What are the best linear games on PS4?

Excellent voice acting, great story, smooth lighting, detailed object/level design, extensive number of people and objects to interact with, and even amazing music. Everything about the game makes it very enjoyable to play. See More

score 4 · Answer 2

Life is Strange

Top Pro

A well-polished experience

Top Con

Some audio sync issues

In addition to poorly done lip syncing, character voice lines sometimes overlap as well. You might not understand what's being said unless you turn on the subtitles. It can be really annoying at times, even with subtitles. See More

Specs

Genre:Adventure, Narrative

Life is Strange expertly portrays a teenagers life during high school, capturing all the good and bad emotions, while also adding a supernatural twist. The main character and her issues are relatable, side characters are interesting, and the plot twists are very unexpected. The story as a whole is very enjoyable, keeping you on the edge of your seat most of the time. See More

Top Pro

Great story

Top Con

Choices feel a little lacking

While there are many choices in Life is Strange, most of them have no long term impact on the story. The only noticeable changes are the dialogue lines and what scenes you get. While this adds some nuances to your journey, the destination is ultimately the same. See More

Top Pro

Choice based gameplay with a twist

Your character can rewind time, so you can undo any recent choice or action, allowing you to try out different ones. This feels really awesome since in most games you'd have to reload your save or replay through entire sections just to view the other choices. See More

The Last of Us is story about loss, family, and protecting your loved ones. From beginning to the end it's filled with sad scenes and touching moments, so you're in for a ride. It also deals with the harsh reality of surviving in a post-apocalyptic world. Kindness gets you nowhere and only the cold-hearted can truly survive. Even if you make the right choice, you'll still have regrets, which sticks with you and changes you. In the end everyone's just trying make the best out of a bad situation. That makes you think how far you'd go to survive and how long you'd still be your old self. Having characters you can relate to makes the story a lot more enjoyable. See More

score 7 · Answer 3

The Last of Us Remastered

Top Pro

Emotional story with characters you can relate to

Top Con

Minor graphical issues

You'll occasionally notice texture pop-ins and characters briefly disappearing. It's not really game-breaking, but could potentially ruin your immersion. See More

Specs

This game has a very simple crafting system where you collect scraps and combine them to make items. You can also craft weapons such as the Molotov cocktail and the nail bomb. Both weapons can take out most enemies instantly. It's quite refreshing to see such an accessible and useful crafting system. See More

Top Pro

Simple but useful crafting system

Top Pro

Comes with all of the DLC

The Last of Us was first released on PS3, and a lot of extra content was released later. The Last of Us Remastered comes with all of that content included. This will help you save some money on DLC purchases. See More

Even though the story dives deep into heavy themes such as abuse, loss, and depression, it never becomes too overbearing. That is thanks to its lighthearted moments, funny situations, and feel-good subplots to ease the gloom of a sullen reality. This creates a wonderfully woven story with a satisfying conclusion. See More

score 3 · Answer 4

Persona 5

Top Pro

Well-balanced story

Top Con

The time managment might feel constricting at times

Persona 5 uses a calendar-based time system, advancing the in-game date after you've done several activities during a day. The main drawback is that you're constantly trying to meet story-enforced deadlines, which require you to clear a dungeon before it's too late. This constantly puts you under pressure, causing you to spend more time on dungeons and less time on side-activities. It makes it feel like you're forced to do what the game tells you, which might dampen your enjoyment at times. See More

Specs

Your character is one of the very few highschoolers in a game that actually has to go to school. This includes attending lessons, answering your teacher's questions, taking midterms, and many other things, which is actually kinda fun. Then when school's out, you can go spend time with your friends or alone in Persona 5's version of Tokyo. You can hit up a karaoke, a batting center, or numerous other locations, all the while meeting new people and establishing connections with them. All of this makes it a refreshing change from most modern games where you're always trying to kill or blow up someone. See More

Top Pro

Living the life of a highschooler is surprisingly fun

Top Pro

Entertaining dungeons

In Persona 5 you'll explore many unique locations, including a medieval castle, an ancient pyramid, and even a futuristic spacecraft. Each location is filled with bizarre enemies, interesting puzzles, and various secrets. The great variation in enemies, layouts, and theme keeps the exploration exciting and will keep you interested in seeing more. See More

Uncharted 4 brings you to many locations and each one is very beautiful and filled with mystery. A calming beach, a vast Savannah, a snowy mountain, ancient ruins, and lost temples among many others. It's really exhilarating to see where you'll be going next in search of treasures. See More

score 2 · Answer 5

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Top Pro

Exciting exploration

Top Con

Last act feels drawn out

The last third of the game can be quite repetitive, tasking the player with the same objectives over and over again. The feeling that this was done to extend the gameplay is difficult to ignore. See More

Specs

Uncharted 4 stealth mechanics feel very good, even though you can't lure enemies or drag their bodies. If you're patient enough you can avoid an open confrontation in most levels. This is a really refreshing change of pace in the Uncharted series, which is known for its non-stop action. See More

Top Pro

Decent stealth gameplay

Top Con

Troublesome controls at times

The cover system is a bit wonky at times, causing you to take cover at the wrong places. There are also some issue with platforming, causing your character to grab the wrong ledges occasionally. While both of these don't happen too often, it can cause some frustration during hectic moments. See More

