DLC Review · Purchased December 19, 2024 · $13.43 CAD via PSN
PlayStation Plus Essential. Photo: PlayStation Store
The Setup
A single month of PlayStation’s entry-level online subscription tier, required for online multiplayer access and monthly free game claims, purchased as a short-term top-up rather than a longer commitment.
The Review
There is genuinely not much to review about a subscription service doing exactly what a subscription service is supposed to do: it granted online access and monthly game claims for the month I paid for, without incident. The real lesson from this purchase is entirely about math rather than the service itself: paying month to month like this works out to meaningfully more per month than committing to PlayStation’s 12-month plan, which is a common subscription trap across basically every service in this category, not unique to PlayStation specifically.
What I Liked
Does exactly what it promises, no complaints about the service itself
Useful as a genuine short-term top-up if you only need a single month
What I Didn’t
Noticeably worse per-month value than committing to a longer subscription term
Easy to accidentally overpay if you use PS Plus regularly but keep buying single months out of habit
The Verdict
Rating: 3/5
Only makes sense as a genuine short-term top-up. If you use PS Plus regularly, the 12-month plan is meaningfully cheaper per month than paying monthly the way I did here.
Game Review · Purchased December 22, 2024 · $44.99 CAD via EB Games
Life is Strange: Double Exposure. Photo: PlayStation Store
The Setup
Double Exposure catches up with original Life is Strange protagonist Max Caulfield years after the first game, swapping the original’s time-rewind mechanic for a new parallel-timeline system: rather than rewinding a single reality, Max can shift her perception between two diverging versions of the same moment.
The Review
Having replayed the Remastered Collection earlier in the year specifically to prepare for this, I went in about as primed as a player can be, and the writing and voice work that made the original resonate are clearly still present here: grounded character moments, a strong sense of place, and performances that carry a lot of emotional weight. Where reception, and my own experience, landed more mixed was the central mystery plot and the new parallel-timeline mechanic itself, which several reviewers and I both felt was less tightly constructed than the elegant simplicity of the original’s rewind power.
It is a game that clearly wanted to evolve the formula rather than just repeat it, and I respect that instinct even where the execution did not fully land for me the way the original did over a decade of hindsight and cultural conversation behind it.
What I Liked
Strong writing and voice performances consistent with the series’ reputation
New setting and older Max give the story fresh emotional territory to explore
Genuine attempt to evolve rather than repeat the original’s mechanics
What I Didn’t
New parallel-timeline mechanic feels less tightly constructed than the original’s rewind system
Central mystery plot underwhelmed compared to the series’ past narrative highs
Best appreciated with real prior investment in the series
The Verdict
Rating: 3/5
For existing fans of the series, this is a worthwhile continuation, but if you are new to Life is Strange, start with the Remastered Collection first rather than jumping straight into this one.
DLC Review · Purchased December 21, 2024 · $41.93 CAD via PSN
The Casting of Frank Stone. Photo: Steam
The Setup
A standalone narrative horror game set within the Dead by Daylight universe, developed by Supermassive Games in the same branching-choice, cinematic style that defines their Dark Pictures Anthology work.
The Review
The Supermassive DNA is unmistakable throughout: strong atmosphere, solid voice acting, and a branching-choice structure that gives individual playthroughs a genuine sense of consequence. As the last purchase of my entire 2024 spreadsheet, it closed the year on a reasonably strong note, atmospherically at least. Where reception, including my own reaction, landed more mixed was on how well the story actually capitalized on its connection to Dead by Daylight’s established lore, several reviewers felt the link to that wider universe was more surface-level connective tissue than a substantive deep dive worth the price of entry for existing Dead by Daylight fans specifically hoping for real lore payoff.
What I Liked
Strong atmosphere and voice acting consistent with Supermassive’s other work
Branching choices give real weight to individual playthroughs
A solid horror narrative on its own terms
What I Didn’t
Connection to Dead by Daylight’s lore feels more surface-level than substantive
General narrative-horror fans without franchise attachment may want to wait for a discount
The Verdict
Rating: 3/5
Reasonable for horror and Dead by Daylight fans specifically looking for more narrative context on that universe, general narrative-game fans may want to wait for a sale before jumping in.
Hardware Review · Purchased December 9, 2024 · $1,075.18 CAD via EB Games
The PS5 Pro. Photo via Best Buy Canada.
This was the single biggest console purchase of my year, and it is also the one I have gone back and forth on the most while writing about it.
The Background
Sony announced the PS5 Pro in September 2024 with Canadian pricing set at $959.99 before tax, positioning it as a mid-generation refresh rather than a true next console: better and more consistent ray tracing, higher and steadier frame rates in supported titles, and a beefed-up GPU, all while keeping the same basic PS5 software ecosystem and game library rather than starting over. It also ships with a built-in 2TB SSD, up from the base model’s smaller drive, which mattered to me given how quickly modern installs eat through storage.
