Initially bulky and a bit messy, Metal Slug Tactics is a tough nut to crack at first, partly because of its roguelite approach. But once you get into it, you'll enjoy the clever 'synch' mechanics and the search for viable movement patterns and powerful synergies.

You get a good amount of gaming for little money and you will feel like a happy kid for a while with MotorStorm RC. In the end it´s the completely missing online modes which keep it from higher praise.

Successful VR version of Assassin's Creed, which works well except for the open battles and offers immersive sneaking and parkour fun.

Songs of Conquest would have profited from losing some of the inherent ticks of this particular sub-genre, but it is still one of the most beautiful and relaxing "just one more round" games of the year.

Eighteen years after the last installment, Samus Aran finds herself lost in her most linear, easiest game yet. Nevertheless, the unique atmosphere, solid foundations, excellent visuals, and several neat dungeon ideas make Viewros well worth a visit.

Of course, it's not a grand adventure with an epic story and powerful character development. Shredding your way through the snazzy dioramas - always careful not to lose valuable experience points, and soon so nimble that you bravely duel bosses yourself - is much more engaging than it might look on pictures, though. No wonder, then, that it had to be Devolver, who snatched up this gem. You'd best do the same!

Authentic and competitive playstyles bring flexibility to this year's version, but also limitations. Otherwise, EA Sports FC 26 offers some nice new features and sensible gameplay optimizations, while FUT continues to utilize pay-to-win mechanics.

Every puzzle, every piece of dialogue, every punchline and every single one of the sprawlingly hand-drawn backgrounds is pervaded by the charming eccentricities we only got a glimpse at in the first game. Where other second games in a trilogy often fail, this middle-part manages to marry the obligatory cliffhanger-ending in the run-up to Episode three with a whole-heartedly satisfying conclusion of its own.

A good conversion of the PC city builder for consoles, which also unfolds its addictive potential there. The controls work well, but unfortunately the season passes will not be released for consoles.

Don't Nod has arrived among the greats: Banishers combines a huge, enthralling world and a engaging narrative with good technology and effortlessly entertaining Kratos-style action-adventure combat.

New content might be lacking, but the simulation is still excellent and accessible even to newcomers as Milestone double down on their smart, optional driving aids.

With a humorous script, lovingly designed characters and a goofy story, Date Everything turns out to be a really cool dating sim.

The camera does its part in making some sequences a tad bit annoying, but that's just a small irritation in a game where everything else is so absolutely spot on. The whole game world feels like a gigantic box of toys come to life, bustling with charm and lovable characters.

It might be lacking in structure and its online systems seem ancient. As a golf game, though, Mario Golf World Tour is solid beyond any doubt. Its inner mechanics just are some of the best in the genre.

If you have been waiting for a good honest FPS on the Vita, this is it. In fact, there aren't many ways in which Killzone's debut on Sony's starving handheld could have been much better.

Don't Starve can be a real pain. But if you know what you're getting yourself into, you'll not regret answering the call of this cute, but somehow distressingly terrifying wild.

Rarely did I enjoy getting to know the numerous facets of a vivid world as much as I did here. And rarely did I miss in-depth systems as little as in this cleverly constructed stealth puzzler - in which sneaking, puzzling and quiet exploration come together in pleasingly varied situations.

Undeniable technical difficulties aside, with a price tag of only 20 bucks nobody should miss out on State of Decay. It's easily one of the most complex and elaborately designed XBLA title to ever grace that service, so clever and mature I'm struggling to name another open world game that has felt this fresh in the last three years since Red Dead Redemption rode along.

Granted, there's no real competition as of yet, but Sonic and Racing All-Stars Transformed on the Wii U easily takes the role of a really, really good Mario Kart game. It is the definitive game of this sort - and not by virtue of being the only one. The plumber will have to give it his best shot to regain his pole position on his own console.

As much as Disgaea 3 can get along on the qualities of the original and of course still is a good game: you just can´t help the feeling, that the Vita should instead have deserved the fourth release of the franchise.

If GRID Autosport is Codemasters' way of saying 'sorry' for the last one, consider the apology accepted.

This is a seasoned series delivering sure fire quality. It might not be for you, but if it is, you'll go happily and satisfied into this new round. In the end, it is what you expected: Call of Duty. Love it or hate it. This game doesn't care.

Telltale has a way with words, its authors consistently producing quite powerful stuff. It might well be that they still manage to turn this season into something special with the final episode. I just wish they had sealed the deal sooner by finding a consistent theme to the season and making the narrative less incidental.

Taken as a toy, Trap Team overshadows everything I had as a kid.

In spite of all the youtube-nonsense and the useless frame of a story, Grid feels like a game from another time. It just didn't really evolve all that much from its predecessor, which fit its era much better. The generation was still young back then, but today, Grid 2 has to ask itself, where its place should be, between Shift 2, Forza, Most Wanted, Hot Pursuit, Gran Turismo, iRacing and all the other ones. This field of gaming has great titles for every type of player and the high quality that's on display all throughout Grid 2 has become sort of the bottom line expectation.

Honor of Kings can be a good choice for getting into the genre on a smartphone. After all, the game is simple, offers a stripped-down MOBA experience and helps you to understand the basics in and out of matches. However, the game doesn't really stand out with much.

Some of the action is spectacular and great to play, but in the long run Rogue Flight is quite monotonous.

The difficult decisions vividly reflect the struggle for survival. However, the weak, unfaithful soundtrack and the tedious tactical maneuvering in the real-time battles are disappointing.