG to play: likeable characters, political storylines, and straightforward exploration. Combat is its own thing, with the game giving you options to go elbows deep into a clunky but serviceable tactical system or toggle settings so that combat is mindless. The team took too big of a bite this time, and the overall quality paid for it. Still, there is a good Spider Interactive game here, but it might take you a while to find it.

Ash of Gods Redemption is a solid enough tactical battler but its litany of flaws all conspire to create a game that, while ultimately enjoyable, cannot survive comparisons to the series it so desperately wishes to be.

Though it seems like a simple anime dungeon crawler, Little Witch Nobeta is a fun romp with an excellent combat system and fantastic world-building. It also features some great exploration full of plenty of secret rooms and treasures to find and I found myself lost for hours just looking for that next little collectable or scroll to level up my magic. Little Witch Nobeta takes what made a lot of the souls formula great and introduces it to the more casual player.

The quality of the games in Tomb Raider IV - VI is nothing short of a mixed bag, but the remastering job is top notch. Fans won't probably need convincing to plump down the cash for this latest bundle, and The Last Revelation was always one of Lara's best outings. Despite their flaws, Chronicles and Angel of Darkness are worth dipping into, and the latter is in its best shape to date, warts and all.

There's plenty of fun to be had out of Top Darts, but a few issues prevent it from scoring a perfect 180.

Only hardcore RPG fans will have the patience to grind through an admittedly ambitious game whose avant-garde approach forgets the basics of what makes an RPG fun.

Neptunia Sisters vs. Sisters channels the same cheeky humor and simplistic gameplay that fans have grown to expect. At the same time, some of the creative choices implemented here don't mesh well enough to make a complete concept. It all works and has its own kind of fun, but the game misses out on a more cohesive product that a more broad RPG fan base might have wanted to try.

Episode Prompto is a better DLC than Episode Gladio, but that doesn't make it great in anyway. The open environment is welcome and Prompto’s play style is unique though hindered by some questionable design choices. Episode Prompto doesn't enrich the XV experience in anyway. Instead of leaving excited for Episode Ignis I left hoping they would just move on to Final Fantasy XVI.

Variable State follows up the wordless weirdness of Virginia with a far more talkative, and more grounded, supernatural drama with Last Stop. The focus on its three protagonists’ everyday problems over the underlying odd phenomena helps to make each tale more engaging, and in turn, makes the stranger things that occur feel more captivatingly mysterious in their initially limited use. It’s a little light in terms of traditional player control, but Last Stop tells a hell of a good story that you still very much feel like you’re in the director’s chair for.

Crymachina has several good ideas that it begins to explore. However, the kind of output needed to make those ideas flourish did not happen. Instead, this is a gorgeous-looking game that leans too heavily in the wrong directions, leaving its more intriguing elements as accessories instead of features. There's a decent game here that plays well, but its middle-of-the-pack execution in a sea of action RPGs doesn't do the game any favors.

Code: Veronica X offers a compelling dose of classic survival horror zombie-blasting, though the game's archaic controls will undoubtedly be a major turn-off for some.

Chock full of an overwhelming supply of retro-gaming goodness, FOX n FORESTS will take retro fans back to a happier time with an all new adventure to experience. Though challenging, it is done in all the right ways, and the story presented like a fairy tale will leave a smile on your face long after the rage face has dissipated.

While it may be plagued with small technical issues and repetitious gameplay, the game rises above its problems with a solid co-op experience. Kill Team is another example of the rule that everything is better in co-op.

A simple, yet enjoyable arcade style shooter, Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops proves entertaining enough but is somewhat stifled by its humble mobile origins.

While its individual parts aren’t anything particularly special, Vostok Inc. melds those parts into a unique, amusing, and compelling whole. The manner in which developer Nosebleed Interactive has fused a clicker game to a twin-stick shooter and made sense of it is impressive. A rather nice surprise.

Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is a solid remaster that allows you to experience the campaign, DLC levels, and visceral, satisfying shooting the game is known for again in 2019. Some aspects of the game have not seen much of an upgrade if any upgrade at all, with the game's AI and the audio system showing its age. Despite that, the game is an enjoyable way to hop back into Rebellion's classic franchise.

The side scrolling side of Smelter has a lot going for it. It has a welcome execution that doesn't demand much effort and doesn't bog you down with much, even if it is overly simplistic. The tower defense side of Smelter contradicts this simplicity, however. Bad control choices coupled with halfhearted explanations makes it a hard sell for the entire package. Smelter has something unique, but that's nowhere near enough to warrant your time.

While it's functional I feel that Catan: Console Edition could have done a bit more to sway me from playing with its cardboard counterpart. The multiplayer features and AI do a lot for players who cannot get three friends together but some of its presentation, especially the audio side, leaves a bit to be desired. The app could also do with a bit of work to make it more viable. While I will be quite happy to play this by myself or when there is only two of us, it will never replace its board game equivalent. Catan: Console Edition could have been great, as it is, its serviceable, which is a shame.

War Hospital is nowhere near the most sophisticated, nor the most polished strategy game money can buy, but it nonetheless does a commendable job of making you feel what managing an overwrought war hospital at the forefront of one of the most deadly wars in human history could be like. Though it's relatively simplistic tactical beats might not appeal to expert strategists, War Hospital's more narrow scope and poignant subject matter do make it a much more easily digestible proposition for both genre newcomers and perhaps more crucially, for first-person shooter folks who have ever given thought to what happens after they pull the trigger on an enemy soldier.

Though Killing Time: Resurrected can't really hang with other boomer shooters in 2024, let alone more contemporary fare from a fundamentals perspective, I'm still happy that Nightdive Studios has cemented its heroic status by remastering it to an extremely high standard anyway and its love for the source material is abundantly clear. In spite of its clunky and flawed fundamentals, Killing Time is indicative of a shooter that wasn't afraid to try new things in 1995 and if there's one thing that remains true even now, it's that more FPS efforts could certainly learn to take a risk or two.

Rango: The Video Game has some great moments. Unfortunately, those only constitute about an hour of the game; the other four hours are pretty boring for all but young kids and the casual crowd.

The basics of F1 2015 are unquestionably solid, but the basics are pretty much all it has to offer.

Nickelodeon All-Stars is an obvious yet forgivable clone the manages to squeeze tiny sprinkles of originality in to its mix. However, the chasm left by what is missing from the game at the moment is almost irredeemable. Whilst the actual fighting mechanics of the core gameplay are well worked for competitive play, the lack of voice acting, game modes and general party utility leaves much to be desired. The general zaniness of Nickelodeon carries reasonably in the game, but certainly not enough to warrant purchase by casual players who are fans of the franchise.

An ambitious re-imagining of the fighting genre, Divekick's innovative simplicity is also its greatest weakness as it lacks the depth required for a modern marketplace. Good for those five minutes waiting in line, but don't expect it to occupy a six-hour bus ride.

The UEFA Euro 2012 DLC is a welcomed addition to FIFA 12, but given the price, it's a bit light. Without a complete roster, it's hard to feel you are getting a full, authentic tournament experience.

A flawed take on the survival adventure template, The Solus Project's subpar execution ultimately undermines the few moments of true enjoyment that it occasionally provides.

Genesis Alpha One is an extremely rare beast. A confident marriage of FPS, space sim, roguelike and strategy elements, it is quite simply the first essential indie title of 2019.

NASCAR 09 is a step in the right direction, but it’ll still be another year or so until the NASCAR franchise becomes a must-own to those other than diehard fans.

What The Long Reach may occasionally lack in originality, it more than makes up for in inventiveness, personality, and bubbling slow-burn horror chills. This is a well-written, atmospheric horror adventure, and it deserves your attention.

Trinity Trigger plays it as safely as possible with an all-star development team. It's a shame it didn't try harder to elevate the genre like the Y's franchise constantly does with every entry. Trinity Trigger isn't a bad game by any means. It has a decent story, and exploration and combat can be fun; it just doesn't do enough to be a memorable title in a crowded genre.

