Pinocchio can be a neutered Disney fable, a stunning animated adventure with a fascist Italian backdrop, or, surprisingly, a Bloodborne-like action game that makes the titular puppet more akin to someone who bears the Hunter’s Mark. The beauty of public domain works is that they are afforded a level of flexibility that franchises owned by a singular entity do not have. Lies of P lies comfortably in that third category, and while derivative in some aspects, its beautiful environments and challenging boss fights make it more than a mere puppet of FromSoftware’s finest.

Read the full review here:
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/891389-lies-of-p-review-ps5-worth-playing/

Call of Duty cycles through its lineup of villains on a yearly basis. Sometimes it's Nazis, other times it's Russian nationalists or zombies. But the most dangerous threat is one without a lust for brains or access to weapons of war; it's stagnation. And while many Call of Duty teams often switch up just enough variables to stave off monotony, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III fully submits to the annual churn.

Read the full review here:
https://www.gameinformer.com/review/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-iii/not-so-special-ops

Alan Wake has been tirelessly tapping away at his typewriter for over a decade in an effort to pump out the perfect follow-up to his hit Alex Casey series. A sophomore slump would do more than sink his career since it, thanks to the Dark Place, would also doom everyone he holds dear.

Following up on success is a tough responsibility and something that developer Remedy Entertainment knows all too well with Alan Wake 2. Alan Wake has been trying to develop his new series for as long as the studio has been trying to make Alan Wake 2, creating a fairly obvious and meta-parallel between creator and creation. But 13 years was not enough time to polish off a fitting sequel, as Alan Wake 2 is a buggy and frustrating title that falls well short of what Remedy is capable of.

Read the full review here:
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/894558-alan-wake-2-review-ps5-worth-buying/

Ghostrunner captured the fantasy of being a cyborg ninja better than any other game before it. Its trial-and-error nature could be taxing, but it trained players to perform its many acrobatics in one smooth motion like a “real” cyborg ninja. Momentum defined that cyberpunk parkour game. However, that momentum hasn’t fully transferred to its sequel, Ghostrunner 2. Instead of fully darting forward, it opts to slow down both literally and metaphorically, which keeps this follow-up from reaching a new top speed.

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https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/893988-ghostrunner-2-review-ps5-worth-buying/

Insomniac Games‘ Spider-Man has butted heads with The Rhino, gone toe-to-toe with fellow half-mechanical octopod Doc Ock, and survived a near-fatal trip against Scorpion, but none of those climactic showdowns have pitted the web-slinger against his greatest enemy: himself. Peter Parker’s insecurities have been made flesh with the symbiote, a goopy alien suit that gives him incredible powers at a heavy mental cost. When Spider-Man wins, Peter Parker loses.

It’s a layered mantra that is only part of what makes Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 a deeper and more nuanced experience when compared to the original. This superior sequel expands upon the foundation set by the prior two titles with added levels of complexity in nearly every area that take this pair of superheroes to new heights.

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https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/893422-marvels-spider-man-2-review-ps5-worth-buying/

Outside of being DLC in Injustice 2, Hellboy hasn’t had much of a gaming presence in the last few decades. However, that might at least be partially due to the stink solo Hellboy games have left. Titles like Dogs of War (or Asylum Seeker, as it was known on the original PlayStation) and The Science of Evil were all heavily derided upon release and played their part in contributing to the stigma associated with licensed video games. Hellboy Web of Wyrd, the latest attempt to salvage the half-demon’s video game reputation, only furthers that notion since as a terrible roguelite with dodgy controls.

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https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/893729-hellboy-web-of-wyrd-review-ps5-worth-buying/

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty‘s first expansion, Battle of Zhongyuan, was a by-the-numbers affair. It demonstrated why Team Ninja’s action game excelled while also not addressing its faults. Conqueror of Jiangdong, the second DLC, is in a similar boat and has a handful of incredible and challenging boss fights. But while its positives are still evident, this follow-up expansion also more clearly points out Wo Long’s shortcomings.

Read the full review here:
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/893158-wo-long-conqueror-of-jiangdong-dlc-review-ps5-worth-buying/

The Assassin’s Creed theme swells in the intro montage for Assassin’s Creed Mirage that celebrates the franchise’s 15th anniversary. Bayek readies his bow. Eivor sprints into action. Arno is there out of a contractual obligation. It’s a collection of hooded figures that has taken millions of players to a few dozen historical settings and gotten the series where it is today.

