Technically shambolic, obsessed with hoarding, and a waste of a once-promising society simulation. [Avoid]

A stupendously entertaining, infectiously energetic racer that could only have ever come from the arcades. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Maybe, of course, I'm not giving the game enough credit. Or, to put it another way, am I critiquing the game when I should be critiquing myself? This is a generous, elegant, efficient tactics game that I still take great pleasure from, that I can still lose hours and hours to, and it's also one which, if you step back, absolutely allows you to realise that you're frequently doing ugly things beneath a cheery facade. This might be another layer of its design. When are things ever simple? Maybe, this is a complex game that a person can meet on a number of levels, and the levels change as the person does. [Eurogamer Recommended]

There are times when State of Decay 2 is so buggy that it stops being a stodgy post-apocalyptic looting game and transforms into metatextual horror theatre. [Avoid]

Atmosphere rules in this narrative game about a cabbie on the trail of a killer. [Eurogamer Recommended]

PES 2020 is a patch or three away from being a very good game. As it stands, it's a weird mix of brilliant and broken.

Slick puzzle design finds itself at odds with the creativity of organising that A Little to the Left wants to evoke.

A tough, well-wrought action-platformer distinguished by some toe-curling portrayals of sin. [Eurogamer Recommended]

This is possibly the most focused, directly enjoyable game Polyphony Digital has put out since the heady days of Gran Turismo 3. Racing improves the breed, industrialist Soichiro Honda once said, and Gran Turismo Sport is proof positive of that. [Recommended]

It's a sumptuous, arrestingly gorgeous thing that most importantly retains its enthusiast's heart under the graphical showcase, and that does its level best to make a car enthusiast out of anyone in its orbit. Is it the king of driving games once more? The genre's now too broad and too varied to make such a statement, though Gran Turismo finds itself a neat slot alongside the likes of Assetto Corsa and iRacing, presenting accessible driving that looks simply staggering. Is it the best that Gran Turismo to date? Of that there's no real doubt. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Kunai throws a grappling hook and a fair amount of style into the Metroidvania genre for a solid if not stellar example of the form.

If you're looking for something that improves or builds upon the astonishing work of Moon Studios or Team Cherry, you're unlikely to find it here. That said? Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is a surprising and compelling adventure that's been crafted with care and oodles of charm. Yes, it requires patience. Yes, it requires a natural curiosity, and a willingness to overlook its occasionally clumsy control scheme. But I spent many a night wandering around Land's End, staying up way later than I'd anticipated, keen to unravel more of the story and expand Lily's impressive skillset. If you enjoy Metroidvanias and have been looking for a new challenge that's not too punishing, I suspect you might, too.

My Friend Pedro's two halves of the banana reveal the perilous balancing act of game design. The first half is a stellar example of how to build an action game, of how to engender a sense of creativity through the player's toolset, and how to bake seamless flow into complex and challenging environments. The second half isn't quite the opposite of that, but it tries much too hard to be clever, with humour that's less goofy and more edgy, and level design that's too exacting in its structure.

Don't get me wrong; I loved my time in Las Cinco Muertes, and there's immense satisfaction to be found in just sitting back and watching your creations roam. But with a brutal learning curve, weak tutorials, and a lack of meaningful gameplay once your parks are mature, even the most ardent paleontologist may struggle to keep coming back for more.

An escape from alien invasion, with beautiful art direction.

Some of the details and idiosyncrasies might not be exactly as you remember them - and no, Monkey Target is sadly not the same - which reminds you this is something of a cover version rather than the real deal. It's a cover version, though, of an all-time classic, and one that ultimately nails the all-important fundamentals. It might not be Monkey Ball exactly as it lives in your memories, but it's certainly the best Monkey Ball experience there's been since those magical originals. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A sci-fi odyssey of great vision and promise that proves to be its own worst enemy.

The latest Lego game is a typically crammed tribute to Marvel comic lore that buffs the well-worn formula up to a shine.

Unable to combine the best of two beloved series, this JRPG can't really find its focus.

