Outriders is not a perfect game by any means. Its narrative, while containing some fun characters, feels somewhat underdeveloped. The conflict between the intended aggressive style of play and the omnipresent walls for cover lead to a strange kind of dissonance where the level design feels at odds with the most fun way of playing the game. The server issues are ongoing and can occasionally make the game inaccessible. The endgame is a lot of fun, but only if you’re playing in a group. When the experience is working well, it is a ton of fun shooting your way through hordes of enemies and marvelling at the latest rare gear. However, while the flaws do not ruin the experience, they are notable.

As is the case with many annual sequels, MLB The Show 21 is an iteration and improvement over its predecessor. Having said that, if you bought The Show 20, I personally can’t see enough of a change to justify getting 21 in my opinion. There are improvements to the game modes that deserve praise, though I don’t know if it will keep me on the hook for a very long time. Having said that, both titles share some fantastic elements, such as the impressive depth of mechanical customisation, which by itself carries the game into high regard.

With realism being the focus of MotoGP 21, the enjoyment here comes from the mastery of racing at high speeds. Although unless you’re a returning player to the series or a natural on the virtual bike, you won’t be treated kindly by the game’s difficulty. New players could comfortably get away with trying MotoGP 20 instead as a way of easing themselves into the series with a smaller entry fee. Returning players, conversely, will no doubt feel at home with an updated game featuring stunningly detailed environments and racing options. As for me? The plethora of crashes I experienced in-game may now put me off real-world motorbikes altogether.

On offer is an absolutely wonderful amount of world, lore and story to digest and fully absorb yourself in. It’s undoubtedly a magical game also, though it’s hard to picture this venture breaking the original out of its niche. NieR is a wonderful, intriguing franchise that a select number are dearly devoted to, and rightly so. The game’s not entirely for me, especially considering all the backtracking, but it’s a weird and wonderful ride nevertheless.

I’m walking away from my time with Smelter really fondly. It’s a wonderful, charming and inventive title that makes for a hell of a debut. Smelter won’t cross many people’s radar but it’s a game I’ll be beating my drum for this year, begging as many people as possible to play it. Smelter is charming. It’s tough-as-nails. At times it’s even hilarious. Most of all, Smelter is just itself – a badass and unapologetic indie guaranteed to give you a good time.

A ridiculous and funny point and click adventure that anyone can enjoy. The style of gameplay is simple, allowing you to enjoy the art, music and especially the writing even more. It will feed you that good mix of absurd and self-aware comedy that you didn’t even know you were hungry for. I really do encourage you to give it a go, especially if you’re on the fence about point and click adventures in general. It’s a game that doesn’t need a triple-A status or heavy content to be fantastic. Just a few sentient pixels, great writing and some paranormal cases to solve.

Mechanically this is a wonderful first-person shooter that is fun to play with plenty of strategy and room to learn. Unfortunately, it adopts the popular smooth and colourful style, oversaturated by many other shooters already available. Lacking individuality to stand out, a significantly declining player base, and a potentially damaging business model; this game competes in the wrong league. If the developers can quickly reconsider their approach, maybe this shockingly distinct and sensational dimensional combat will get the attention it deserves. As it stands, Quantum League is an impressive shooter with a potentially wave-making time loop mechanic, but its style leaves it only a particle among the rest.

I didn’t think I’d love Clan O’Conall and the Crown of the Stag as much as I did, but it’s really hard to fault this game. It’s fun, it’s bright, it’s beautiful, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and its constantly changing mechanics keep it from being repetitive. It’s easy to see this game as superficial due to its graphics and light-hearted humour. However, so many of the characters, bosses and environments have been painstakingly researched to make sure it connects with Celtic mythology. All up, playing multiple badass characters as I traversed around a gorgeous, vibrant world was a lot of fun and I highly recommend this action-adventure indie.

New Pokémon Snap is a fantastic sequel to a much-beloved N64 classic. It improves on everything from the original game, and the opportunity to snap cute pics of our favourite Pokémon with upgraded graphics is worth the purchase alone. Due to a few small annoyances, it falls short of being a masterpiece, but it’s certainly nothing that will ruin your enjoyment. New Pokémon Snap was worth the wait, and it’s a must-have for any Pokémon fan.

After the too close for comfort clash with the Baker family in Louisana, Resident Evil Village attempts to match that creepy tone and do more. Much more. As a result, this tale has facets of methodical horror combined with the ridiculous action of Resident Evil 5 or 6. While some players may not enjoy one or the other, undeniably Capcom does both very well. A better mix of the survival horror and extreme action could have made this stronger overall, as the messy pacing, lacking antagonist development, and easing difficulty hurt the overall adventure. The final package is still a wonderful spectacle of a video game. It’s entertaining, it’s engrossing, and it’s Resident Evil in every aspect. With the best visual/audio design in the series’ and a satisfying Metroidvania world design, Resident Evil Village is unmissable.

Returnal comes in with some new ideas and finds a way to implement them incredibly well. The game has an attention to detail and a unique sense of style that goes beyond anything I would have expected from this comparatively small development studio. It’s a roguelike with a great deal of substance and scope and feels really good with a DualSense in your hands. Despite one decently sizable detractor in its lack of autosave functionality, Returnal proves to be a remarkably fun and satisfying experience from beginning to end.

Skate City is a visually stunning game with an incredibly catchy soundtrack. It effortlessly provides the chill gameplay environment that skating games are renowned for, complete with sleek and minimal graphics. The controls with a mouse and keyboard, however, can feel counterintuitive, and if you’re looking for a layered and complex experience like Tony Hawk, Skate City might fall short. However, if you’re looking for a relaxing skating game to help you unwind at the end of a busy day, you’ll find that Skate City does the trick superbly.

