From April 15th, Hogwarts Legacy and PlateUp! for PS5 and PS4 are also playable alongside Battlefield 1 on PS4 and Lost Records: Bloom and Rage – Tape 2 on PS5. Premium subscribers get exclusive access to classics like survival horror legend Alone in the Dark from the PS One era and War of the Monsters (PS2).

Both titles are playable on PS4 and PS5, though Sony notes that the latter might play differently or lack some features due to the lack of PS2 peripheral support.

While PS4 players have plenty to look forward to, PS Plus will no longer consistently offerr PS4-only titles starting next year in January. Games available for PS4 and PS5 will remain unaffected.

LAIR

An obvious pick for a list such as this one, Lair is forever going to hold the dubious crown of being one of the most bitter disappointments in gaming. Factor 5’s excellent track record and promising pre-launch showings suggested that Lair was going to be a huge early PS3 hit, but upon its release, the game turned out to be sort of a broken mess, thanks in large part to its frustrating motion-heavy controls. Even now, close to two decades later, it’s hard to get over the disappointment that was Lair.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

This game doesn’t get what it means to be a superhero, full stop. Incremental powerups to characters who should already be suited to high-level meant this generic paint-by-numbers shooter was always destined to underwhelm. Most disappointing with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League though is the fact Rocksteady were at the helm. The Arkham developers crafted multiplayer shooter when atmospheric single players are their bread and butter. The reported $200 million loss on the game hasn’t perturbed WB Games though who seem strangely hellbent on going all-in on live service for their future titles.

15. Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs

Considering how successful Pac-Man 99 was, it’s understandable that Bandai Namco Entertainment sought to make a follow-up. Chomp Champs even took a multi-dimensional approach, allowing players to escape the confines of their mazes and devour the opposition (and their Ghosts). However, this isn’t so much a spiritual successor as a port of PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle, which launched in November 2020 and sank alongside Google Stadia.

All these years later, Chomp Champs is little more than the same experience for other platforms but with cross-play. The gameplay can be fun for a bit and performance is solid, but the overall package is so barren that it’s impossible to ignore the flaws. Whether it’s the embarrassingly low-rent user interface, lack of offline modes, the bland music or the terrible Ranked experience, Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs is imminently forgettable.

14. Graven

Boomer shooters are common these days, but the sheer variety and creativity many exude is great. As a spiritual successor to Hexen, Slipgate Ironworks’ Graven seemed like a winner from the moment early access was announced. Sure, there were some rough edges but there was hope that subsequent Acts would be even better. However, the final product is left wanting.

A reliance on checkpoints instead of a traditional save system seems fine until you’re hard stuck or puzzles begin to break, setting progress back by a fair amount. The immersive sim elements are intriguing but ultimately lacking, the stamina system is restrictive, and the enemy design is frustrating. Couple this with numerous bugs and glitches, some game-breaking, and Graven fails to measure up to its inspiration.

13. Endless Ocean Luminous

As a follow-up to Endless Ocean: Adventures of the Deep from 2009, Endless Ocean Luminous could have offered a relaxing aquatic exploration experience with some bits to help you learn more about various species underwater. Unfortunately, its focus is all over the place, bogging down the overall product. There is a story, but progression is an annoyance due to the clunky scanning, which you must constantly engage with. The lack of realism to the whole affair is also a bummer, and the dull visuals don’t help either.

12. Alone in the Dark

Not only is it another failed attempt to bring the classic survival horror franchise into the new generation, but the developer shut down shortly after due to its lackluster reception. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that the reboot just wasn’t good. Combat feels unpolished and rough, but given the lack of compelling challenges, it’s more of an inconvenience. The sheer amount of bugs with the audio alone is enough to keep fans away, and despite the intriguing set-up, the writing and performances from its lead actors are simply lackluster.

11. Sker Ritual

Have you ever played Maid of Sker and felt, “Hm, this needs a first-person shooter spin-off with multiplayer”? Probably not, but that didn’t stop Capcom and its awful Resident Evil multiplayer modes. Thus we have Sker Ritual, which essentially borrows the round-based format from Call of Duty’s Zombies mode. However, it’s lacking in many ways, from the matchmaking and UI to the glitches and messy visuals. Couple this with an issue at launch where the host could retain their XP on quitting while other players couldn’t, and it’s easy to see why Sker Ritual is essentially dead.

