After the Fall: Complete Edition, a Left 4 Dead for the VR Crowd

Games · Purchased February 24, 2023 · $33.99 via PSN

The Setup

A cooperative VR zombie shooter for up to four players, set in an alternate frozen-over 1980s Los Angeles — structurally it’s Left 4 Dead with a VR headset strapped on. The Complete Edition bundles the base game with everything released for it since launch.

The Review

The gunplay is satisfying, elevated by PSVR2’s resolution and haptics, and the manual reload mechanic is a great tactile touch that rewards skill with bonus headshot damage once you get the hang of it. The loot/progression system keeps me replaying missions. The wrist-inventory storage is tiny though, and I’ve lost more than one item mid-mission because of it.

What I Liked

Satisfying gunplay elevated by PSVR2’s haptics
Manual reload mechanic is tactile and rewarding
Rewarding loot/progression system
Genuinely fun in co-op

What I Didn’t

Not enough map/mode variety long-term
Tiny wrist inventory is a constant hassle
AI bot companions are unreliable without a full squad

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy

Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge Enhanced Edition, a Solid Reason to Own a PSVR2

Games · Purchased February 23, 2023 · $66.99 via PSN

The Setup

A first-person VR action-adventure where you play a droid repair tech stranded on Batuu, pulled into missions across the planet alongside C-3PO and R2-D2. The Enhanced Edition adds new content and PSVR2-specific upgrades like eye-tracking foveated rendering and haptics.

The Review

The real-time physical interactions — grabbing weapons and tools right off your belt — sell the Star Wars fantasy better than most flat-screen games manage. About 7 hours of content across the main story and bonus tales, with well-acted droid companions carrying a lot of the charm. Some tracking quirks (a wrist communicator that doesn’t always register) are the main blemish.

What I Liked

Physical, tactile interactions sell the VR fantasy
Well-acted, likable droid companions
Comfortable teleport movement, low motion sickness
Solid ~7 hours of content

What I Didn’t

A second playthrough is much shorter, reusing the same missions
Occasional tracking/clipping quirks
No melee option despite close-quarters moments

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy

PlayStation Store

Tentacular: Playing as a Giant, Well-Meaning Tentacle Monster Is More Fun Than It Sounds

Games · Purchased February 24, 2023 · $33.49 via PSN

The Setup

A physics-based puzzle-adventure where you play a giant, good-natured tentacle monster, using your tentacles to build contraptions and solve environmental puzzles across a sandbox world, wrapped in a light, humorous story about self-discovery.

The Review

It’s a lot funnier and more heartwarming than the "giant tentacle monster" premise suggests, and there’s real substance here — 10+ hours across 50+ levels, which is a lot for a VR title. The tentacle-physics puzzle mechanics feel genuinely novel. The one real downside is that it’s VR-exclusive with no flat-screen mode, so it’s a hard sell to friends without a headset.

What I Liked

Substantial length for a VR title
Genuinely funny, heartwarming tone
Novel, tactile tentacle-physics puzzle mechanics
Flexible comfort settings

What I Didn’t

VR-exclusive, no flat-screen option
Single-player only despite the playful premise

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy

PlayStation Store

FANTAVISION 202X, a Gorgeous PS5 Fireworks Puzzle Game With Not Much Underneath

Games · Purchased February 25, 2023 · $18.89 via PSN

The Setup

A remake of the PS2 launch title FantaVision, PS5-exclusive. It’s a puzzle/strategy game where you select and detonate chains of same-colored firework "flares" for chain-reaction combo scores — think Missile Command with fireworks.

The Review

Visually this is a showcase piece — dense, gorgeous particle effects that make good use of the PS5. The chain-combo puzzle loop is satisfying in short bursts and it’s a strong nostalgia hit for PS2-era fans. There just isn’t much depth underneath the spectacle; a few reviewers called it more tech demo than game, and I get why.

What I Liked

Gorgeous, dense particle/fireworks effects
Satisfying, meditative chain-combo loop
Strong PS2-era nostalgia factor

What I Didn’t

Shallow depth of mechanics for a full-price release
Limited replayability once combos are mastered
No cross-gen version

The Verdict

Rating: 3/5

Where to Buy

PlayStation Store

Awesome Asteroids: A Budget PSVR2 Launch Title That’s Exactly What It Says on the Box

Games · Purchased February 25, 2023 · $8.79 via PSN

The Setup

A budget-priced arcade shoot-’em-up that reimagines classic Asteroids in full 3D VR — blast waves of asteroids and enemy ships with lasers, rockets, and a gatling gun while defending your bases, grabbing shield power-ups along the way.

The Review

This one’s exactly what the $8.79 price tag suggests — simple, pick-up-and-play arcade fun with a decent sense of scale for a budget title, and a nice nostalgic hook if you grew up on the original Asteroids. It’s shallow and repetitive if you sit with it too long, and the presentation is noticeably dated next to the bigger PSVR2 launch titles, but for the price it’s a fine way to kill twenty minutes.