But that is not an enviable spot to be in. Assassin’s Creed has become more and more bloated over the years and substituted innovation for more. More empty square miles. More meandering DLC. More looping storylines about an endless modern day conflict. The churn has meant Assassin’s Creed has long since lost its ability to lead and is merely content to follow dated trends and have shallow worlds as others like Sony, Nintendo, and Rockstar Games push forward. Mirage is meant to be the antithesis of this with its smaller scope and callbacks to the 2007 original, but is instead a slimmer version of all the same annoyances the franchise just can’t shake.

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https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/892982-assassins-creed-mirage-review-ps5-ps4-worth-buying/

High on Life was Squanch Games’ strongest and most ambitious game, yet it was still held back by studio co-founder Justin Roiland’s tired sense of humor. Stammering out non sequiturs has more than worn out its welcome. With his exodus, the studio has a chance to break free from his dated schtick, and High on Life‘s High on Knife DLC marks the first chapter of its new era. Not every joke lands in this horror-tinged expansion, but it’s a promising sign for Squanch and contains some of the best parts of High on Life.

Read the full review here:
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/892840-high-on-life-high-on-knife-dlc-review-ps5-worth-buying/

Separate Ways was always just a tacked-on bonus for the PS2 version of Resident Evil 4, a mode that gave that port something to call its own. It made its way to almost every rerelease after, but never stood out and, unlike the base game, was merely a one-off distraction. A disposable and forgettable extra campaign like this wouldn’t make a worthy expansion. This remake of Separate Ways is not at all a haphazard collection of recycled scenarios, but is instead a complete reimagining that addresses its past failures and now stands right alongside the base campaign.

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https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/892330-resident-evil-4-separate-ways-dlc-review-ps5-worth-buying-remake/

Playing with your food has always been a faux pas, but one that doesn’t translate to the digital space. Nour: Play With Your Food takes advantage of that exception and gives players the freedom to drop dozens of eggs into a void of nothingness, light ramen on fire, and stack burgers high enough to reach Earth’s outer atmosphere without fear of punishment. Nour uses the surreal to play with the very real draw of using food items as toys but doesn’t compile these fantasies into anything fulfilling.

Read the full review here:
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/891310-nour-play-with-your-food-review-ps5-worth-buying/

Liu Kang has spent eons crafting timelines, taking lessons from one era and applying them to the next. All of his meticulous planning has resulted in a new era, one that bends previously sacred rules in order to lead to a better tomorrow. NetherRealm Studios’ journey mirrors Liu Kang’s, and while it didn’t take eons, the studio spent an unusually long time rebooting the Mortal Kombat universe for Mortal Kombat 1. These efforts to reshape the series have led to a more freeform gameplay style where creativity and player expression rule like an empress in Outworld. But such innovation has been paired with a surprising amount of stagnation elsewhere.

Read the full review here:
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/891713-mortal-kombat-1-review-ps5-worth-buying/

Dumping more money into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time in the arcades gave players another chance to take down Shredder. Dumping more money into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge gives players a new expansion called Dimension Shellshock. It’s a dramatically more appealing deal, and while it’s an excellent reminder of Shredder’s Revenge’s stunning art and soundtrack, it’s also a little shallow.

Read the full review:
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/890916-tmnt-shredders-revenge-dimension-shellshock-dlc-review-ps5-worth-buying/

The Miracle gives. The Miracle takes. But the Miracle still has to be stopped.

The Penitent One’s rest has thus been short lived, as he has been beckoned from beyond the grave to repent once again. The surprise inherent to his first round of penitence was key to the original Blasphemous‘ success, which is not something a second bout can organically have. Blasphemous 2 is a deeper and more well-defined experience, though, in a way that justifies The Game Kitchen’s — as well as the Penitent One’s — return to this world. However, Blasphemous 2’s own sins weigh it all down and keep it from truly ascending over its predecessor.

Read the full review here:
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/889341-blasphemous-2-review-ps5-worth-buying/

As shown by countless pieces of media, Mars is a red hellhole where humanity’s hubris and inability to get along are only magnified by unbreathable air, brutal weather, and crushing isolation. Humans can barely make it work on Earth, the blue hellhole. Fort Solis is a narrative-focused adventure that once again makes those shortcomings clear through its intimate story and condensed cast. And while it crumbles at the end, its performances and impressive presentation make it one of the genre’s better thrillers.

Read the full review here:
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/review/889617-fort-solis-review-ps5-worth-buying/