10. Outpost: Infinity Siege

Team Ranger’s Outpost: Infinity Siege is a genre mash-up that could have worked with more focus and less tedium. A tower defense/first-person shooter hybrid can be great – as evidenced by the beginning of the game, despite the laughable dialogue and increasingly absurd plot. However, once the rogue-like and extraction shooter elements come into play, things fall apart. The horrible AI, dull map designs, grindy progression and numerous glitches on release didn’t help either. Though it’s seen many improvements and updates since then, Outpost: Infinity Siege needs a rethink of its fundamentals.

9. Die by The Blade

Outside of Tekken, Street Fighter, Guilty Gear, and whatnot are more niche fighting games that could use some exposure. Die by the Blade isn’t one of those games. It’s not even in the same stratosphere based on the mechanics alone, with clunky combos and movement that feels like molasses. Matches devolve into little more than rock-paper-scissors, and the lack of content beyond that, including no campaign or proper ranked mode, results in a tedious experience.

8. Undead Inc.

Ndemic Creations’ Plague Inc. was one of my favorite mobile games back in the day, and there was some hope that Undead Inc. from Rightsized Games would channel some of that nostalgia. It doesn’t, unfortunately, and can’t even provide a compelling management experience on its own. Numerous bugs, lackluster content, be it in the biomes or facilities, crashes, horrible interface – the list goes on. What is a compelling concept that could have explored the darker side of pharmaceutical companies ends up way out of its depth.

7. Winter Survival (Early Access)

Yes, it’s early access, but Winter Survival is seemingly set on doing everything wrong with its survival sandbox premise. An empty world lacking in much to do, a lackluster crafting UI, awful combat that focuses on timed strikes and often ends in disaster – it’s all the worse when you’re constantly nagged about having to sleep, eat and drink. The injury and trauma system could have been something unique, but as it stands, Winter Survival has a ways to go with its fundamentals.

6. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

For all the backlash it received after its initial gameplay reveal, you would think Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League would have something on its sleeve to win players. Honestly, the opening hours of the story were intriguing, even if each squad member, their CO, Amanda Waller, the Rogue’s Gallery, the brainwashed heroes, you name it, couldn’t go five minutes without chatter. Once the Elseworlds kick in, the plot promptly falls off a cliff. The awful boss battles and recycled open-world activities further kill the enthusiasm (even if the gunplay was passable).

Even with the marketing might of Warner Bros. Discovery and recognition of the Suicide Squad property, Kill the Justice League fell short of expectations, contributing to a $200 million impact on revenue. Its first season is a dud, and player numbers range in the hundreds on Steam nowadays. On the bright side, at least WB is committed to completing the current roadmap. After that? It could end up joining the likes of Anthem and Marvel’s Avengers.

5. Skull and Bones

What are the chances that February would bring not one but two long-in-development, live-service titles that failed to resonate with players? Of course, nothing is ever guaranteed with Skull and Bones, announced at E3 2017 and facing multiple delays, reported reboots, leadership changes and more throughout its nightmarish development.

The fact that it finally launched is shocking enough…until you play the game and grind through the menial labor that is the story. Activities served as little more than sailing from point A to point B, shooting some ships and/or mythical creatures, and maybe plundering a few hapless souls. The loot felt menial; the actual pirate aspects felt empty and soulless, and the game is just the same grind with a dash of PvEvP thrown in. Skull and Bones didn’t exactly have every opportunity to succeed but seeing it flop so succinctly is sad.

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants

As a port of Raw Thrills’ 2017 beat ’em up, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants seems unassuming enough. Then you see that GameMill Entertainment of The Walking Dead: Destinies and Skull Island: Rise of Kong is involved. While not a disaster on the level of those two titles, it’s still a miserable experience. The combat is terrible. The movement is terrible. The visuals are bland and the distinctions between characters are almost non-existent. Even if all those issues were shored up, there isn’t enough content or replay value to justify revisiting it.

3. Bulletstorm VR

How do you mess up Bulletstorm, one of the most fun first-person shooters ever made? As it turns out, very easily. Though original developer People Can Fly published it, Bulletstorm VR is developed by Incuvo, who worked on Green Hell VR (released to a mixed response on Steam). The gunplay is cooked right out of the gate, from its horrid aiming and reload mechanics to the lackluster impact. Then there were the crashes, missing textures on Quest headsets and poor performance.

If that wasn’t enough, several missions were outright cut. Remember your emotional bond with Waggleton P. Tallylicker and controlling it to wreak havoc on enemies? Gone. Not even the extra missions focused on Trishka could salvage this mess. Several updates were released to improve the experience and even add the vulgarity back in but alas, it’s too little, too late.

2. Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator

Nacon’s had some pretty horrendous releases over the years like Gangs of Sherwood and Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood, but it’s also had winners like RoboCop: Rogue City and Session: Skate Sim. Taxi Life unfortunately falls into the former, as part of the publisher’s iffy “Simulator” series.

The “simulation” part has its share of problems, from the unrealistic behavior of the traffic and passengers to the infuriating pedestrians, who will walk in front of you when the light is green with joyous abandon. The lack of support for many steering wheels is bad enough yet the default controls are equally shabby. Performance, despite the admittedly decent-looking visuals, leaves much to be desired. Creating any sim is a tall task, but Taxi Life makes it seem like a herculean effort.

1. Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash

Imagine being able to launch a video game based on the popular Jujutsu Kaisen series, that too just a few months after the conclusion of the Shibuya Incident. What better publisher than Bandai Namco Entertainment with its success on other shounen franchises like Naruto and Dragon Ball? Unfortunately, Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash isn’t it. It’s little more than a shameless cash-in, existing for no other reason than to cash in on a peak moment in the series’ popularity.

The combat is exceedingly dull, marking a new low for any sense of depth an arena fighter could have. The balance is all over the place, the visuals are ugly and the Story Mode does a horrendous job of representing the first season and Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Any hope of deriving fun from the online multiplayer is quickly dashed by the terrible netcode. Even if you’re a die-hard fan of anime games, Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash is little more than cursed.

“Pieces Interactive released over ten titles on PC, Console and Mobile since 2007, both our own concepts such as Puzzlegeddon, Fret Nice, Leviathan Warships, Robo Surf, and Kill to Collect, as well as work for hire titles such as Magicka 2 and several DLCs for Magicka,” the website reads. “Our client list includes Paradox Interactive, Koei Tecmo, Arrowhead Game Studios, Koch Media, and RaceRoom Entertainment.

“In 2017, Pieces Interactive were acquired by Embracer Group after working with the expansion for Titan Quest, Titan Quest: Ragnarök, and third expansion for Titan Quest, Titan Quest: Atlantis.

“Our last release was the reimagining of Alone in the Dark.”

Embracer Group, parent company of Alone in the Dark publisher THQ Nordic, revealed in May that the game had performed below management expectations where its sales were concerned. The game was also met with lukewarm reception from critics and audiences at best. Read our review through here. What this means for the troubled franchise’s future remains to be seen, but signs aren’t pointing to a healthy one, to say the least- at least not in the immediate future.

Pieces Interactive is one of several studios to have been shuttered by Embracer Group over the last year, including Saints Row developer Volition and TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design.

While it didn’t provide further details, Kotaku’s Ethan Gach reported in April that the studio was laying off staff after the title’s release. Embracer didn’t officially confirm the layoffs.

Alone in the Dark is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. As a reboot of the classic 90s survival horror title, which influenced franchises like Resident Evil, it features actors David Harbour and Jodie Comer playing Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood, respectively. The duo investigate the mysterious disappearance of Emily’s uncle in Derceto Manor and quickly run afoul of many horrors.

Check out our review of the reboot here. We scored it a 6 out of 10 due to the problematic writing, unpolished combat, technical issues, etc. An update went live in March to balance the shotgun, improve level streaming and fix numerous crashes.

The game has also seen relatively positive reception from its player base. On Steam, for example, the game is sitting at an aggregate of Mostly Positive reviews, with 79 percent of the reviews the game got in the last month being positive.

Alone in the Dark was released back in March, and puts players in the shoes of either Emily Hartwood or Edward Carnby. The duo arrive at an asylum known as the Derceto Manor in search of Emily’s uncle, and what follows is an eldritch mystery that combines puzzles, exploration, and combat.

The game has also been getting updates since its release, with one releasing at the end of March bringing along some rebalancing for the shotgun. For more details on the game, check out our review. Alone in the Dark is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Level streaming is improved, while lighting has been tweaked in “several areas.” There are several crash fixes, several relating to memory on the Xbox. Crashes related to autosaves in the Cemetery when loading save files from earlier versions, transitioning to Chapter 3 or even when opening the Conservatory’s door have also been fixed.

It’s a pretty hefty amount, especially considering the various delays that the survival horror title (which makes you wonder how much worse it would have been without the same). Check out the full update notes below for more details. You can also read our review – we awarded it a 6 out of 10, praising the atmosphere, level design and puzzles but criticizing the writing, combat and technical issues.