Buildings Have Feelings Too! is an incredibly quaint and gorgeous game that also fills you with absolute rage, which is honestly quite a feat. The confusing connection between whimsy and frustration doesn’t entirely feel like the desired intention of the creators. This game has amazing potential to be a unique and engaging building management simulator but instead falls short, burdened by its own rules and regulations that rival the dullest of body corporate committees. Go in expecting great dialogue, visuals and sound, but be aware, there is little room for management and experimentation here due to the tight constraints and restrictive solutions to the puzzles.

Whether you want to take the righteous route or become the true menace of Nottingham, Hood: Outlaws & Legends is certainly one of the best Robin Hood games to play. The art and world design care are impeccable, representing a grim and gory version of the English folklore. It’s empowering to play as legendary vigilantes and decimate the establishment or opposing forces with strategy and stealth. Although, it doesn’t come without its fair share of problems. The winching mechanic, and currently the only objective type in the game, is unmistakeably frustrating and poorly conceived. Without a proper refresh of the goals, the community might take their gold elsewhere. Not forgetting technical bugs that need squashing, Hood: Outlaws & Legends may let you steal from the rich but not without taking a little bit of your patience first.

If you need a hit of nostalgia from a sci-fi shooter, then jump in the cockpit for this one. It packs the challenge but may feel a little too stuck in the arcades of old. This release is a testament to the power of a loyal fanbase. As far as side-scrollers go, it’s definitely on the money. For many, a space-themed game like this might feel like something new and exciting for the genre. Difficulty does require some fine-tuning and there are some levels that will kill you more than the actual enemies if you’re not careful. Returning players will likely see this game as a solid tribute to a franchise they hold dear but it’s worth jumping in even if you are completely new to the side-scroller world of R-Type.

The Companion presents a compelling premise that just manages to fall short of an engaging experience. While it showcases some beautiful artwork in its visuals and creates a magical atmosphere with its environments and sound design, the actual gameplay becomes repetitive and frustrating over time. Issues with pacing interfere with what could have been a more streamlined walking-sim experience, and arbitrary padding makes the fragmented narrative difficult to appreciate. Those looking for a compelling story might want to wait a few months for some developer updates, while folks keen to lose themselves in a gorgeous fantasy realm might still find joy in The Companion in its current state.

Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is an extremely important game that paved the way for the Persona series and other turn-based JRPGs. For that reason, it’s important that we give it credit where credit is due; without it and the SMT franchise as a whole, the genre would look mighty different. Though running around in circles and fighting battle after battle with samey demons can be more yawn than yay, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne is a classic that anyone who values the genre should check out, even if it’s merely to delve into the roots of this complicated, intriguing universe.

Operation Tango gets the look and feel of being a secret agent team absolutely right, with a cool soundtrack to boot. But it’s held back by its hit-and-miss gameplay, which can range from super cool to frustrating. A longer campaign may have let the gameplay expand and deepen, but with only 6 short missions and little replay value, it ends up feeling a little shallow. The upside is, this makes the game a perfect candidate for some DLC.

At an absolute bare minimum, Essays on Empathy is a fantastic project. Very few games have really given this level of insight into the world of the developer. Truly, this is one of the most impactful games I have played in years. Some of these titles touch on private pains and give a sense of clarity and non-judgemental exploration. I am honestly so appreciative. When I write about games, I tend to talk a lot about indie titles, and it’s because of games like this. Games that are as great as this should be known the world over, and I’m proud to push the needle in the right direction.

A few odd design decisions prevent Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield from growing into the action-packed blockbuster it yearns to be. While the title finds its footing once you’ve unlocked its speedier and more difficult game modes, it’s a bit of a slog to get there. For those willing to put in the effort to get to that endless runner’s high, there’s a slick experience to be found here. Although less patient parkourists might want to look elsewhere.

Lost Ruins is a retro-inspired cautionary tale. For every Metroid or Double Dragon back in the day, there were a hundred clones that just did not get it perfectly right. Even 30 years later, developers can’t always figure out the secret sauce or how to make it all work. In some ways Lost Ruins is a proper testament to the classics, they were just so much more nuanced than their visuals let on. This game has some great ideas and a concept that works on paper, and from time to time it works in the game too. But all too often it stumbles when it should have soared.

As a game, it is not up to scratch. While the characters and the story might be good enough for a music video, it’s not good enough for a video game. It is clear these are music video characters, sometimes in great emotional scenes, but often feeling two dimensional. The gameplay is sometimes nice, but often lacking in a discernable thread of logic, and is undercut when you see how little influence you have on what is clearly a prescribed set of events.

Biomutant is full of creative ideas and unique thoughts that, when combined with such a gorgeous and compelling environment to explore, could have made for a top-tier experience that is easy to recommend. However, the fact that it has so many ideas crammed in that it almost feels like too much, and an open world that can feel very by-the-numbers, makes Biomutant a solid game that misses the mark almost as much as it hits the nail on the head.

Subnautica: Below Zero is another masterclass in survival gaming, setting itself apart from the overabundance of survival games on the market with its tranquil ocean setting, addicting exploration, and unique wildlife. If you are a fan of the previous title or survival games in general, this really ticks all the boxes that you are looking for, providing an enthralling world to explore and get lost in, all with gorgeous graphics and sound design. It can at times feel like a retread of the previous game with a few tweaks and additions, but Subnautica was by no means a bad game, so this is still a very well-crafted follow-up in the series. It is a hard title to put down as you are always on the cusp of something new and evolutionary, so players in search of something more fast-paced will need to search elsewhere. In saying that, I still think this is a title that everyone should check out or at least give a go, as it really does represent something unique and captivating that is hard to not recommend.