I picked mine up at EB Games in early December, and the total I paid ($1,075.18) reflects tax plus whatever accessory or bundle got attached at checkout on top of that base $959.99 price. By the time I bought in, launch week chaos had settled and stock was reasonably available, which was one small mercy in an otherwise expensive month.
Living With It
The honest starting point here is that the PS5 Pro is a real, measurable upgrade, but only in games that specifically support its enhancements. Sony calls this “PS5 Pro Enhanced,” and through the back half of 2024 that list was still filling in rather than covering the full library. In supported titles, the difference is genuinely noticeable: steadier frame rates during busy scenes, meaningfully improved ray-traced reflections and lighting, and in some cases the ability to run performance-mode frame rates at what used to be quality-mode resolution. In anything outside that enhanced list, you are playing the exact same experience as a base PS5, just on more expensive hardware.
The built-in 2TB drive is a genuinely welcome quality-of-life improvement on its own, and it means less immediate pressure to add an internal expansion drive the way base PS5 owners often need to.
Where this purchase gets harder to defend is the price-to-benefit math. Going from a base PS5 to a PS5 Pro costs roughly the same as buying a second console, for improvements that, outside of enhanced titles, you will not notice at all during actual play. This is squarely a purchase for people who already care about frame pacing, resolution, and ray tracing fidelity at a level most casual players simply do not track moment to moment.
What I Liked
Noticeably better and steadier performance in PS5 Pro Enhanced titles
Meaningfully improved ray tracing quality where supported
Built-in 2TB SSD solves the storage anxiety base PS5 owners deal with
No ecosystem changes, every existing game and save just works
What I Didn’t
Enhanced title support was still incomplete through the back half of 2024
No visible benefit at all in non-enhanced games, which is most of the existing library
At over $1,000 CAD out the door, this is priced like a luxury upgrade, not a necessary one
Requires you to already own or be replacing a base PS5, so the real cost comparison is steep
The Value Verdict
Rating: 3/5
I do not regret this purchase, but I also cannot recommend it to everyone. If you are the kind of player who genuinely notices frame pacing dips and resolution compromises, and you have the specific games in your rotation that support the Pro enhancements, this delivers real, tangible improvement. If you are a more casual player, save the money and put it toward the games themselves.
DLC Review · Purchased November 20, 2024 · $71.76 CAD via Xbox.com
Disney Dreamlight Valley: The Storybook Vale. Photo: PlayStation Store
The Background
Disney Dreamlight Valley built a loyal audience by blending cozy life-sim mechanics (farming, decorating, friendship building) with actual Disney and Pixar characters and storylines, and The Storybook Vale is a premium expansion pack adding new realms, characters, including Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, and story content on top of that established foundation.
Living With It
This is the priciest DLC purchase in my entire 2024 spreadsheet, and coming in above the $70 mark puts it in a different category than the roughly $12 PowerWash packs and $21 currency bundles that make up most of this section. That price is more defensible than it might first appear, given how much new content the expansion actually adds: new realms to explore and decorate, meaningful character-specific storylines rather than generic filler quests, and enough new systems and content to genuinely extend the life of a game that some players had already worked through the bulk of.
Reviews at launch (and my own time with it) landed on similar ground: this is a well-produced, content-rich expansion that clearly understands what the existing Dreamlight Valley audience wants, more of the same core loop, done well, with new characters and settings to wrap around it. What it is not is a reinvention of the formula, and a small number of reviewers specifically flagged that as a minor disappointment given the price point, wanting the premium expansion to push the format somewhere genuinely new rather than expanding it along the same lines.
For someone already invested in the base game’s rhythm, spending an evening building out a new Rapunzel-themed area of the valley delivered exactly the kind of relaxing, satisfying progression loop that made the base game worth playing regularly in the first place.
What I Liked
Genuinely substantial amount of new content, not a thin premium reskin
Rapunzel and Flynn Rider’s storylines are well written and true to the source material
Extends the life of a game I was already invested in rather than replacing what worked
What I Didn’t
The priciest DLC purchase of my entire year, worth going in with clear expectations
More of the same established formula rather than a meaningful evolution of it
Value is heavily dependent on already being invested in the base game’s core loop
The Value Verdict
Rating: 3/5
Reasonable if you are already invested in Dreamlight Valley as an ongoing game, this delivers real, substantial content. Just know going in that this is a “more of what you already like” purchase rather than a must-have reinvention.
