Turf War is where Splatoon 2 shines, and the same goes for the co-op Salmon Run mode. The single-player stuff is here, and quite solid, but is secondary to the core online experience. The most difficult part of Hero Mode usually comes down to finding each of the stages in the overworld, and then trying to collect all the hidden pieces within that unlock new stuff. For the most part, it serves as a great training ground for Turf War, with interesting boss encounters and charming character design and art direction. As a Nintendo Switch exclusive Splatoon 2 joins an already stellar first-party line-up for a console that is still only a few months old.

Until Dawn proves to be both visually and narratively compelling.

Whether you're a wild mustang wanderer in free roam or a hardcore PvPer, RDO delivers pretty amazing fun. I'd be remiss, however, if I didn't mention that it's still a “mostly what you make of it” online experience. New content comes in dribs and drabs. And when you look over yonder at GTA V (where players are getting casinos and all sorts of cool things) it's clear that RDO needs better and more frequent support. Hopefully Rockstar can be spurred into that action, because what's already here is well worth saddling up for.

Even with a lacklustre Zombies experience, Call of Duty: Vanguard is Sledgehammer Games’ best Call of Duty to date. The studio is finally hitting its stride in getting its vision of the series to where it should be. The campaign is a rip-roaring five hours of fascinating character stories mixed with memorable locales, while the new additions to the admittedly by-the-numbers multiplayer are more than welcome. While it may not change the formula in any meaningful way, what you’ve got here is a great Call of Duty game.

Developer Relic also seems to be having a lot more fun with the loot this time around, as players can even equip some of their heroes with rare items that sound ridiculous but in practise turn out to be quite awesome. Like a machine gun that has a chance to call in an artillery strike.

Music-mixing is how DropMix is labelled, but mixing in the form of stitching together various loops – represented by cards – on an interactive board and a connected smart device app. The fact that it can convey the feeling of mixing and production, whilst giving anyone the chance to change and add to music without the need to worry about tempo or key, is worthy of praise. And, another feather in the already feather-stacked cap of Harmonix – creators of Amplitude, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band.

Wayward Strand is a delicate piece of work, as its title might imply. Despite the flight of fancy proposed by the very idea of an airship hospital, it's a remarkably unassuming game–not literally down-to-earth, but certainly grounded in its portrayal of lives nearing their end and one just beginning, and the common hopes, dreams and fears that connect all those lives together.

An addictive, not-too-shallow bite of strategic game play for fans of fifteen minute sessions. It could have easily been a DSi game sans 3D, but that 3D screen certainly looks a treat during the action.

Thankfully, the deep and rewarding combat more than makes up for the sometimes sexless superhero daytime soap opera and the sometimes engaging story you get to watch play out. Marvel’s Midnight Suns is at its best when it has all of the various superheroes do what they do best.

The Walking Dead has experimented on the typical Telltale formula, with a lot of success, over the course of these three episodes, and this is definitely one of the more interesting things it has done.

Levels are still challenging but there’s a general lack of surprise to the flow that is a little disappointing, in that it kind of feels that the underlying gameplay of The Division and the sorts of levels and missions you can expect to find have reached ‘peak variety’. But when that variety essentially blends the original game’s setting and enemy factions with that of The Division 2’s vibrant Washington DC - Warlords of New York presents more than enough reasons to re-visit the Big Apple.

All in all this is a sequel that builds on the original in impressive ways, and a timely reminder of why the rogue-lite genre has taken off in the way that it has.

Despite early frustration, Animal Crossing: New Horizon is not only a game I’ll be returning to but also a life worth revisiting. With time comes maturity and now that I know the rules and how to break them each visit can be a holiday or a monetary expedition to create a hoarder’s paradise. Animal Crossing: New Horizons lets you do what you want, at your own pace, as long as you’ve got the Bells to pay for it.

West of Dead isn’t without its standoff moments of frustration, but a squint of the eye and a sweat-bead zero-flinch will see you standing tall post-Purgatory call out. Honestly, I just want to see more of it at this stage, maybe in less repetitive form, but as a continually-fleshed out new IP and one that keeps its creative skull-fire burning.