Top Pro

Excellent character development

Uncharted 4 features some of the best character development in a game. The motivations, actions, and growth of your character is believable. This is achieved thanks to amazing voice acting and excellent writing. The conclusion to your character's story arc is especially satisfying. See More

Top Pro

Great multiplayer

The shooting feels great, the movements feel really fluid, but most importantly – the multiplayer is well-balanced. When you win, you know it's because you/your team played well. When you lose you'll understand that the enemy was better. It doesn't devolve into players constantly spamming overpowered setups or abilities, making it a fair, action-packed, and fun experience. See More

Exploring the locations in Dragon Quest XI and discovering new towns and cities are some of the best parts of the game. From how beautiful everything looks, like tiny details in architectural designs and how colorful the maps are, just walking around and adventuring is a ton of fun. Getting to a new area is a lot like seeing an impressive vista for the first time, just from the sheer size of the cities you come across. Running around in the towns and talking to all of the people who live there really lets you see the culture and inspiration behind each of the places. You get a real sense of adventure and awe from the exploration, helping to keep you hooked throughout the long hours of the main story. See More

score 2 · Answer 6

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Top Pro

Gorgeous and expansive environments, towns, and cities to explore

Top Con

Too familiar and formulaic as a JRPG

If you typically stay away from JRPGs that follow the same old formulas with their turn-based combat and linear stories, then Dragon Quest XI probably won't change your mind about that. It's the type of game that stays true to its roots and mostly avoids changing up its formula. It gets a lot of credit for being part of the franchise that created the formula in the first place, but it still won't win over players who are turned off by traditional JRPGs. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

The combat is by-the-books as far as JRPGs go, with a great turn-based system that stays true to the traditional formula. You have a party of up to four companions taking turns to attack the enemies, with a menu-based system where you pick your spells, abilities, and items to use as strategically as possible. If you love old school JRPG combat systems, this is an excellent one to check out. The game encourages you to switch up your party members, since everyone has their own specialized abilities and skill tress to help them feel like they truly have their own combat identities. Switching members in and out of battle is a solid way to tackle the challenges that the game throws at you. Everything works well and feels like another good iteration of the tried-and-true turn-based combat formula. See More

Top Pro

Well-implemented turn-based combat for traditional JRPG fans

Top Con

Some pacing issues with the story

While the story is mostly well-written and easy to follow, there are some hangups here and there. With a 70+ campaign, it's understandable that the plot drags in certain places. Depending on your tolerance levels, it shouldn't be enough to make you put the game down, but it is pretty noticeable when it happens. See More

Top Pro

Light-hearted and entertaining story that can take 70+ hours

Dragon Quest XI has an excellent story that spans well over 70 hours. You start off as a supposed harbinger of darkness, demonized by the government as a danger to the people, but things quickly turn around to a much lighter tone. Journeying across the world with your companions to save various places from evil forces helps to show your true and honorable intentions, especially as you befriend like-minded companions who all have their own well-written personalities, from eccentric tricksters to more grounded warriors. While the larger story looms over your head, you're mostly free to spend time getting to know your party members through plenty of fun interactions. The plot does tread familiar ground by JRPG standards, meaning your mileage may vary on whether it innovates enough or not for your tastes. If you want a lengthy story that feels familiar but isn't too weighed down by dark themes, this is a pretty good fit. See More

Top Pro

Cool anime art style with detailed cel-shaded graphics

This is a great-looking game that stays true to its original art style from the 1980s. The sharp and colorful art style is a staple of the series that's now an iconic look. The cel-shaded graphics help to keep the game from looking dated in the generations to come. They made sure to update the anime look by using excellent motion capture, realistic lighting effects, and awesome animations for each monster that gives them some extra personality. It's such a nice game to look at that's sure to age well down the line. See More

Top Pro

Accessible for Dragon Quest newcomers

Dragon Quest XI's story is pretty much standalone and separate from the rest of the games, so you don't have to worry about missing out on any continuity details. You can pick up this one without having played the others, and you won't be lost on important plot points or anything like that. Jumping in at the eleventh title of a long-running series sounds daunting, but this game is quite accessible to new players. See More

It's a lot of fun to uncover why the Baker family went mad and what happened to your missing girlfriend. The various memos, diary entries, and video tapes explain the events leading up to this. It should be enjoyable for both horror fans and other players as well. See More

score 3 · Answer 7

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Top Pro

Interesting story and characters

Top Con

Regular enemies are very bland

The regular enemies are black goo people with claws. They have hardly any variation and even the crawling variants aren't very scary. It's really disappointing the developers didn't think to use any alligators (or other swamp creatures), with the game being set near a swamp. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Survival Horror, First-Person Shooter

Even though the boss fights are packed with action, they also make you feel a bone-chilling helplessness. For example, in one of the fights you're trapped in the slaughterhouse. The door's locked and the boss is slowly walking towards you. One wrong move and you'll be decapitated by a chainsaw. It's extremely nerve-wracking to avoid it until you're able to take the boss down. See More

Top Pro

Intense boss fights

Top Pro

Pursuers make the game suspenseful

One of the boss enemies patrols most areas. If they spot you, they will chase you and try to kill you. It's hard to tell where they'll be, because it's very easy to lose track of them. This causes you to shudder every time you open a door or turn a corner. It's even worse when they sneak up on you and start cackling maniacally. See More