Game Review · Purchased October 20, 2024 · $20.15 CAD via PSN
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Photo: PlayStation Store
The Setup
Rocksteady’s live-service superhero shooter launched earlier in 2024 to a rocky reception, a genuine surprise given the studio’s beloved Batman: Arkham legacy, and by the time I picked it up in October at a steep post-launch discount, the game had already become something of a cautionary tale in the industry about chasing live-service trends with a studio and franchise built around single-player storytelling.
The Review
Coming in with lowered expectations and a heavily discounted price actually made for a more fair assessment than launch reviews probably allowed for: the core shooting and traversal mechanics are genuinely fine, even solid in short bursts, with each character controlling distinctly enough to matter. The problems reviewers and the community flagged at launch are still present though: a live-service structure bolted onto characters and a universe that fans wanted a proper single-player Arkham-style story from, and narrative choices (without spoiling specifics) that a large portion of the existing fanbase found genuinely unwelcome.
Playing this months after launch, once the initial backlash had already reshaped the wider conversation around the game, it was hard not to view it as a case study in mismatched expectations between what a studio’s fanbase wanted and what got built.
What I Liked
Solid core shooting and traversal mechanics
Distinct character playstyles
At a steep discount, low financial risk to see the discourse firsthand
What I Didn’t
Live-service structure clashes with what fans of the studio’s prior work actually wanted
Narrative choices proved divisive within the existing fanbase
Full launch price would be very hard to justify given the reception
The Verdict
Rating: 2/5
At the deep discount I paid, this was a reasonable curiosity purchase. At full launch price, this would be a hard no, and the wider gaming community’s reaction backs that up.
DLC Review · Purchased October 12, 2024 · $12.31 CAD via PSN
PowerWash Simulator: Shrek Special Pack. Photo: Steam
The Setup
The fifth and final PowerWash Simulator crossover pack I bought in 2024, this one sends you scrubbing down the Swamp and other Far Far Away locations, complete with recognizable music cues from the films.
The Review
Of all five crossovers in my 2024 haul, this was the one the wider gaming community seemed most excited about before it even released, and playing it, the enthusiasm makes sense. There is something inherently funny and satisfying about power-washing an ogre’s swamp specifically, and the developers clearly understood the meme potential of the pairing, leaning into it with genuine care in the level design and audio rather than treating it as a cheap licensing grab. Closing out my year of PowerWash crossovers on this note felt appropriate, easily one of the two or three strongest packs in the entire line.
What I Liked
Genuinely fun, meme-aware execution of the crossover concept
Strong recognizable music and setting work
A satisfying way to close out the year’s run of these packs
What I Didn’t
Same short-content tradeoff as the rest of the line
Appeal leans on already finding the Shrek and PowerWash pairing funny
The Verdict
Rating: 5/5
One of the more fun packs in the entire series, purely for the novelty of power-washing an ogre’s swamp, and a great note to end my year of these crossovers on.
Toys & Collectibles Review · Purchased September 29, 2024 · $92.03 CAD ($67.77 USD) via Bungie.net
The Bungie LMTD Ace of Spades blaster. Photo: Bleeding Cool
There is a specific kind of joy in holding a physical version of something that has only ever existed as pixels and a satisfying reload animation.
The Background
The Ace of Spades is arguably Destiny’s most iconic weapon, a hand cannon with over a decade of lore, community attachment, and in-game history behind it. Bungie’s LMTD collectibles line, produced in partnership with Nerf-style blaster manufacturing, turned that weapon into a real, licensed foam dart blaster, sold directly through Bungie’s own store rather than through general retail channels. I ordered mine in late September, paying $67.77 USD, which converted to $92.03 CAD on my card.
This is squarely a fan merchandise purchase rather than a general toy purchase, and Bungie’s own marketing around the LMTD line has always leaned into that: these are built for people who already care about the in-game weapon’s design and lore, not positioned as a generic blaster that happens to have game branding slapped on it.
Living With It
Build quality here exceeded my expectations for a licensed collectible in this category. The blaster uses real spring-action firing rather than a cheap, flimsy mechanism, the deco work faithfully translates the in-game weapon’s distinctive rose gold and black colour scheme and engraved detailing, and the packaging itself was clearly designed with display and unboxing in mind, the kind of presentation that makes a purchase like this feel like a genuine collectible rather than a toy aisle impulse buy.
As an actual foam blaster, it performs the way a decent mid-tier Nerf product should: solid range and consistent firing for casual use, nothing revolutionary, and that is exactly as it should be, since firing performance was never really the point of this purchase.
Where this lives or dies, entirely, is prior attachment to the source material. Someone with zero context for Destiny would be looking at a somewhat expensive foam blaster with unusual styling and no real way to appreciate why the colour scheme or engravings matter. For a longtime player, it is a genuinely well-executed piece of fandom merchandise.
