Dying Light 2: Stay Human, a Parkour Playground Wrapped Around a Shaky Story

Games · Purchased March 25, 2023 · $39.99 via PSN

The Setup

An open-world action-RPG/survival-horror set in the post-apocalyptic city of Villedor. You play parkour specialist Aiden Caldwell, blending free-running traversal with melee combat against human factions and zombie variants, in a world four times larger than the original Dying Light with a day/night cycle that changes zombie behaviour.

The Review

The parkour is genuinely best-in-class and makes just moving through the city fun on its own. It’s a huge, densely detailed world with real verticality, and the choice-driven questlines visibly reshape the city as you go. Combat feels floaty compared to the movement system, and the writing is a clear step down from the original.

What I Liked

Best-in-class parkour/traversal
Huge, densely detailed open world
Choice-driven questlines that reshape the city
Strong 4-player co-op

What I Didn’t

Combat feels floaty against the movement system
Story/dialogue writing is a step down from the first game
Launched with bugs and balance issues

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy

Hob: A Wordless Zelda-Like That’s Been Sitting in My Backlog Since 2017

Games · Purchased March 24, 2023 · $6.74 via PSN

The Setup

A PSN sale finally got me to pick up Hob, six years after it originally released. It’s a wordless action-adventure from the Torchlight developers — the whole story is told through visuals alone, as you explore a mechanical alien world, solve environmental puzzles, and gradually unlock new powers and areas.

The Review

It’s a genuinely gorgeous, atmospheric world that rewards just wandering around and poking at things. The puzzle design is smart without being obtuse, and there’s a real sense of discovery to it that a lot of modern open-world games have lost. Combat is the weak link — functional but clumsy, and the fixed camera has cost me a couple of avoidable deaths.

What I Liked

Gorgeous, atmospheric world that rewards exploration
Smart, non-obvious puzzle design
Wordless storytelling that still lands

What I Didn’t

Wordless narrative can leave the plot murky
Fixed camera causes a few unfair deaths
Combat feels clumsy next to the exploration

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy

PHOGS!, a Two-Headed Dog Co-Op Game That’s Impossible to Be Mad At

Games · Purchased March 25, 2023 · $11.72 via PSN

The Setup

A cooperative puzzle-platformer starring a two-headed dog, Red and Blue, that can stretch its body between the two heads. Solo or co-op, you bite, grab, and stretch through three themed worlds — Food, Play, and Sleep — each with six stages and a boss.

The Review

Genuinely adorable and charming, with co-op stretching/tug-of-war mechanics that feel creative rather than gimmicky. It’s a great low-stakes couch co-op pick for a relaxed weekend. Camera and controls get fiddly in tight spaces, and the puzzle difficulty is easy enough that it might bore a solo veteran puzzle fan.

What I Liked

Adorable, colorful art style
Creative, unique co-op puzzle mechanics
Great low-stakes couch co-op pick

What I Didn’t

Camera and controls feel fiddly in tight spaces
Puzzle difficulty is very easy

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy

Pistol Whip, a Rhythm Shooter That’s Somehow Still One of the Best VR Games Around

Games · Purchased March 26, 2023 · $27.99 via PSN

The Setup

A rhythm FPS where you auto-advance through stylized levels, shooting enemies in time with the beat of the soundtrack — part on-rails shooting gallery, part rhythm game. Originally a PSVR title, it picked up PSVR2 support around the new headset’s launch.

The Review

Still one of the most stylish, kinetic games in VR, with the music synced perfectly to the action and smart auto-aim that keeps the pace up without playing itself for you. It won an Immersive Reality Game of the Year award for a reason. Level structure is repetitive once you clear the core campaign, and the small pool of levels means you’re relying on remixes/modifiers for long-term replay value.

What I Liked

Stylish, kinetic presentation synced to the music
Smart auto-aim that keeps pace without overdoing it
Clear visual telegraphing of threats

What I Didn’t

Repetitive level structure post-campaign
Small pool of levels for the amount of remixing needed
Constant forward movement can still cause mild discomfort

The Verdict

Rating: 5/5

Where to Buy

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered, a GameCube Classic That Mostly Holds Up

Games · Purchased March 24, 2023 · $15.99 via PSN

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition — Photo: Square Enix / PlayStation

The Setup

A remaster of the 2003 GameCube classic — a 1-4 player action-RPG where a young Crystal Caravan traveler journeys the land collecting myrrh to protect their village from poisonous miasma. This version adds enhanced visuals, new voice acting, online crossplay multiplayer, extra dungeons, and a character-customization system.

The Review

The Amano-inspired art style holds up beautifully and the soundtrack is still excellent. Online multiplayer is a genuine improvement over the original’s link-cable setup and makes the caravan loop far more accessible. Combat and mission structure feel dated by modern standards, and I ran into some connection hiccups trying to get a full party together online.

What I Liked

Distinct, still-charming art style
Online multiplayer is a real quality-of-life win
Excellent, nostalgic soundtrack

What I Didn’t

Netcode/multiplayer connection issues
Combat and mission structure feel dated
Customization system leans a bit microtransaction-y

The Verdict

Rating: 3/5

Where to Buy

PlayStation Store

The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR, a Delayed Rail Shooter That Was Worth the Wait, Mostly

Games · Purchased March 18, 2023 · $32.09 via PSN

The Setup

A VR rail shooter spun off from The Dark Pictures Anthology — you ride a horror-themed roller-coaster-style track through remixed locations from the four main Dark Pictures games, shooting threats and solving light environmental puzzles along the way. It was originally meant to be a PSVR2 launch title but got pushed back about three weeks.

The Review

The haptic feedback tied to the "ride" — bumps, drops, weather effects — does a lot of the immersive heavy lifting, and revisiting locations from across the series is a nice bit of fan service. The on-rails structure limits your agency compared to other PSVR2 titles I’ve played, and ammo/reload management adds friction that felt more annoying than tense.

What I Liked

Strong haptic feedback tied to the ride
Nice environmental/weather effects
Fan-service value revisiting the series’ locations

What I Didn’t

On-rails structure limits player agency
Ammo/reload management adds unwanted friction
Fairly short, around a handful of hours

The Verdict

Rating: 3/5

Where to Buy

PlayStation Store

Destiny 2: Lightfall, a Great New Subclass Wrapped Around a Rushed Campaign

Games · Purchased February 28, 2023 · $83.74 via PSN

The Setup

Lightfall is Destiny 2’s seventh major expansion, sending Guardians to the neon city of Neomuna to stop the Witness, and introducing the Strand subclass. I grabbed it with the Annual Pass bundled in, covering the full year of seasonal content that followed.

The Review

Strand is genuinely one of the most fun subclasses Destiny has ever added — the mobility alone changes how I move through every activity. Neomuna is one of the best-looking destinations in the game. The campaign, though, was clearly rushed — the pacing and plot are confusing in a way the marketing never let on, and it’s a shame given how good the new toys are.

What I Liked

Strand is a fun, mobility-focused new subclass
Neomuna is visually one of Destiny’s best destinations
Annual Pass bundle saves money over the year
Strong new exotic chase

What I Didn’t

Campaign story feels rushed and confusingly paced
Annual Pass only pays off if you play the full year of seasons
Steep base price for a seasonal live-service game

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Where to Buy

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