An engagingly substantial take on the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, Martyr's litany of technical issues tarnish what should otherwise have been one of the better titles from developer Neocore Games. All the same, Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr will provide many hours of chaos blasting fun for fans of the franchise.

As a videogame, Fragments of Him falters far too often, providing very little interactivity, and dragging things out to pad the brief runtime. Yet there’s something here worth experiencing from a narrative perspective. This is a well-written eulogy of a recently deceased man by the people whose lives intertwined with his, covering his flaws, strengths, and sexuality in frank and brutal fashion.

Daymare 1994: Sandcastle is a fun title that improves on almost all the issues from the original. It provides an excellent atmosphere and fun combat situations where you can use cryo abilities. It's not a perfect game, though, with some bad voice acting, really dark lighting, and being unable to dodge attacks leaves you open to strikes. Invader Studios will hopefully build on these qualities for the promised third instalment in the series.

Valkyrie Elysium is a very fun game with a mildly-intricate combat system that allows for plenty of satisfying moments of pulling off long combos to create a visual feast. Its narrative is lacking but the core characters are charming enough that by the end you can't help but almost feel attached to them all, as you've fought your way through to whichever ending you've chosen. If it weren't for the fact that you're constantly having to make everything work in spite of a camera and lock-on system that feels against you specifically, it would be a much easier game to recommend.

Just Cause 4 is an enjoyable ride with a memorable and exciting campaign, full of thrilling gameplay moments. However, the rest of the game is a compilation of outdated mission design and poor technical performance. My advice: stick to the campaign for a fun fifteen hours and forget about everything else.

While the CG flick is a bit hit and miss in places, the HD revamp of Tekken Tag and the playable teaser of its sequel should keep hardcore fans more than satisfied until the full version of Tekken Tag 2 shows up.

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 on PS Vita is a flawed port that only comes recommended if it’s your sole option of playing the game.

Though not quite stellar, Stranded Deep does a decent enough job of enabling the player to live out their castaway fantasies. It's just something of a shame that the occasionally clumsy UI and lack of multiplayer functionality make the game a little less compelling than it needs to be. Nonetheless, those looking for island bound thrills of escaping deadly shark attacks, delving down into forgotten wrecks and living the life of an island castaway will find much to love in Stranded Deep on PS4.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion has the makings of a classic, but the determination to hit the reset button on the franchise means that this game often feels like taking the first steps once again. A degree of intrigue with the plot was enough to string me along, but does little to elevate this one above purely serviceable.

FBC: Firebreak has plenty of potential, but feels like early access in its current state. Remedy's patented surrealism, the core gameplay, and class synergy are high notes in particular; however the game is let down by a lack of content and technical issues. Hopefully, over time, FBC Firebreak can live up to its potential.

Blood Stone puts the world's favorite spy in a series of action and chase sequences that are exhilarating, but sadly they aren't enough to save this otherwise flat title.

With some seriously neat moments that echo some key scenes from the first two films and at just over five hours in length, is a neatly digestible morsel that doesn't surprise or innovate in any sort of meaningful way, but instead gives us more of that Terminator: Resistance goodness. Essentially, if you're a Terminator fan and played Terminator: Resistance through to completion, enjoyed it and wanted to stay in that world, then Annihilation Line is absolutely your ticket.

Conarium leans too heavily on Lovecraftian mythos without bringing anything new to the table. Complete lack of peril in the game robs it of any meaningful stakes. Most puzzles in the game are simplistic, and the most difficult ones were not particularly challenging. The storyline is a muddled mess that relies too much on style and not enough on substance.

Trillion: God of Destruction is an SRPG that probably should have been a visual novel. Its great character design, and top notch writing are held back by constant micromanagement. Worse still by a combat system that's hard to comprehend, and isn’t even fun when you do. Come for the art, don’t stay for the gameplay.