What I Liked
Build quality and deco work exceeded expectations for a licensed collectible blaster
Faithful translation of the in-game weapon’s distinctive design and colour scheme
Real spring-action firing mechanism, not a cheap or flimsy toy build
Packaging and presentation clearly designed with collectors in mind
What I Didn’t
Entirely dependent on prior attachment to Destiny to justify the price
Firing performance is solid but unremarkable compared to dedicated Nerf products at a similar price
A niche purchase that will mean nothing to anyone outside the game’s community
The Value Verdict
Rating: 4/5
For Destiny fans, this is a well-made piece of fan merchandise for a genuinely franchise-defining weapon, and it delivered above my expectations for build quality. If you have no attachment to the game, this price will look steep for what is, at its core, a foam dart blaster, and that reaction would be entirely fair.
DLC Review · Purchased September 6, 2024 · $11.20 CAD via PSN
Astro Bot Digital Deluxe Upgrade. Photo: PlayStation Store
The Setup
A digital upgrade purchased the same day as the physical copy of Astro Bot and the limited edition DualSense controller, unlocking extra cosmetics and bonus content tied to the game’s Deluxe tier.
The Review
Given how thoroughly Astro Bot earned its Game of the Year win (reviewed at length elsewhere in this series), an eleven-dollar add-on to an already excellent game is about as low-risk a purchase as exists in this entire spreadsheet. The extra cosmetics and bonus content are exactly what you would expect from a digital upgrade tier: nice to have, not remotely necessary to enjoy the core game, but a pleasant bit of extra flavour for a game I was already thrilled to be playing.
What I Liked
Trivially cheap add-on to an outstanding base game
Extra cosmetic content is a nice bonus rather than a cynical upsell
What I Didn’t
Entirely unnecessary if you are budget-conscious, the base game does not need this to be excellent
The Verdict
Rating: 4/5
As a cheap add-on to a Game of the Year-calibre title, this is easy to recommend, more because the base game earns it than because the upgrade itself is essential.
Hardware Review · Purchased September 6, 2024 · $111.98 CAD via EB Games
The Astro Bot Limited Edition DualSense. Photo via PlayStation.Blog.
Sometimes you buy a piece of hardware for what it does. Sometimes you buy it for what it looks like sitting on your shelf. This is very much the second kind of purchase, and I am not going to pretend otherwise.
The Background
Astro Bot launched in September 2024 to the kind of reception that immediately tells you something special happened: near-universal critical acclaim, and eventually the Game Awards’ Game of the Year trophy. Sony backed the launch with a limited edition DualSense controller in Astro Bot’s cream-and-blue colour scheme, complete with small Astro Bot etchings and a matching light bar treatment, and it sold out fast enough that I count myself lucky to have grabbed one at EB Games on launch week rather than hunting resale listings afterward.
I bought this the same day as the physical copy of the game and the digital deluxe upgrade, so this was very much a “go all in on launch day” purchase rather than a considered, separate decision.
Living With It
Let’s be completely honest about what this controller is: a completely standard DualSense with a limited edition paint job. The haptics, adaptive triggers, built-in speaker, and touchpad all function identically to the roughly $85 base model. There is no functional upgrade hiding in here, no exclusive feature, nothing that makes Astro Bot the game play or feel any different than it would on a plain black pad.
What you are paying the premium for is entirely the aesthetics, and on that front it delivers. The colourway is genuinely well done, restrained rather than garish, and it photographs nicely if you are the type to post a setup shot. Because these sold out quickly around launch, there is also a small collector’s satisfaction in having one from the actual release window rather than picking one up later.
If I am being fully honest with myself, the DualSense form factor itself is what makes this purchase easy to justify at all: it is already a genuinely excellent controller before you factor in any paint job, with haptic feedback that meaningfully changes how a lot of PS5 games feel to play.
What I Liked
Clean, well-executed colour scheme that does not feel gimmicky
Same excellent DualSense hardware underneath (haptics, adaptive triggers, speaker)
Limited release window adds a bit of genuine collector’s value
Paired perfectly with launch day for one of the best games of the year
What I Didn’t
Zero functional difference from the roughly $85 base DualSense
Pure premium-for-aesthetics purchase, easy to talk yourself out of if you are budget conscious
Limited stock meant a real risk of missing out entirely if I had waited even a week
The Value Verdict
Rating: 3/5
Judge this one by what it actually is: a paint job on hardware you would probably buy anyway. If you love Astro Bot and want the shelf piece to match, it delivers exactly what it promises and nothing more. If you are looking at this as a controller upgrade, save the premium and get the base model instead.
The Compulsive Canadian Gamer 