DOOM differs from most modern shooters because it abandons cover-based gunplay and instead encourages you to never stop advancing. This is achieved by not only making your character very nimble, allowing you to run at high speeds and jump great distances, but also by removing weapon reloading entirely. There is also the glory kill system, which restores your health whenever you melee kill an enemy, so no waiting for your health to restore by itself either. All of this creates exhilarating gunplay where you never have to pause for anything. See More

score 1 · Answer 8

DOOM

Top Pro

Fast-paced, exhilarating combat

Top Con

The gore might not be for everyone

DOOM has a fair amount of gore. Whenever you kill an enemy there's blood, guts, and limbs flying everywhere. Melee kill are particularly brutal with your character twisting enemy necks and breaking their bones. Some may find that level of graphic violence off-putting. See More

Specs

Genre:Horror FPS

The levels in DOOM are quite large, with multiple floors/levels, and many secrets. Some areas are very spacious, making large-scale battles possible, and some are labyrinth-like, hiding enemies behind every corner. You'd think it would be a very linear and guided experience, but most of the time it's up to you where to go and how to get there. Each one of these aspects make it a blast to fully explore the levels. See More

Top Pro

Fantastic level design

Top Pro

Great customizable weapon selection

There are more than 20 weapons in DOOM, including the super shotgun, the rocket launcher, and even the BFG9000. Each weapon has two modes that can be improved with one of three upgrades, totaling to over 100 possible combinations. Most of the combinations are really fun to use, which creates enough variation to keep you entertained for multiple playthroughs. See More

Top Pro

Fun hidden secrets

There are quite a few easter eggs and hidden secrets in the game, such as old school Doom 95 levels, a Commander Keen skull, a Terminator 2 animation, and even hidden Doomguy toys that your character will fist bump. There's a lot of these to find, creating a very entertaining side activity. See More

Top Pro

Superb graphics that run quite well

Highly detailed environments, fearsome enemies, colorful particle effects, beautiful lighting, and a lot more. Whatever you're looking at in DOOM, it's a treat for the eyes, all without ever dropping below 60 frames per second. See More

Top Pro

Refreshing single purpose gameplay

There is no character development, this is a single purpose game that makes itself very clear from the outset. You are in this game to do one thing, kill demons, sometimes in the most gruesome ways possible. The game is very unapologetic about this, which is refreshing in a time when many games focus on story and play out like an interactive movie. This is much more a throwback to simpler times, run and gun, and it can be quite fun. See More

Top Pro

Level editor for endless content

The game comes with a level editor, which allows you to create new maps and game types. These can be maps that play similarly to the campaign or even unique puzzle maps. You can share your creation online and also download other players' creations. This provides an almost endless stream of content, adding considerable longevity to the game. See More

Daughter, the indie folk band from England, worked on the tracks for Before the Storm, pulling together many of the game's great moments with thoughtful acoustic tunes and moody piano tracks. The more upbeat, hopeful tracks fit in incredibly well with Chloe's adventurous scenes with Rachel, giving a sense of wonder as the two explore Arcadia Bay together. One song in particular, 'All I Wanted', is a memorable, catchy folk track that captures the feeling of Chloe and Rachel supporting one another through their struggles, which is what Life is Strange: Before the Storm is all about. See More

score 2 · Answer 9

Life is Strange: Before the Storm

Top Pro

Great soundtrack

Top Con

Limited exploration

With much of the focus on the storytelling, it's still unfortunate that Chloe can't leave the designated story areas without turning around and repeating the same line about how she's supposed to focus on her objective. The limited areas to walk around in are understandable, yet disappointing, with missed opportunities for Chloe to walk down the street from her home and see what her neighbors are up to, or for her and Rachel to hang out in more places around Arcadia Bay together. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Adventure, Narrative

The original Life is Strange suffered from some instances of awkward lines that sounded like a middle-aged adult trying to emulate how teenagers speak; thankfully, Before the Storm has a much clearer, down-to-earth script that helps the characters sound more authentic and real. Rachel's use of "hella" is more amusing this time around, as it gives context as to why Chloe picked up on it and used it frequently in the first game. Overall, each of the characters in the game are more well-rounded across the three episodes thanks to the smooth writing. See More

Top Pro

Improved writing over the first game

Top Con

Third episode falls flat in some areas

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is an all-around stand-out title, with the first and second episodes building up to an impactful third installment that feels lacking in certain aspects. Without getting into spoilers, there are a few plot holes that aren't wrapped up by the end, and much of the tension in the episode falls flat because of these glaring holes that none of the characters bother to address. See More

Top Pro

Chloe is more likable this time

In the first Life is Strange, many players complained that Chloe was insufferable and selfish as Max's best friend, complaining in order to have more of her time when she might not have deserved it. This time around, watching the events of Before the Storm unfold from Chloe's eyes is enjoyable, largely thanks to how easygoing she is with Rachel--for the most part--and how far she's willing to go to sacrifice for her throughout the plot. Chloe makes dorky jokes that don't always land and back-talks school staff at Blackwell Academy with harmless ease, making her a much warmer, sillier character compared to her prickly, temperamental self in Max's adventure. See More