A fun RPG that rewards those with the patience to delve through the story. Hyperdimension Neptunia fans will instantly be attracted to its similar charm. As a new IP it also acts as a nice launching pad for those wanting to enjoy a brand new series, especially with a sequel already announced at Sony's pre-TGS 2014 conference this year.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts is the most average game I have ever played. Nothing it does is particularly memorable or amazing, but it isn't broken or bad either. The gameplay can be both enjoyable and clunky depending on the situation. The story is forgettable and environments aren't appealing. But, the game's open-ended levels and tick box-style gameplay make it a great game to play whilst listening to a podcast. Overall, it is a half-step forward for the franchise, but much like the previous games, there isn't much reason to check this entry out.

There's no doubt that White Shadows has something to offer in raw artistic spectacle, but there's far too many issues with the game to be celebrated. It comes across as a game that has its priorities completely upside down. While it's commendably brave that a brand new studio would explore delicate themes on their debut game, this preoccupation has apparently left no mind toward the fundamentals of what makes a gaming experience rewarding. Furthermore, these themes have not been handled in a very sophisticated manner. Social commentary aside, unoriginal level design, a forgettable narrative and poor frame performance sadly render White Shadows as one you can miss.

Piccolo Studios has once again managed to take something dark, desolate, and painful and find the beauty in it. After Us is a haunting tale of humanity's atrocities against the planet that hits closer to home than most people would want to accept. The game's mesmerising imagery haunted me at times and at other times had me in awe with its gorgeous vistas and art direction. It may be a simply platformer but it has a power message that everyone should pay attention to.

Great fun, but dancing feels tacked onto the established SingStar experience rather than a complete standalone dance package.

Without online co-op, Super Motherload falls a bit short of gaming greatness, but the marriage of entrancing sound and gameplay is still a fun experience.

The transition to an open world has not been easy, quite rough in fact. Still, Dynasty Warriors 9's many changes to the musou formula hold great promise for the future. This is the rebirth the series needed, regardless of its issues.

Tron: Catalyst did a great job of making me feel I was part of the Tron Universe, but it did a poor job of keeping me engaged. The characters, music, and voice work were great, but the combat became repetitive in the first hour, and the exploration didn't offer anything engaging to look forward to. For Tron fans, Catalyst is a no-brainer. For everyone else, it won't make you love or hate Tron more or less than you do now.

One thing’s for sure: There isn’t anything quite like Party Hard. A delirious, if flawed, marriage of Hitman, Hotline Miami, and Home Alone, Party Hard’s idiosyncrasies will no doubt turn off those without the patience to persevere; but for those willing to put the time in, Party Hard is murderously good fun at its most unhinged.

A shell of its predecessor. All the fun mechanics from Guided Fate Paradox have been removed and changed, leaving a generic but tedious combat system. The story, while potentially interesting, has major pacing and voice acting issues that dull the experience. Only a diehard NIS fan will want to play this game.

An unnecessary port of an already unspectacular game. It may find an audience, but it’ll make it as tough as possible to like it first.

There might be a fun game hidden in the halls and dungeons of Smash Hit Plunder, and the core mechanic is satisfying. But attempting to crash through the barrier caused by the difficult control scheme to reach the entertaining parts of Smash Hit Plunder ultimately feels a bit like a cauldron to the head.

Blair Witch is easily the best videogame take on the licence to date and an effective, frequently petrifying horror effort. Unfortunately, a much too long final chapter and pointless stealth sections late in the game sadly detract from a genre effort that is overflowing with dread and atmosphere.

Alpha Protocol is all ambition with little follow through. This espionage-RPG attempts to draw players into a world of lock picking, Saudi terrorists, and secret government conspiracies, but does it so ineffectively it is hard to maintain interest past the first mission.

What should be the best dynasty-formula game to date is marred by simple mistakes with its environments and musical score. Ignore those, and fans of Gundam and/or Dynasty Warriors will have a field day with so much stuff to unlock that it'd take 100 hours.

The Dragonball Z Budokai series put the combat of the anime into the hands of fans last generation, but this collection shows that the simplicity within that fan-fared series will only be enjoyed by fans and deter new players from starting.

