![]() ![]() The PS4 is home to some stellar first-person shooters, especially when it comes to single player-focused ones. Titles such as Wolfenstein: The New Order and Doom have proven that there is still a place for FPS games with lengthy campaigns, but one shooter series that may have flown under your radar is Shadow Warrior 2 from indie studio Flying Wild Hog. Sure, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments is definitely a niche title but considering it’s arguably one of the best games available in the surprisingly barren detective game genre on the PS4, it’s hard not to give a recommendation. The game gives you the tools and abilities to solve its various cases, but since each case has multiple endings, it’s very easy to mess up if you’re not paying attention (there is an option to reveal the true result if a particular case leaves you baffled). While the game’s style and setting is very much based on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle vision of Sherlock Holmes, the impact of the BBC adaptation is felt throughout, most notably in a gameplay mechanic that allows you to look over someone’s clothing and having various labels pop up. Noire but without the tedious open-world stuff, Crimes & Punishments is a game that very much tries (and largely succeeds) at putting you into the unique mind of its title sleuth. Sadly, this game is not an adaptation of BBC’s Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, but what it is is a pretty darn good detective game. If you’re a fan of story-driven games and are in the mood for an interactive experience that explores some surprisingly serious themes - despite the cute exterior, Night in the Woods takes a pretty nuanced approach to the plight of working-class rural America - this is a game not to be missed. In terms of gameplay, Night in the Woods doesn’t really offer much in the way of challenge, as its platforming sections are really just employed as an excuse to encourage exploration but then, that’s not really what this game is about. Night in the Woods really is a game about the little details, as many of the best moments come from simple interactions with other characters or playing in a band in one of a variety of entertaining mini-games. Following a cartoon cat girl named Mae as she drops out of college and moves back to her hometown of Possum Springs, Night in the Woods leaves it up to the player to delve as deep as they want into the game’s narrative. ![]() ![]() If Nex Machina really is the last arcade shooter we ever get from Housemarque, as least the studio went out with a hell of a swan song.Ī story-focused adventure game featuring a charming art style and a world populated by anthropomorphic animals, Night in the Woods is a deceptively sad exploratory experience that is also equal parts funny and cute. Sadly, poor sales of Nex Machina led to Housemarque releasing a statement in 2017 declaring that “Arcade is Dead,” and that they would be moving on to different types of game development. Much like the best arcade shoot-em-ups, Nex Machina has a high skill ceiling and the “real” game opens up after you complete the arcade mode once through, as there are a variety of challenges available to put your skills to the test. A variety of power-ups can be attained in random order in each level and the game provides a nice sense of empowerment as you stack these power-ups on top of each other, though you’ll lose a power-up each time you die. ![]() Fittingly, the game mixes elements of all those games and even brings back the hostage rescuing mechanics from Resogun, only this time you’re defending humanity from waves of robotic enemies. The studio’s commitment to twin stick shooters inspired by retro arcade coin-ops culminated in 2017 with Nex Machina, a top-down shooter made in collaboration with Eugene Jarvis, the legend behind arcade classics such as Defender, Robotron 2084, and Smash TV. Housemarque is one of the most talented indie developers in the world and have been with the PS4 from the start, having released the side-scrolling shooter Resogun to critical claim alongside the console’s launch in 2013. ![]()
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