Top Pro

Choices have consequences

Much like in the first game, Before the Storm features several choices throughout the game that have an impact on future plot points across the three episodes. How these choices end up impacting the ending are debatable, but there are still a myriad of choices that change the outcome of a single playthrough, such as Chloe's decision to handle certain sums of money, or whether or not she's willing to accept her mother's unlikable new boyfriend. Chloe and Rachel's interactions can also be limited to friendship or expanded into a romantic relationship through player choice. See More

Until Dawn has gorgeous graphics, an incredible sound track, and knows how to instill terror in people. From the moment you start playing, there's an creeping feeling that never goes away. The graphics are stunning. Facial features are done very well, which adds a great deal to conveying the creepy nature of the game. The music is dark and very minimal. The ambient sounds are much more heavily used, and it's done incredibly well. The game is scary, that's the whole point of it. However, some games are scary, and others are horrifying. Until Dawn is utterly terrifying. See More

score 3 · Answer 10

Until Dawn

Top Pro

An enthralling experience

Top Con

The writing is sub-par at times

Much of the dialogue between the characters is just corny, at best. You often find yourself wondering if characters are being ironic, or if the writers just didn't know what they were doing. See More

score 3 · Answer 11

Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Top Pro

Simple but satisfying puzzles

The puzzles in Valiant Hearts aren't exactly the most difficult, but they'll often require a little more thought than you initially believe. One type of the puzzles you'll have to solve is fixing a pipe system. You just have to turn sections of the pipe system until it all fits together. Even solving something so simple is very satisfying and leaves you with a feeling of achievement. See More

Top Con

Short

Valiant Hearts takes about 6 hours to complete and there's not much to do afterwards. While the collectibles give this game some replay value, not many players will be interested in finding them. See More

Top Pro

A game about war where you don't kill anyone

Valiant Hearts tells a story about war, but you're not the one spreading death and misery. Your character simply journeys through battlefields, trenches, and various other locations. You meet other characters and solve puzzles along the way. This is quite refreshing because most modern titles about war always have a gun toting player character. See More

Top Con

Historical facts may become annoying

There are historical fact boxes that will pop up during gameplay. They are optional, but can be annoying because they disrupt the flow of the gameplay. See More

Top Pro

Striking artistic style

The style of Valiant Hearts appeals to most aesthetics. It's simple and clean, allowing you to spot even the tiniest details in character designs and backgrounds. You'd occasionally spot interesting things like a flute attached to a soldiers backpack. Or even spot a very detailed Cathedral in the spaces between the rubble. The colors are very dim and blend quite well, giving you the sombre feeling of war. There are no random mashups of colors or effects like in many recent games. See More

This game has a bare-minimum of 40 hours of play in it, but that can easily be doubled. See More

score 1 · Answer 12

Final Fantasy IX

Top Pro

Dozens of hours of gameplay

Top Con

It can be slow to get started

Despite throwing you into battle within the first few minutes, the game is actually quite slow to start, particularly if you're the type to go around exploring and completing all the immediate sub-quests. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

The graphics of this game hold up quite well when compared to most older games. The abilites, characters, and environment are all incredibly well done. See More

Top Pro

A legitimately breathtaking world

Top Pro

You can customize the way your characters battle with the item-ability system

In most games, characters come with set abilities, gaining them at particular levels, or after defeating enemies, etc. In Final Fantasy IX, your abilities are tied to your items, making it possible to customize your character's skillset. In addition, if you wear some items long enough (meaning you've participated in enough battles), you'll permanently learn the skill and be able to use it regardless of what you've got equipped. See More

Top Pro

One of the most plot-driven games ever created

While the story is the central focus in every RPG, Final Fantasy IX takes that to the next level. The plot often switches focus between different characters or parties. One particularly exciting sequence on the second disc features two separate parties trying to escape a sticky situation. The game cuts between the two parties and builds an incredible sense of tension. Moreover, changing circumstances force characters to switch from one party to the other, which creates a real sense of dynamic teamwork. These sorts of events are what have driven the masses to calling Final Fantasy IX one of the greatest stories ever told. See More

Combat is just plain enjoyable and fun. Hacking and slashing with the axe feels brutal and impactful. Watching an enemy being cut in two in a bloody splash or staggering backwards emphasizes the power in your swings. Throwing your axe and having it boomerang back to you also never gets old. Blocking with the shield at just the right time provides some strategic elements. Unleashing special moves feels great since they reward careful timing as opposed to just mashing buttons. Atreus, your son, fights alongside you stunning and shooting enemies, and is way more of a boon than a hindrance that has to be micromanaged. God of War also sheds the cumbersome quicktime events from previous games in the series. Now you just press 1 button to unleash bloody and bone crushing finishing moves. See More

score 5 · Answer 13

God of War (2018)

Top Pro

Super enjoyable combat

Top Con

Block and Runics use the same button

The same button used to block enemy attacks is also used to activate some special moves called Runics. Sometimes a mixup in the heat of combat can cause a Runic to go off by accident. It's not the end of the world, but it will force you to wait for the cooldown before you can use it again. See More

Specs

Genre:Action-Adventure

While there's still a linear story to follow, there are plenty of optional side areas that you will have to discover on your own. While your son Atreus may point out a few of them, most are found via thorough exploration of your surroundings or taking on side quests. By traveling off the beaten path and straying away from the main storyline, you'll find collectibles, treasure chests, challenging enemies, and various loot, so it's always rewarding to poke around and seek out the secrets. See More