Dusk Diver rewards you for everything that you do. A visual treat that just keeps on giving. Dusk Diver's pace also keeps the fun going until the very end. It's just a shame that it suffers from some translation issues and a story that never really realizes its true potential.

Cloudpunk is a fantastic sci-fi dystopia, with some great writing and voice-acting which helps bring the stories of the people of Nivalis to life. Whilst the experience can get a bit repetitive the excellence elsewhere ensures it is worth experiencing.

An oddly eclectic yet ultimately satisfying side-scrolling action adventure, Shadow of the Beast remains a solid and enjoyable gory brawler though it demands tolerance of its myriad of idiosyncrasies, some of which are far more forgivable than others.

There's a solid foundation to be found in this crossover fighter, and more than enough content to satisfy the appetite of a fighting game aficionado. Unfortunately, the exciting prospect of this crossover is somewhat watered down by a ho-hum presentation that lacks the punch and impact that it needs to really seal the deal. Despite that, fighting game fans will appreciate this re-release of a classic game that offers a solid amount of content and a variety of options to explore. Just don't expect a friendly experience for newcomers.

Despite some notable flaws, Phantasy Star Portable is an addictive hack 'n slash.

An avalanche of racing goodness, hokey social media anchoring and an oddly sparse open world aren't enough to prevent The Crew 2 from improving on the original in every way and providing a multi-disciplined racer that is quite unlike any other on PS4.

Excitebike meets Wipeout in this challenging arcade racing game. Great for those short line-ups when five minutes need to be burned but lacks any deep reserve of nitro to keep the engines burning at full speed into first place glory.

Gat out of Hell applies a dose of air freshener to mask the musty smell emanating from the more traditional aspects of the Saints Row formula and delivers a fun, if overly familiar, slice of its chaos-riddled gameplay.

If you want to show off PSVR to your friends, Robinson: The Journey is the game that you use to do it. Equally, if you want to lose yourself in your very own Jurassic Park style fantasy, Robinson: The Journey is undoubtedly a triumph in this respect; just don’t expect to find an overly challenging core lurking underneath its resplendent veneer.

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet could have been an exceptional title in the franchise, with a little more work on its story and skills system, Its combat, exploration, and great boss battles, on the other hand, make Fatal Bullet the best Sword Art Online title to date.

A new take on an old genre, Tiny Token Empires tries to be creative and innovate by splicing two genres together. Unfortunately, the dodgy controls and lack of depth means any time you do put into it isn't ultimately all that rewarding.

Kerbal Space Program is a fascinating educational tool. There's a childlike joy to be had in experimenting with your space-faring efforts. You'll find it hard to appreciate that on PS4 though, as this version is a mess on multiple levels. A genuinely good game is spoiled by a terrible port.

Farming Simulator 19 is a very visually appealing simulation/strategy game that absolutely nails the look and feel of the rural United States. Unfortunately, some very rough AI and a non-existent tutorial are barriers to entry. Series newcomers had best stand back and let the veterans clean this one up through mods before giving it a go.

Foregone is a mix of ideas that don't mesh well. The name of the game is simplicity, but Foregone contradicts itself with randomized loot, an immense difficulty spike, and a hard turn away from "play as you like" after committing to that formula. Foregone is a copycat title through and through with a couple good ideas that are encrusted with careless execution.

Need for Speed: The Run takes players on a cross country competition for the promise of rich rewards, but ultimately the function of delivering the narrative hinders an otherwise decent driving game.

Supermassive Games has nailed the thrill of funfair rides and amplified it with a healthy dose of horror. The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR utilizes the PSVR 2 toolset to great and grisly effect. It can be counted among the most consistently entertaining PSVR 2 experiences you can have.

Despite clunky combat and various frame rate issues, Silent Hill: Downpour is still a solid survival horror romp that any fan of the genre should take a punt on.

A stand-out physics puzzler very much in the Angry Birds mould, King Oddball has enough tweaks and accessibility of play to make it a worthwhile proposition for most, though folks adverse to the charms of Rovio's avian slinger will find little here to change their minds.