What I Liked

Simple, pick-up-and-play arcade fun
Decent sense of scale/immersion for the price
Nostalgic hook for Asteroids fans

What I Didn’t

Shallow, repetitive gameplay loop
Dated presentation next to other PSVR2 launch titles
Very light on content/modes

The Verdict

Rating: 3/5

Where to Buy

PlayStation Store

WHAT THE BAT?, More Absurdist Slapstick From the What the Golf? Team

Games · Purchased February 25, 2023 · $26.79 via PSN

The Setup

From the makers of What the Golf?, a slapstick, absurdist minigame collection themed around baseball bats — your hand becomes a bat (or something sillier) across 100+ short, chaotic levels of physical comedy.

The Review

It’s consistently silly in a way that escalates well, and it’s a genuinely good "hand the headset to a friend" party game. About 4 hours of content across the 100+ bite-sized levels, with a wholesome original soundtrack underneath the chaos. Some of the jokes are recycled from What the Golf?, and it’s on the shorter side once you’ve seen the gags.

What I Liked

Consistently silly, escalating sense of humor
Over 100 varied bite-sized levels
Great pick-up-and-play party game

What I Didn’t

Some jokes recycled from What the Golf?
Short with low replay value once you’ve seen it all

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy

Tetris Effect: Connected on PSVR2 Is the Best Reason to Own the Headset

Games · Purchased February 23, 2023 · $13.49 via PSN

The Setup

Second purchase after the headset itself, and it wasn’t close. Tetris Effect: Connected wraps classic Tetris mechanics in synesthetic audiovisual presentation — music, lighting, and particle effects all sync to your play — and the PSVR2 version adds native VR, layered haptics, and eye tracking on top.

The Review

This is the game I hand the headset to skeptical friends for. It’s meditative, stunning, and the "Zone" mechanic (freezing time to clear lines) adds real strategic depth to something as simple as Tetris. There’s a huge amount of content here across 30+ stages plus robust cross-play multiplayer.

What I Liked

Stunning, meditative audiovisual design
The Zone mechanic adds real strategic depth
Huge amount of content and modes
PSVR2’s haptics and eye tracking genuinely add something

What I Didn’t

Pricey re-buy if you already own the PS4 version
Pacing can feel slow until you learn the Zone/Journey modes

The Verdict

Rating: 5/5

Where to Buy

Sony’s PSVR2: A Genuinely Great Headset Tethered to a Genuinely Annoying Cable

Hardware · Purchased February 22, 2023 · $918.27 via EbGames

The Setup

Launch day. I lined up a PSVR2 the moment EbGames opened on February 22nd, and immediately followed it with a small pile of launch titles (more on those in separate posts). The headset has dual OLED panels, eye tracking, inside-out tracking with no external cameras needed, and the Sense controllers with adaptive triggers and haptics.

The Review

The display is sharp enough that I stopped noticing the screen-door effect within an hour, and the eye tracking genuinely changes how some games render and play. The Sense controllers with their adaptive triggers are the best VR controllers I’ve used. The single tether cable, though, is a constant low-grade annoyance — there’s no wireless option, and I’ve caught it on my chair more than once mid-session.

What I Liked

Sharp OLED panels with strong HDR
No external tracking cameras to set up
Eye tracking enables genuinely novel gameplay
Sense controllers feel excellent

What I Didn’t

Wired only — no wireless option
Can feel front-heavy on long sessions
Smaller launch library than I’d like

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy

An Xbox Rechargeable Battery Pack, Finally Ditching AAs

Hardware · Purchased January 20, 2023 · $32.47 via Amazon

PowerA Rechargeable Battery Pack for Xbox — Photo: PowerA

The Setup

An officially licensed rechargeable battery solution that replaces AA batteries in an Xbox Series X controller via a swappable battery door, charged over USB-C. I’d been burning through AAs for long enough that this felt overdue.

The Review

Simple drop-in swap for the AA door and decent battery life for casual play, at a more affordable price than some third-party charging-dock bundles. Capacity is noticeably lower than higher-end rechargeable packs, and you do have to pop the controller open to swap the door and battery — a charging cable/dock is sold separately from the bare pack, which feels like a minor cash grab.

What I Liked

Officially licensed, simple drop-in swap
Decent battery life for casual play
Affordable, convenient USB-C charging

What I Didn’t

Lower capacity than higher-end third-party packs
Requires opening the controller to swap the door/battery
Charging dock/cable often sold separately

The Verdict

Rating: 3/5

Where to Buy

TP-Link’s AX3000 Range Extender, Fixing My Wi-Fi Dead Zone for Under $120

Hardware · Purchased January 15, 2023 · $119.86 via Amazon

TP-Link AX3000 WiFi 6 Range Extender (RE700X) — Photo: TP-Link

The Setup

A plug-in dual-band Wi-Fi 6 range extender (the RE700X) with a Gigabit Ethernet port, OFDMA, beamforming, and OneMesh compatibility for extending my existing TP-Link router’s network into the one corner of the house that always struggled for signal.

The Review

It solved the dead zone immediately, and setup through the TP-Link Tether app was painless. OneMesh support means devices roam between the router and extender without me thinking about it most of the time. Like any extender it roughly halves throughput on the extended segment, and placement took a bit of trial and error to find the sweet spot.

What I Liked

Solid Wi-Fi 6 speed/range boost for the price
Easy app-based setup
OneMesh gives near-seamless roaming
Compact plug-in design

What I Didn’t

Roughly halves throughput on the extended segment
Placement is finicky — needs a decent signal from the router first
Some devices need to manually reconnect when moving between zones

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5