A gently interactive experience that will put a smile on your face. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A compelling fusion of tabletop manoeuvring and characterful campaign progression. [Recommended]

Ubisoft builds upon the framework of Steep with this enjoyably eccentric open world extreme sports adventure. [Eurogamer Recommended]

As a result of all this, despite its often glacial pace, Triangle Strategy is a dramatic, often engrossing tale of medieval conflict - and one that can sit proudly next to the games that inspired it. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Capcom finds the perfect middle ground between old and new in this sterling remake. [Eurogamer Recommended]

I think about all this as I play. I think about what I'm going to unlock next, which evolution I'm aiming for, where the next treasure chest and coin boost is coming from. I think about garlic, my favourite attack, which creates a little circle of damage around you so you can just nudge yourself against enemies the way a cat nudges you with its head when it wants fuss. I think about popcorn, which is what Vampire Survivors sounds like, each monster death sounding like another bit of corn popping in the microwave until the whole thing reaches a buttery crescendo. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A copious and often brilliant, if not quite unmissable reworking of a powerfully grim fantasy. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A cluttered control screen can be a pain, but sync up a controller and Apex Legends Mobile is the real deal. [Eurogamer Recommended]

You can see with Skyward Sword that something has to change. See it in the way it tentatively messes with the formula, but ultimately retains one of the most rigid central paths of any Zelda. In the way it introduces stuff like the stamina gauge, which will make much more sense in the game that follows it. It's clear now that Skyward Sword is straining against its own rules and rituals. That makes it fascinating to play, and it means that this strangest and most compromised of Zeldas is also amongst the most human. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Sledgehammer takes Call of Duty back to its roots, refining rather than redefining the series for the best entry in years. [Recommended]

It's sure to find a decent following among the Souls hardcore as there's a lot here that's familiar for them to enjoy, but really these players have two fights on their hands - that against the enemies of The Surge, and that against the feeling The Surge isn't all it could have been. And that bloody, incessant song, of course.

The former Civ 5 director's long-running passion project is filled with nice ideas, but they never threaten to pull together.

There's a lot to admire in Arc System Works' latest, but it's undone by some familiar faults.

If Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was the brainchild of a man who couldn't hold back the tears when his game was announced at E3 2017, then Donkey Kong Adventure is the product of a man who knows and relishes in how well liked his child really is. [Recommended]

A modern indie classic on PC finds in Nintendo's Switch the perfect platform. [Essential]

One of the most daring and influential game designs of all time makes a long overdue comeback in Mario's most madcap adventure yet. [Essential]

An absorbing, tense and well-wrought samurai adventure let down by a little too much recycling and some muddled new systems. [Eurogamer Recommended]

FIFA 23, like so many FIFAs before it, sums up the best and worst of football culture - a joyous game in the vice-like grip of profiteers.

Eric Chahi's back with a game defined by passion, surprise, heart and beauty. [Eurogamer Essential]

The Deadfire Archipelago is a bountiful tropical playground I will happily plunder again and again. How long this golden RPG doubloon shines I don't know, but for now it's worth savouring, for now it's worth celebrating. [Recommended]

A mournful yet bright and enormously warm-hearted adventure with a novel landship mechanic, sublime backdrops and a brilliant score. [Recommended]

Saturnalia successfully establishes a relationship between its physical and spiritual horrors, which together pull the player into its unpleasant reality. Saturnalia is a horrible little video game, but horrible in precisely all the ways its makers intended. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Ninja Theory crafts a highly competent action game and a nuanced, powerful exploration of mental health. [Essential]

Need for Speed returns in this, a grossly unremarkable open world racer that marks another step back for the series.

It's the heady energy at the heart of every Super Mario 3D World level, pushed out across an entire map for what's a hugely entertaining, and very different brand of Mario action. There might be more polished Mario adventures around, and more coherent ones. But when it gets to the core of what makes these games so special - the inventiveness, the imagination and the eccentricity of it all - then this new pairing might well be peerless. [Eurogamer Recommended]

In its current form, the lack of consequences means Enshrouded's gameplay doesn't feel particularly gripping. Which is a shame, as it has plenty to offer in its building systems, and in the potential silliness of its 16-person multiplayer mode. That said, Enshrouded is still in Early Access, and it's likely to undergo a fair number of changes as developer Keen Games tweaks things and responds to player feedback. I hope that during this process, Keen Games considers introducing a higher level of threat to Enshrouded (perhaps through difficulty modes), and finds a way to make the game's survival elements feel more significant. In the meantime, Enshrouded is still a decent way to while away the time with friends, particularly if you all just want to play fantasy Lego. And if you're after a chill survival game - well, you'd be hard pressed to find one that's more serene. [Early Access Impressions]

Two Point Hospital makes no bones about returning to the foundations of Theme Hospital - and it makes plenty of improvements along the way. [Recommended]

Gentle anarchy reigns in this brilliantly humourous adventure. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A consistently entertaining series steps up a gear to provide a true great of the genre. [Eurogamer Essential]

Final Fantasy's weirdest, most wonderful curio is a bright reminder of the power of crisp invention in high-risk blockbuster development. [Recommended]

A slight but smart adventure it's hard not to be charmed by. [Recommended]

Peter Molyneux does his greatest hits, mixing god sim, business sim, and third-person adventure into a charming, appealingly tactile - if slightly awkward - whole.