Atlas Fallen suffers a few mishaps along the way, with enemies able to do cheap shots, modernized fast travel limitations, and a rather empty map. At the same time, there's a fun story here that keeps you moving forward, and combat itself feels visceral without being over-demanding. This is a great entry point for newcomers to the genre. Atlas Fallen has high fantasy alongside simple but intricate combat. It may not make game of the year by any means, but it certainly makes a good impression.

The dipping frame rate and the formatting miscues keep this game from bumping elbows with the best that the PS Vita has to offer. Though it's still missing a great deal of content, at least gamers can transfer their saves and still play this with one friend.

Though the tonal shift might be too much for some longer term God of War vets and it really doesn't achieve anything fresh or new in the Metroidvania space, Sons of Sparta nevertheless stands as proof that AAA developers like Sony Santa Monica should continue to let talented indie devs play in their sandbox because despite such flawed, the results are still more than worthwhile.

Biomutant is a fun title with some amazing visuals and a huge open world to explore. Experiment 101 have gone out of their way to make you feel like you're a first-time visitor to an unknown landscape. Though its morality system leaves a lot to be desired there is plenty here to enjoy. Despite suffering from some technical issues, none of it hindered me from pouring hours and hours into the game. If you're looking for something fresh, unique, and exciting, Biomutant is a brand new IP that you should play.

Other than playing as some of my favourite wrestlers, I struggled to find many redeeming qualities with AEW Fight Forever. The game is lacking in modes, match types, wrestlers, and creation suite options. Combined with a generic and alarmingly short career mode, AEW Fight Forever is far from elite.

Windbound is a serviceable survival game that offers a unique sailing experience to keep hardcore fans of the genre interested. But with simplistic and bland-feeling combat and an experience that doesn't engage with its narrative (despite promising to), Windbound isn't recommended at full price.

Symphony of the Machine is a short puzzle game that really taps into the concepts of virtually reality. The game is kept simple, whilst the puzzles are tactical and challenging. If you are looking for a great VR puzzle game that should only take a few hours to complete, give this gem a spin.

The Silent Oath is an excellent story-driven game that brings out the very best of virtual reality’s application and is one that certainly deserves a sequel.

Varied and fun to play, Shadow of New Despair captures the intensity and feel of 70's and 80's monster/sci-fi movies, though its difficulty curve is sometimes hard to swallow.

Crimsonland's antiquated, cookie-cutter gameplay doesn't break new ground at all, but beneath the copious amounts of blood saturating the screen, you'll find that there's still some fun to be had in this mindless mutant massacre fest.

Yonder Chronicles brings to the industry a game focused more on exploring, developing, and interactions over violence and leveling, and the end product is refreshing. A few things hold it back, but the heart and soul of the entire package is not to be denied on its way to success.

Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire is a unique experience that presents a fun yet challenging combat system with great animations and a world where every decision you make affects the kingdom around you. It’s not perfect by any means but it succeeds more than it fails.

Automatron has a short-lived story that’s enjoyable without ever really kicking into gear, but luckily, the robot-building and other new additions to the Commonwealth save this first batch of Fallout 4 DLC from being a disappointment.

A flawed, but enjoyable RPG that pushes the limits of taste in western culture. Over-sensitive gamers of the social justice persuasion will hate it, but for those who are only looking for fun can pick this up and enjoy the humor and setting, and appreciate it for what it is: A piece of otaku fandom.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 is an adequate title that doesn't really take advantage of the PS Vita. Fans of Harry Potter will love to return to the magical universe, but everyone else will probably get bored.

Unusual Findings is a brutal point & click adventure that pays homage to classic titles in the genre. The traditional puzzle-solving and lack of direction may turn off a lot of players, but those that stick wit hit will find a rewarding experience that uses more of your critical thinking than most games ever have.

Dead Reset has horror, it can gross you out, and the choices and their deviating paths encourage experimentation-but its low-budget thrills quickly decay into rot as it fails to hold your attention or invigorate you in surprising new ways.