Top Pro

Encourages exploration

Top Con

Fixed camera can be a disadvantage during combat

Since you can't zoom in and out at will, you are always locked in the fixed view that the camera wants you to be in. This can be rough to adjust to in some combat situations, like enemies sneaking up behind you. See More

Top Pro

The Leviathian Axe is just a downright fun and satisfying weapon

Slicing through enemies and throwing your ice-imbued Leviathan Axe around never gets old. It starts off with a basic light and heavy attack, but as the game goes on, you'll be constantly upgrading it with new and improved powers by killing bosses. One of the most satisfying aspects is throwing it like a boomerang. It sails through the air as it cuts up enemies, and then with a 2nd button tap you can recall it back into your outstretched hand as your controller gently rumbles. If you line it up properly, you can even throw it in your foe's face for a bloody headshot. This throw effect is not only used for combat, but also for environmental puzzles and smashing obstacles. Even with no enemies in sight, it still remains fun to just toss it around and see what you can smash with it. See More

Top Pro

Engaging father-son dynamic that ties into the gameplay

The dynamic between Kratos and his son Atreus is not only for plot purposes, as it also ties incredibly well into the combat and gameplay itself. Atreus fights alonside Kratos in battle shooting his bow at enemies and occasionally stunning them. However, like a son obeying his father, will only unleash his most powerful attacks when you order him to do so. Weaving his shots and runic ability in with your own attacks creates a great synergy between the two in combat, and helps to emphasize their relationship as a father and son team. While Kratos may be the protective father and leading the charge, he also learns a few things from the boy during their journey. During exploration, Atreus will often point out side paths you have may have missed. Additionally, Atreus is the only one who can read the many Norse mythology and lore runes scattered around the game world. All of these gameplay elements combined help to constantly reinforce the dynamic between the pair. See More

Top Pro

Seamless, immersive camera work

God of War is played from start to finish as one continuous camera shot without interruption. Every single frame features Kratos, so it's easy to stay intimately wrapped up in his state of mind and emotions at all times. Through moments of grief, silence, and anger - you are with him for all of it. Certain game mechanics cleverly use this camera work to their advantage. For example, fast travel around the game world is handled through the seamless camera trick of stepping through a gateway as if it's a door. Unless you die, there isn't a single loading screen. This continuous shot with an unwavering focus ensures you are fully immersed in the character and story at all times. See More

Top Pro

Excellent voice acting

The deep and commanding voice of Kratos, voiced by Christopher Judge, is extremely fitting and exactly what you would expect from a powerful god killer. Lines are delivered with real conviction and come off full of emotion and real depth. See More

Top Pro

Highly immersive thanks to attention to small details

There are a lot of small details in God of War that help add to it's immersive atmosphere. For example, when traveling with Atreus and you stop too long to admire the view, he will start complaining about how bored he is. Snowflakes will actually stick to armor when in a snowy environment. Flames on candles blow and move based on the breeze. NPCs rarely ever repeat the same lines. When looking at Kratos, you can see every vein on his muscled arms. All of these small details add up making the game world feel like a living, breathing place. See More

Top Pro

Great graphics

This is one of the best looking PS4 games to date, and really sets a benchmark. It truly pushes the hardware to its limits and showcases what the system can do. The Norse-inspired landscape of rolling mountains and grassy valleys is breathtakingly beautiful featuring realistic textures and shadows. Every rock and blade of grass is done in exquisite detail. The sky and water are photo realistic. Sometimes just standing and looking at the mountain peaks in the distance can provide a sense of awe. Even the leather and fur on armor looks and reacts realistically during movement. From the textures, character models, and everything in between - it's hard to find a better looking game on any system. See More

The environments in The Order have a very steampunk, Victorian era feel. The graphics are dark and gritty, which serves the game perfectly well. Not only do they fit well, but they're also brilliantly done. They're very realistic; everything from the buildings and terrain, right down to a character's facial features are simply staggering. The soundtrack is nearly as good. The music has a dark, creepy feeling to it which fits the game's occult-centric nature perfectly. More than that is the voice acting, which is beautifully done. The characters look and sound real, which has been exceedingly difficult to pull off. When you tie the two different aspects together, it creates an environmental effect that's captivating and intoxicating, leaving you wanting more. See More

score 6 · Answer 14

The Order: 1886

Top Pro

Great visual and audio design

Top Con

Really short

Despite being padded with unskippable cutscenes, The Order: 1886 can be finished in a very short time. A first time playthrough can last you up to 8 hours, but you won't getting much more out of it. See More

Top Pro

The combat is fast, varied, and very fun

Fighting in The Order: 1886 is pretty great. You have access to a large array of weapons, technology, and even magic to blast your enemies away with. It plays like a third-person shooter, so expect to have to do a lot of aiming - unless your gun is big enough. You get thrown into combat against humans, werewolves, and other nasty creatures. You've got to change up your tactics depending on what you're facing, and that variety really enhances the enjoyment you get out of the game. See More

Top Con

No multiplayer at all

The developers went for a cinematic single-player experience, meaning there's no local or online co-op/multiplayer. The only way you can enjoy this game with your friends is by taking turns playing. See More

