With ray tracing support, full 3D audio and genuinely immersive DualSense features, Gran Turismo 7 should be in every PS5 owner’s collection. We love the leisurely Cafe mode, in which a friendly chap named Luca gives you menus of cars to collect, lovingly telling you all about their history before introducing a new set, and Music Rally, which has you racing not against time, but a song’s BPM. As you set about collecting the 400 cars available at launch, GT7 does a great job of teaching you its many systems, and if you’d rather just drive there’s a massive suite of assist options. This is still a game that’s head over heels in love with cars and car culture, but you really don’t need to be a petrolhead yourself to have a great time.
But Gran Turismo 7is a terrific reminder of why the GT series has lasted long enough to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. In a genre increasingly dominated by the brilliant bonkers Forza Horizon series, we half-wondered if we could ever fall for Sony’s traditionally straight-faced sim racer again. Japanese lip-syncing – one of the most asked-for features from fans – has been added to the PS5 game, as well as some generous DualSense trickery and 3D audio support.Īnd we should probably mention the entirely new Iki Island, which adds a huge chunk of additional story content, a massive new environment, new characters, and most importantly of all, new animals to befriend. As well as benefiting from the shorter loading times, the game runs at a perfect 4K/60fps, making one-on-one duels – already one of the game’s strong points – even more epic to behold.
Ghost was already one of the best examples of a last-gen title that’s instantly improved by the PS5, and the Director’s Cut is now the definitive version.
We were admittedly pretty lukewarm on the PlayStation 4’s final big exclusive game at launch, but Ghost of Tsushima has still found a huge audience ready to sing its praises, and if you’re not taken by the Viking simulator that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is offering up, perhaps Sony’s samurai epic could be your next open-world obsession.
Offline she’s an AI-controlled character, but Deathloop’s online multiplayer component allows real players to assume the role of Julianna, which leads to some tense and hilarious battles that make your Deathloop experience feel totally unique.
Hellbent on stopping Colt is his arch-nemesis Julianna, who at any point can invade your game. High chaos, super stealthy or a healthy blend of both: it’s up to you, and perhaps more than any of the studio’s games to date, Deathloop really does fully embrace every approach, and the result is a wildly entertaining sandbox of violence. If you’ve played any of Arkane’s previous games, such as Prey or the masterful Dishonored series, you’ll know that they’re all about giving the player freedom to tackle the first-person combat however they want. As Colt Vahn, it’s up to you to break the loop. The hidden isle of Blackreef is doomed to repeat the same 24 hours forever, making death little more than a temporary inconvenience and the island’s residents as hedonistic and dangerous as might expect. Time loop games were very much in vogue in 2021, but the one that we’ve thought about the most is Deathloop. Well worth a playthrough, especially if you have youngsters asking for the pad. After Tearaway, Yoshi’s Crafted Worldand Sackboy’s own LittleBigPlanet series, we’re a tiny bit over seeing game worlds made entirely of miscellaneous junk, but none have looked prettier than the one here. While the early levels are extremely gentle and a bit basic, probably to encourage the younger target audience, things get a lot more interesting as the game progresses, with some of the best use of music since Rayman Legends and countless collectables for completionists to hunt down. The big bad here is the dastardly Vex (voiced brilliantly by Richard E.Grant), who’s wreaking havoc across Sackboy’s home of Craftworld and naturally must have his master plan foiled by an anthropomorphic sack.
Sackboy’s Big Adventure is a very traditional platforming game, carefully crafted by developer Sumo Digital. Unlike in the LittleBigPlanet games in which our hessian hero made his name, you won’t be making the levels here. Sackboy’s a bit too weird for Sony to have ever properly committed to making him PlayStation’s mascot, but that hasn’t stopped it from signing off his first-ever 3D platformer.