Alone in the Dark Patch (2024/03/28)

Changes

• Shotgun balancing.

Optimization:

• Level streaming improvements.
• Lighting tweaks in several areas.

Bugs fixed:

• Several fixes of memory related crashes on Xbox.
• Fixed crash related to autosaves in the Cemetery.
• Fixed crash related to loading saved game files from earlier versions of the game.
• Fixed crash when entering Cemetery through the basement door/passage.
• Fixed crash during the transition to Chapter 3.
• Fixed crash when opening the door to the Conservatory.
• Fixed crash in the Gallatin Street showroom.
• The number of chambered bullets after loading a save should now be correct.
• DLCs are no longer available if disabled in Steam.
• Fixed issue where the puzzle HUD remained on screen after exiting a puzzle.
• Changes to keybindings are now persistent.
• Fixed issues with PC getting stuck on objects in Gallatin Street.
• Fixed several instances of flickering HLODs.
• Players can no longer access the cheat on the circuit breaker puzzle.
• General fixes related to sounds breaking and becoming distorted.
• Fixed issue with PC being blocked after the Crypt anomaly in Derceto.
• Fixed issue with PC being pushed into the wall in the Crypt anomaly in Derceto.
• Fixed menu issues on UWS monitors.
• Fixed save issues related to the zipline cutscene on Oil Rig.
• PC should no longer get stuck by the destructible gate on the Oil Rig level.
• Stopped being able to backtrack on the burning Oil Rig level and get blocked.
• Removed broken reset button in the X-Ray puzzle.
• Removed blocker between flooded morgue and Dr. Gray’s apartment when playing as Emily.
• Removed floating crucifix in War Photo.
• Fixed problem with PC getting stuck when traversing below the fallen pillar leading to the first puzzle in Desert Standing Stones.
• Fixed issues with sound delays after loading a save.
• Fixed issue where Batiste’s Keys were missing from inventory in Chapter 2.
• Fixed collision issues on breakable chairs.
• Fixed save issues related to objectives updates in AW4.● Fixed screen freeze issues when picking up the Furniture Key.
• Players can now remap the opportunity action on keyboard.
• Fixed issues where throwing items breaks interactions.
• Players can no longer be blocked by missing a puzzle piece in the attic.
• Fixed issues where PC spawned outside of playable area after loading saved game.
• Fixed save issue where player could get stuck in basement after loading saved game.
• “You can’t keep me out” achievement can now be completed.

Capcom’s open world action RPG was “narrowly ahead” of Princess Peach: Showtime!, which slotted in at No. 3, while another new release, Rise of the Ronin, entered the charts at No. 5. Meanwhile, THQ Nordic’s Alone in the Dark reboot came in at No. 6.

Interestingly, as per Dring, owing to the significantly higher share of physical sales that Nintendo Switch games usually see in the UK, Princess Peach: Showtime! has had a “weak launch”, with sales lower than what the Mario vs. Donkey Kong remake managed upon its release last month. Even though Dragon’s Dogma 2 is only “narrowly” ahead of Princess Peach in the physical charts, when accounting for digital sales (data for which will arrive later in the week), it’s likely to have had a much better launch.

Meanwhile, Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown re-entered the charts at No. 10, a whopping 693 percent increase in sales from last week, courtesy of Amazon’s Spring Sale.

Rise of Ronin is at No.5, while Alone in the Dark is the final new release in the charts at No.6. Amazon Spring Sale sends games up the charts, including Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown at No.10 (+693% week-on-week). Best to wait on digital to draw conclusions

— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) March 25, 2024

In the UK, Switch games are much more skewed towards the physical market, vs Xbox and PlayStation. Much more. Dragon's Dogma could be 80 – 90% digital, whereas Princess Peach — based on third-party Switch sales — could be 70 – 80% physical.

— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) March 25, 2024

Alone in the Dark sees players playing as either Emily Hartwood or Edward Carnby (played by Jodie Comer and David Harbour respectively), who arrive at the asylum known as Derceto Manor in search of the former’s missing uncle, only to find themselves caught in a horrifying, eldritch mystery. Combining puzzles, exploration, and combat, Alone in the Dark adopts a third-person approach and gameplay structure similar to the Resident Evil series.

In our review of the game, we gave it a score of 6/10, saying, “There are bright spots here that genre veterans can and likely will latch on to, but Alone in the Dark feels a bit too rough and unpolished in areas that are too critical to the experience to ever be able to truly meet its full potential.” Read the full review through here.

Alone in the Dark is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Check out its PC requirements through here.