As you go through the game, you'll probably feel comfortable with the difficulty up until a certain point. There's one boss in particular that's notorious for how hard it is to beat compared to the previous ones. You'll more than likely have to spend hours grinding enemies in the area right before the boss to train. And even when you do defeat the boss, the ones after it are also quite challenging. It can be really confusing for newcomers if you aren't prepared. See More

score 2 · Answer 15

Final Fantasy X HD Remaster

Top Con

Severe difficulty spike partway through the game

Top Pro

Strategic and proactive turn-based combat

Turn-based battles in Final Fantasy X give you great ways to plan out how to approach each fight instead of leaving you to mostly react in battle. On the right-hand side of the screen, you'll see a long column including the icons of each character in your main party and how many turns the boss or enemies will have. When you see that a boss is about to have three or more consecutive turns to attack, you can cast spells ahead of time to protect your party members. It's a neat mechanic that lets you see into the future to plan ahead proactively. You can also use the right-hand column to plan out how your party members can handle enemy weaknesses. When you see that a strong armored enemy is up to attack next, bringing in one of your heavy hitters like Auron with his huge, armor-piercing sword is pretty efficient. Or if there's another monster that's resistant to physical attacks, you can bring in Lulu instead with her powerful black magic spells. Learning everyone's strengths and weaknesses in battle will help you breeze through normal battles and better prepare you for the game's more difficult boss encounters. See More

Specs

The locations in Final Fantasy X are beautiful and detailed, and yet there are lots of invisible walls blocking you off from exploring those locations. More often than not there's only a single path in any given environment to follow. It's a lot like running down a single corridor from the start of the world to the end. The good news is that you'll rarely get lost, but you won't be able to run around outside of the incredibly limited boundaries in each level. See More

Top Con

Extremely linear environments

Top Pro

Thoughtful and grounded story

Final Fantasy X tells the story of the main character Tidus who one day finds himself in a faraway place 1,000 years in the future in a world full of death and suffering. A cleric-like summoner named Yuna embarks on a pilgrimage with Tidus and their other companions to destroy Sin: a gigantic whale-like monster that terrorizes the populace and causes countless, senseless deaths. As Tidus grows to care about Yuna, he questions the sacrifices that she has to make on her pilgrimage in order to defeat Sin, compelling him to take a stand against the status quo. It's a wonderful story that shows how far someone can go to protect the person that they care about most. See More

Top Con

Airship travel is limited to picking points on the world map

It's really disheartening to unlock the airship in Final Fantasy X later in the game, only to discover that all you can do is pick a location and go to it automatically. You can't maneuver it through the skies like in older Final Fantasy games. It would have been nice to have the freedom to explore and see the world of Spira from high up. See More

Top Pro

Incredible music that fits the game's mood and tone

Final Fantasy X has an amazing soundtrack with a range of iconic tracks that are still beloved to this day, fitting well in each scene and situation they play in. "To Zanarkand" is a moving piano song that plays in the opening cutscene and again later on in the story, matching the game's overall thoughtfulness and retrospection. "Servants of the Mountain" is a really melodic and memorable song that plays in the game's snowy mountain level, with hard-hitting violins that mimic how tough and challenging it is to traverse the mountain itself. "Challenge" is a great boss theme that initially plays when you fight against one of the hardest bosses in the game, changing things up with some cool guitar riffs and fantastic-sounding drums that help pump you up for the fight's difficulty. There's a variety of sounds here that all come together as a cohesive whole, staying true to the game's atmosphere all the way through. See More

Top Pro

Addictive underwater sports mini-game called Blitzball

Blizball is an addictive mini-game in Final Fantasy X that's great to play as a respite from the main game. It's like a mix of soccer and rugby played underwater, where you pass a ball around the sphere-like field, trying to score goals while the opposing team tackles and kicks to try and stop you. Playing matches can be quite intense as you navigate your players across the field with the ball, surviving the onslaught of tackles and kicks from the other team long enough to get close to the goal and score. If you're inspired to go back to Blizball on your own after the mandatory games in the story, you can get addicted to it, since it's so well-developed and fleshed out with lots of strategies and different team members that you can recruit. See More

While Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty has the occasional fart joke, it mostly filled with pretty dark humor. Things like posters saying "No talking to other employees" while the mouths of said employees are sewn shut. A company turning their employees into produce just to increase profits. Characters getting addicted to a drink made out of the bones of their ancestors. All of these really bizarre situations are made funny by the goofy characters with rather wacky reactions. It's the type of humor that most modern titles shy away from. See More

score 1 · Answer 16

Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty

Top Pro

Twisted but refreshing sense of humor

Top Con

Can be quite frustrating

A lot of the levels require really fast and precise movements/jumps. If you miss the timing even slightly, your character will most like die, causing you to restart the entire section. This gets really annoying when you miss the same jump more than 10 times. To make it slightly more bearable, you should switch to the classic control scheme, which offers a lot more precision than the defaults. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful environments

There’s just so much detail in every location it’s very hard to not stop and take it all in. From the interior of the meat processing plant, filled with machinery, containers, and posters. To massive caves filled with giant tree roots, wooden structures, and enormous boulders covered in ancient writings. There’s just always so much to look at and it’s a treat for the eyes. See More

Top Pro

Great platforming gameplay

The gameplay consists of exploring the many locations within Oddworld. Along the way you’ll encounter various obstacles and puzzles you’ll have to pass. This can be simple stuff like hopping through a minefield. It can be a very intense chase sequence where you have to make very precise jumps and rolls to survive. Or it can be complex puzzles with switches and security systems that even require explosives. Whichever it might be, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is always a blast. See More