Each major story adds to the world, the setting, the mystery. Throw in PC visuals that are easily some of the most impressive you’re likely to see this year or next, it’s the one part of the experience that lives up to the futuristic setting and promise seen in the many pre-release gameplay slices and trailers. But again, there’s a disconnect that creeps up every now and then. Immersion that breaks whenever you come across a bug or you can see the seams due to missing AI or missing features. No doubt Cyberpunk 2077 will be a better game on all platforms in three months time, and then three months after that. For now, it’s breathtaking on PC - for all the right, and wrong, reasons.

It’s very much the spiritual successor it purports to be -- with forward thinking design and elements that flow in a way that reminds you of the timeless nature of the fluid, stylish combat of old. The lack of co-op is something you feel, but in terms of cinematic spectacle this is the Master Chief carrying the flag once more for Xbox. Albeit in that new-school form of being able to jump in and, well, play anywhere.

In no way treated as an intro sequence, the expanded Metroidvania style second half of the game inadvertently overshadows those opening hours of brilliant platforming and action. But even so, The Messenger features an understanding of design, from the 8-bit to the 16-bit to the modern era, that make it more than a throwback.

Interesting combat aside, what resonates and exhilarates about Lost in Random is its story first and foremost. The adventure that Even embarks on is one to savour and one that lives up to the wonderful art direction and visual design. The characters, the dialogue, the discoveries, the animation, the voice acting, the music, the presentation -- it all comes together wonderfully. A game well worth taking a chance and rolling the dice on.

There are some issues in the way of variety with enemies, and some missed opportunities for serious survival-horror scares, but on the whole it's still one of the stronger Resi releases we've seen in a while. Definitely worth more than a look in.

The game is at odds with itself for not being as inventive as it should be, but being so good because of all invention that's come before it. Mario, in this sense, is his own worst enemy.

Satirical and self-referential, short and sweet, Twisted Pixel has provided a multitude of six-shooting fun, and their quirky creation tucks itself nicely into several age-groups. The Gunstringer is one of the most inventive and chaotic titles for the Kinect to-date.

Crossing Souls is a little scrappy, rough around the edges. But at its core it tells a great story. An adventure filled with twists and turns and well-earned moments of introspection and emotion. The fact that it nails this part of its inspiration, that being the Spielberg-like vision of the 1980s, make it a success. Adventure, action, and friendship drive the experience, which make its short comings far less visible than its bedrooms filled with posters for films like Ghostbusters. In the end we love that Crossing Souls isn’t merely a compendium of references to things like Back to the Future and Poltergeist. There’s definite substance below the shiny neon ‘80s surface.

I haven't enjoyed the game this much in years. They have managed to do what 12 months ago I wouldn't have thought was possible, they've put the fun back into World of Warcraft.

There are memorable flashes of brilliance when playing the multiplayer modes, and you come up against another player. And through sheer skill and understanding of the combat, you’re able to gain the upper hand in a heated and intense exchange of metal.

In the end Cloudpunk is as long as its narrative, with little more than collectibles to find through exploration. Mostly there to present videogame elements like vehicle upgrades or trinkets to place around your small apartment. The story though is memorable, and often as dense and layered as the jutting buildings that make-up Nivalis. An aesthetic joy throughout, and a cyberpunk tale well worth delivering to your desktop.

Overall production values are great with all dialogue having accompanying voice acting and when talking to NPCs you’re often presented with several dialogue choices - many of which expand the world’s lore and current events. With several quality of life and mechanic upgrades from SpellForce 3, Soul Harvest is an enjoyable experience that scratches both the RPG and RTS itch. A blend that still feels unique to this series, and one that continues to impress all these years later.

The X off-shoot of the Mega Man franchise improved on the formula laid out in the 8-bit era to create some of the best 2D action games of the ‘90s, where art and animation grew in leaps and bounds alongside mechanics and wonderful level design. In many ways this is Mega Man at its finest, and outside of the fact that most of the eight games play the same, this Legacy Collection is a fine reminder of why the X series is held in such high regard.

It may not be as wholly engaging or enticing in its storytelling as previous F.E.A.R. outings, but I'm still keen to jump back on the action cloud of a game that's infused with a horror lining.