Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better, but OlliOlli World pulls off that rarest of tricks: it's a sequel that loses none of its capacity for challenge, while lowering the barrier to entry sufficiently to welcome in a new audience. [Issue#369, p.116]

If you've found yourself thinking Pokemon has been showing its age of late, Pokemon Legends: Arceus proves, like members of its playbase, it's more than capable of maturing, too. [Issue#369, p.114]

In a game that succumbs a little too often to 'numbers go up' design, it's much more of a thrill to see them go DOWN occasionally, then have to strive just to get back on an even keel. [Issue#369, p.112]

It's never easy. But somehow, when we fall, it only makes us all the more keen to dust ourselves off and get up again. Once we've taken that calming breath, at least. [Issue#369, p.108]

It isn't more than the sum of its parts, but those parts are at least expertly arranged to foreground the very best in firstperson athletics. [Issue#369, p.104]

It's in the great outdoors where Forbidden West comes to life - which is ironic given how often we're told it's dying. When the story's leash is off and we're free to luxuriate in its world and the wider cast's personal tales (one sidequest, involving a missing friend and an unrequited romance, is an exemplar of the form), it's not hard to understand why the first game was so popular. This is, then, more of the same in every sense, and your feelings towards the first will determine whether you see that as a recommendation. [Issue#369, p.100]

An undercooked dish. [Issue#368, p.123]

Aeterna Noctis retains enough of the best parts of its inspiration that it should satisfy undemanding players with time on their hands. [Issue#368, p.122]

From the pixellated sweat-drops of exertion as Red nudges a weighty block along to the arpeggiated chime that celebrates a stage's completion, its simple pleasures add up to a quietly transtemporal experience. [Issue#368, p.7]

Rodriguez's bright, resourceful debut is a compact little treasure that's well worth dredging up. [Issue#368, p.120]

Windjammers 2 also cements Dotemu's position as the premier upholder of exquisite and sympathetic sequels to discarded classics. A triumph. [Issue#368, p.118]

While by the time the credits roll we've pretty much had our fill, it must be doing something right for 20 hours' worth of moreish, lizard-brain fun to have flown by. [Issue#368, p.116]

With all the weaknesses of its beloved inspiration and precious few of its strengths, Praey For The Gods- much like its protagonist - consistently struggles to retain its grip. [Issue#368, p.114]

This may not be the best choice for a player without an existing co-op team, but if you do have three friends who are willing to learn, and die, together, it's a work of unmissable claustrophobia. GTFO indeed. [Issue#368, p.110]

This is as satisfying a finale as any devoted FFXIV player could reasonably have hoped for. [Issue#368, p.106]

Like playing with a good camera, though, this is really its own reward - something that's a joy to fiddle with for hours at a time, even if no one but you is interested in the results. [Issue#367, p.123]

Dap runs out of steam some way before it wraps up, but this abrasive, distinctive game lingers in the mind, haunting you like the ghosts of so many fallen Pikmin. [Issue#367, p.122]

As with any rollercoaster, you can never quite recapture the giddy pleasure of that first ride. [Issue#367, p.121]

Credit, then, to Tiani Pixel and Fernanda Dias for a journey that feels deserving of your precious time. [Issue#367, p.120]

Watson, the game is a muddle. [Issue#367, p.119]

Like the Trebhum, The Eternal Cylinder thrives despite its deficiencies, relying on a unique ensemble of qualities to find a way. [Issue#367, p.118]

There is an abundance of delicious meat on these old bones. [Issue#367, p.117]

Within 20 or so minutes, it's all over. [Issue#367, p.116]

You could never accuse Strange Scaffold of resting on its laurels. [Issue#367, p.115]

The resulting sense of forward momentum helps keep the frustrations from growing tiresome. [Issue#367, p.114]

Think of it like fast-forwarding through an action movie past all the poorly written dialogue to get to the good bits. [Issue#367, p.112]

In just a fraction of the time it would take another game, The Gunk manages to instil the full sense of exploring an unknown planet to its core. [Issue#367, p.110]

As nostalgic joys go, though, it's a damning one. [Issue#367, p.106]