While the game does focus on third person shooting, there is also many platforming elements along with dogfights in space, chase scenes, hoverboard racing, etc. This makes for a good mix so the player never gets too board of doing the same thing over and over again. See More

score 1 · Answer 17

Ratchet and Clank (2016)

Top Pro

Great mix of gameplay elements

Top Con

Narration used during gameplay

While not always a bad thing when done well (such as Bastion), a lot of the gameplay in the game is narrated in a sens of humor told through Captain Qwark. Telling the player if a certain box has ammo and such things. Not only does the humor not always match with the cut-scenes of the game and the character overall, but it becomes tiring to hear over and over again. See More

Specs

Genre:Platformer, Shooter

While the game is pretty much a remake, there are added elements tot he game that expand on the story and character development. Overall this is a way more fleshed out title than the original. See More

Top Pro

Expands on the original story

Top Con

Somewhat short

The game can be beaten easily in under 10 hours, though there is a fair share of replayability thanks to all the collection aspects of the game. See More

Top Pro

Unlocks are all part of the game, no DLC

There are many unlockables in the game including new costumes. Frankly it is refreshing to see a title include this with the core game instead of locking it behind a paywall. See More

Top Con

Is a remake

While the graphics are all new as well as many elements of play the game itself is a remake of the first title. So for those that have played the first game, this will be mostly a rehash with a few new things. See More

Top Pro

Amazing graphics

The graphics are quite impressive, giving a feeling of Pixar like animation, but in a videogame. While a bold claim, the graphics are some if not the best on the PS4 to date. See More

Top Pro

Rewarding level up mechanic for weapons

Each weapon will level up as you use it, meaning the game will levels to your own play style. This is also a good system as it rewards experimentation, as each weapon levels up it gains new powers, so to see what each weapon will grow into it has to be used. See More

Top Pro

Tons of humorous weapons

One things this series is known for is the amount of weapons and their humorous powers. Of course this title does no disappoint as there are many many weapons to be found to use, with each having some crazy mechanic as to what and how they shoot. See More

During investigations, you interrogate suspects in a cool, interactive way. After collecting clues, you use your notebook to decide which questions to ask witnesses and suspects. You read their facial expressions, body language, and their tone of voice to judge if they're telling the truth or not. Using your instincts to guess correctly gets the person to open up more, giving you the information you need. If you get it wrong, they shut you down and you're out of luck. The technology used for facial expressions gives you a lot of leeway to truly spot the shifty-eyed or nervous liars just like in real life. See More

score 2 · Answer 18

L.A. Noire Remastered

Top Pro

Interrogating witnesses and suspects is a fun challenge

Top Con

No real consequences for failing to solve cases

Even if you continually mess up with the cases, you still get promoted in the police force. You could be the worst cop ever, making terrible decisions and getting yelled at by your superiors. But then in the next cutscene, your bosses tell you what a great job you did and that you're moving up to a more important department. It doesn't make any sense and gives you no reason to do your best during investigations. See More

Specs

Genre:Detective Action-Adventure

The detective drama in L.A. Noire is creative and intriguing. Playing as an honest cop named Cole, you get to see the magnitude of crime and racial tension in Los Angeles in the years after World War II, told through the stories of the authentic cast of characters you meet. As a cop, you solve crimes and nail crooks, moving up the ladder in the police department. Each of your investigations take you all around the great rendition of the city in the 1940s, rich with the styles of cars, fashion, and music from the time period. It's a unique experience and setting that not many other games explore. See More

Top Pro

Great story set in 1940s Los Angeles

Top Con

Not a lot to do in the big open world

L.A. Noire's open world in Los Angeles is huge, but there isn't much to do in it. There's a bunch of space that's just there for the sake of it. Sure, you can take on really short cases as side missions that you find around the map, like taking out bad guys that are about to rob a place, though that's about all you can do. Including period piece locations like jazzy clubs or laid-back diners to visit whenever could have been a lot of fun. See More

Top Pro

Detailed crime investigation gameplay

Investigating crime scenes is great because of the attention to detail in each mission. Looking over murder victims for patterns in their wounds, for example, gives you an idea of how or why they might have died, which you then jot down in your handy notebook that keeps track of all the information you collect. Observing tire tracks, bloody murder weapons, business cards, and even picking through trash cans leads you to new clues to find and paths to follow. It's up to you to pick out which details may or may not be important, keeping you in control of where each investigation leads. See More

Top Con

The finale is bland

After all the excitement and gritty realism in the story, the final mission and the ending are a real drag in comparison. The momentum from the plot gets sucked out at the end as you play through an uninspired and predictable sequence of events. It looks too much like the developers phoned this part in for the sake of having an ending that wraps up everything nicely. See More

Top Pro

Incredibly realistic facial expressions

Every single character in the game looks true-to-life because of how their faces look and move. The developers used some neat motion scanning technology to capture the voice actors' faces as they gave their lines. You get to see every wrinkle, every shift of their jaw lines, and every twitch of their mouths as they speak and emote. There's so much attention to detail that it looks like you're watching a movie with real people. It's really stunning and stands out as a great example of advancing technology in video games. See More

