Summary
As of this writing, Sega is perhaps in the best health it’s been in since the Genesis days. It helps that they acquired popular developers like Atlus, giving them award-winning series likePersonato publish. But, the past decade saw their cult classicYakuzaseries become a straight-up classic, and even theSonicseries is doing better than it has in years (Sonic Colors Ultimatenotwithstanding).
But, with so many amazing games coming out every year, some people might not have checked out Sega’s recent output. So, whether they’re console exclusives, multi-format releases, made by studios directly under Sega, or games just published by the company, these are thebest Sega games on the PlayStation 5.
Puzzle games are a good way to appeal to a broad audience, as they can be quick to grasp but tricky to solve. For example,Super Monkey Ballis all about getting a monkey in a ball from the start of one course to the end without falling, with most of the courses making that goal easier said than done. It was enough to make it a hit series, though one that seemed to be happier to move forward, as players needed to power up their old GameCubes to play the first two games.
That is, until RGG Studio madeSuper Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, which recreates all the courses fromSMB1 Deluxeand2, but with some quality-of-life updates. Struggling players can use its slow-motion and guide features to help them find the best routes, while players of all skill levels can roll around as a variety of characters, from its main monkey, AiAi, to guest characters like Sonic the Hedgehog and Kazuma Kiryu.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Maniais a good puzzle game, but if players want something more head-to-head, they can’t go wrong withPuyo Puyo Tetris 2. The original game combined the tricky colored blob combo-racking fun ofPuyo Puyowiththe nihilistic block arrangingofTetrisinto a unique arrangement, where mastering both could flood their foe’s screen with garbage.
The sequel continues wherePPT1left off, with a fresh story mode that sees their worlds combine once more, and an improved online mode that makes free play and league games more competitive. That, and its new Skill mode, will challenge players to use their character’s unique abilities and items to get ahead. Whether one loves one or the other, fans of both series will be pleased to see the two join up again here.
BetweentheSonicmoviesand the gradually improving games, the Blue Blur’s been on an upswing lately. Though, if one had to pick out the best of the bunch, it would have to beSonic X Shadow Generations. Half of it was a re-release ofSonic Generations, the best of the old boost games, which received a few tweaks here and there (e.g. multiple save slots). The other half was a new game following Sonic’s edgy rival, Shadow, and his time in the white space.
It treats fans new and old to a new story that managed to turn Shadow’s convoluted backstory into a rather moving blast from the past, with smooth and swift gameplay that arguably managed to one-upSonic Generationswith its Chaos powers and improved level design. Now, players can move faster and discover new shortcuts with clever use of Shadow’s Chaos spear projectiles, or his time-freezing Chaos Control, among other abilities.
Thanks to backwards compatibility, the PS5 is just as handy as the PS4 for letting players play everyYakuza/Like a Dragongame. Well, unless one prefers the OGY1&Y2to theirKiwamiremakes. Still, if players wanted to experience those games,Y3-6, Ishin, theJudgmentgames, andYakuza: Like a Dragon, they could still do so with the PS5’s extra oomph.
The latest installment in the series puts the player back in the shoes of its resident lunatic, Goro Majima, as he takes to the seas inLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. It goes back to the traditional street brawling gameplay but throws in naval combat via Majima’s ship, the Goromaru, and a range of minigames. From mainstays like Karaoke to twistingPokémon Snap’s camera-flashing formula in Sicko Snap, it’s got plenty to keep players occupied.
Some people might preferbaseball, tennis, or American Football, but theFootball Managergames have arguably been the premier sports management sim series since their early days asChampionship Manager. Though, by nature, they tend to work better on PCs and other computers than consoles, as anyone who’s ever had to use a D-pad to move a cursor on a screen may recall. Some games are just better suited to a mouse and/or keyboard than a controller.
But, things have gotten better since the 1990s, and if players only have a PS5 to work with, they can giveFootball Manager 2024a whirl. It’s essentially the same experience of making the right trades and keeping everyone, from fans to the chairperson, happy. Only now, it’s bigger in scope, as players can now manage teams from Japan’s J1-J3 leagues or continue where their oldFM23saves left them off, since they’re compatible withFM24.
Business simulation games have been popular since the days ofA Rock Star Ate My Hamster, but some players missed the tongue-in-cheek nature of older classics likeTheme Hospital. So, two of their creators set up Two Point Studios and madeTwo Point Hospital, which was a good spiritual successor. Then, they madeTwo Point Campus, and it was better. Now, they’re giving museum management a go viaTwo Point Museum, where players must run their educational facility without running it into the ground.
On top of building gift shops, cafeterias, etc., they must fund expeditions to get items to exhibit and pull in more punters to their establishment. The rarer and more appealing the items, the more dangerous the expeditions will be. If players aren’t careful, they could end up losing their leading experts to various threats, which will make tracking down other historical curios more of an uphill challenge.
TheShin Megami Tenseiseries has been chugging along since the Famicom days, though most people outside Japan didn’t get a look at the series until the PS1 and PS2 days. Even then, they may be more familiar with its spin-offs, like theDevil SummonerandPersonaseries. But, the mainlineSMTgames tend to gointo darker territory, asShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeanceshows.
It’s an expanded version of the originalSMT5, where the protagonist must navigate their way through the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Da’at. By recruiting and fusing the right demons, they could become a force to be reckoned with and settle the angel-devil conflict that ravages the land. Depending on their moral choices, they could end up being better than the divine — or as dark as the darkest evil.
TheYakuza/Like a Dragonseries made its name with real-time street combat, where grinding a guy’s face into the pavement is just another Tuesday. But, the series gained a whole new range of players when they switched to a turn-based JRPG style forYakuza: Like a Dragon. That game was a hit on the PS4 and PC, and it players great on the PS5 too.
If players want more from new hero Ichiban and his party, or just want to know why Majima is playing pirate in Hawaii, they can check out the sequelLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Ichiban now battles with a new party to discover something rotten in the Aloha State, with a new range of jobs, abilities, and summons to play with. It’s the series' first sojourn outside of Japan’s shores, but players can still seewhat’s going on in Ijinchovia Kazuma Kiryu’s battle against a criminal conspiracy and his own mortality.
Metaphor: ReFantaziouses many gameplay elements from theSMTandPersonagames, from day-night cycles to social links, but it’s not connected to either — not even as a spin-off or spiritual successor. It’s an all-new game set in an all-new world, as the players help Will lift the curse placed on his friend, the Prince of the United Kingdom of Euchronia.
It’s gotplenty of familiar elements forPersonafans to enjoy, likePS5-style platforming and stealth sections. Otherwise, it’s a traditional turn-based RPG, where players must use their skills and Archetypes (manifestations of their insecurities) to exploit the enemies’ weak points. That’ll build up Will and his party’s stats, but to increase their Royal Virtues, they’ll have to get on the good side of each kingdom’s region, performing tasks for them to keep them happy.
ThePersonaseries has run the gamut from being a niche cult classic to a widely acclaimed RPG mainstay. Old-school fans may still remember the heady days ofP1’s dodgy localization (“Mark danced crazy!”), and even newer fans might compare their runs through the originalPersona 3to its remake,P3: Reload. But, for many players, their first taste of the series came inPersona 5.
It saw Joker and his Phantom Thieves use their newfound powers to steal people’s malevolent intents from the Metaverse — which could be a great success or go belly-up fast, depending on the player’s choices. TheRoyaledition further improved the game by fleshing out its dungeons and story threads, making it the de facto edition of the game to get, which is probably why it became one of the biggest-selling entries in the franchise.