Final Fantasy X-2 has an exciting turn-based system where you can change jobs on-the-fly. During the fast-paced battles, you can choose to switch jobs to handle different enemy types and situations. When you change your main character Yuna from a gunner to a songstress, she can sing tunes that can debilitate enemies or buff the party for the duration of her song. Character models update to the new job costumes in real-time with special animations, like how Yuna will have a spotlight on her as she poses with a microphone when she changes to her songstress job. It's a fun and unique system that with the way you can swap jobs at any time to handle whatever your enemy throws at you. See More

score 1 · Answer 19

Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster

Top Pro

Fun turn-based combat with a cool job system

Top Con

Airship travel is limited to picking points on the world map

It's really disheartening to have the airship available near the start of the game, only to discover that all you can do is pick a location and go to it automatically. You can't maneuver it through the skies like in older Final Fantasy games. It would have been nice to have the freedom to explore and see the world of Spira from high up. See More

Specs

Final Fantasy X-2 does a complete 180 from Final Fantasy X's more grounded themes of life, death, and corruption, showing the world after the darkness passes, and featuring an all-female cast of party members. The themes here are much more fun and upbeat, showing Yuna as more on an overall light-hearted journey with her troupe of treasure hunters, although the story does have its moments of seriousness and melancholy. Even the opening CGI cutscene is of Yuna performing a pop song at a concert. It's a risky, but bold and fresh move that you'll either love or hate depending on your tastes. See More

Top Pro

Risky but fresh change in tone from Final Fantasy X to X-2

Top Con

Extremely linear environments

The locations in Final Fantasy X-2 are beautiful and detailed, and yet there are lots of invisible walls blocking you off from exploring those locations. More often than not there's only a single path in any given environment to follow. It's a lot like running down a single corridor from the start of the world to the end. The good part is that you'll rarely get lost, but you won't be able to run around outside of the incredibly limited boundaries in each level. See More

Top Pro

Great soundtrack with a nice blend of different genres

Final Fantasy X-2's soundtrack is filled with energetic pop songs, pensive ballads, and an overall jazz and rock-inspired sound that matches the game's fun and adventurous themes. "Real Emotion" is an infectiously catchy pop song that would fit right in with the Top 40s charts in real life. "Yuna's Ballad" is much more thought-provoking and emotional, with pianos that sound a lot like how Yuna's sorrow and conflicting emotions would be in musical form. The normal battle theme has a great rock sound to it, mixing in violins to keep things interesting, and it doesn't get old no matter how many times you hear it during normal encounters. The soundtrack is amazing with the way it experiments with different genres that all manage to blend well together. See More

Top Con

Blitzball is automated with no player control

Blizball in Final Fantasy X is fun and addictive because of how in-depth it is, but all of that depth goes out the window in Final Fantasy X-2's version. The mini-game is like a mix of soccer and rugby played underwater, where the players pass a ball around the sphere-like field, trying to score goals while the opposing team tackles and kicks to try and stop you. In this game, you can't manually control the characters, turning you more into a manager with access to player stats and rosters and little else. It's more like a spectator mode, watered-down from the exciting matches in Final Fantasy X. See More

Top Pro

Heartfelt and thoughtful story

Set two years after Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2 is much lighter in tone, featuring Yuna as the main character as she searches for treasure across Spira with her friends. Although the story seems overly positive and campy at first, almost like a cheesy movie with silly one-liners and hammed-up humor, there's much more depth to the story that reveals itself as you play through the game. As a world leader, Yuna tries to do what's expected of her by fixing the power struggle between Spira's two ruling factions, but she's also deeply upset by her love interest's absence. She questions if it's possible to find him with so much mystery surrounding his disappearance. It's an emotional experience watching Yuna struggle with her obligations to maintain peace in the world, and going after what she personally wants for her own happiness and fulfillment. See More

The Bioshock games have a Sci-Fi element to them called the Plasmids. With them your character can obtain special abilities such as shooting flames or summoning a pack of crows. These can be used to gain an advantage over your enemies in various ways. For example, you can use electricity to zap enemies standing in water or incinerate flammable objects to cause mayhem among the enemy. It feels really nice having other options beside using guns. See More

score 2 · Answer 20

Bioshock: The Collection

Top Pro

Superhuman abilities liven up the gunplay

Top Con

Doesn't add anything new over the previous releases

You won't find any new story, levels, modes, or any content for that matter. The only noticeable changes are the updated graphics and the framerate cap, which was increased to 60. See More

Specs

Genre:First-Person Shooter

The Bioshock games will bring you to two rather surreal locations. First up is the city of Rapture, featured in Bioshock 1 and 2. It's a sprawling, dimly lit city hidden in the ocean, giving it a feel similar to the fabled Atlantis. There are many buildings underwater, including skyscrapers and it's surprising how calming it is to be there, even with the dark atmosphere permeating it. This is followed up by Columbia, a city in the sky you'll explore in Bioshock: Infinite. It's a collection of very colorful and bright floating islands with white clouds underneath them. The buildings are also not as tall and as imposing as those found in Rapture, giving it a sharp contrast to it. Both of these locations are a blast to explore and leave a lasting impression. See More

Top Pro

Fantastic environments

Top Pro

Great value for its price

The collection has 3 games with all their DLC included. This means you can enjoy hours of great content just with the initial purchase, without having to invest in overpriced DLC's. See More