Retro Studios displays mastery of the 2D platformer in this exquisite sequel. [Recommended]

A racing game that mostly does away with the racing, Onrush is a chaotic and curious spin on a much-loved genre. [Recommended]

Clever tweaks make this far more than a greatest hits package. [Recommended]

Minute of Islands is a beautiful thing, but the gameplay can't keep up and there's no real narrative to be found.

Radiohead's near-genreless music is paired with a remarkable first-person walkthrough that's just a touch light on interactivity.

A childhood bond reimagined as a series of elegant, time-based diorama puzzles, The Gardens Between is short but very sweet.

The 90s classic has never looked better, but beneath the makeover it can creak.

An action-packed, if anticlimactic, close to Clementine's journey.

Beautiful, rhythmic, inventive and funny, Titan Souls developer Acid Nerve has delivered one of the best Zelda-likes in some time. [Eurogamer Essential]

Octopath Traveler is the kind of game that gets hand-waved aside as being for "the old school", but that's to overlook its charismatic innovations in battle and the curious, detached, even austere construction of its narrative. [Recommended]

While not the most ambitious sequel, Overcooked 2 still ranks among the best couch co-op has to offer. [Recommended]

Intricate and ingenious, Hob is a true spiritual successor to A Link to the Past. [Recommended]

Destruction AllStars does a lot right. It looks the part. It's polished and, from what I can tell, largely bug free - a testament to Lucid that the studio was able to produce a game this slick amid a pandemic and a work-from-home order. It's vibrant, feels good in the hand, and I like most of the character designs. But it's throwaway and barebones at launch. It's a game of potential right now. It desperately needs more to it, more depth, and more strategy. The driving is so good I'm craving an actual racing mode, or maybe a power-up filled multiplayer mode, something like a Mario Kart crossed with Burnout. That would be cool, I think.

A layer of modern nonsense can't obscure the purest, most entertaining Trials game in an age. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Its shortcomings far outweigh its merits, but what merits they are - Disaster Report 4 is silly, humane and utterly charming.

A likeable indie with cracking source material and a special setting, The Flower Collectors is just missing the magic of detail.

No one else could pull this off, no one else would even dare try. It is a brilliant, wholesome and memorable way to spend your time, and while it might borrow from Lego and origami, and probably a million other places, it is unique. [Essential]

Football Manager 2022 ramps up the emphasis on the modernness of today's game. It's the most accurate, most joyfully compulsive entry yet. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Love is a warm but brief puzzle game about playing with time and fate and people's lives.

By building something you also invest in it and care about it, and in turn it makes you more likely to go on and decorate and experiment with it, which is clever. And when you do eventually discard it, you can simply take it apart and recycle it - no plastic guitar in a landfill here. It's as though Nintendo thought of everything (although I don't know if the cardboard came from recycled sources to begin with).

A colourful cartoon racer that lifts some of Nintendo's big ideas, but not its attention to detail.

NetherRealm has shown what can be done to make the genre appeal to those who don't fancy getting torn to shreds online. Unfortunately the developers at Bandai Namco's Tekken team seemingly failed to notice.

Pokémon Sword and Shield's final expansion is a fantastic, enticing endgame area that also shows just how great these games could have been.

I'm slightly baffled by the drubbing No More Room in Hell 2 has received on Steam. Sure, there are rough edges, from amusing bugs such as zombie hair disappearing when you smack them with a pipe, to more serious issues including the occasional crash. But in structure and tone, it's comfortably the most engaging zombie game I've played since the original Dying Light. It takes the concept seriously, patiently builds its tension, and weaves some interesting social dynamics into the mix. I can understand why some people might glance at Torn Banner's work and write it off as another zombie game. But if anything, No More Room in Hell 2 is a prime example of why you should never take the undead for granted. [Early Access Review]

This minimalist, warm-hearted, puzzle game is a surprisingly tricky yet satisfying experience. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Media Molecule protégé Tarsier turns in a masterpiece of meat and malice, swiftly consumed but with a lingering aftertaste.

It's a pity that the energy that Trailblazers displays - and its upbeat spirit can prove infectious - isn't met with a little more meticulous thought and care placed elsewhere. The unfortunate thing when invoking such classics as F-Zero and Splatoon is you invoke their brilliance, and while Trailblazers has happily taken the grand ideas it's skimped out on the detail - and so this colourful mash-up ends up feeling plain sloppy.

A new team management mode provides some of the best single-player racing action around, alongside the series' ever-improving authenticity. [Eurogamer Recommended]

An elegant mystery with curiosity at its heart. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Laser Dog Games turns a deadly game show into a fizzing delight. [Eurogamer Recommended]

The plot pulls off a potentially murky blend of regime change and climate-conspiracy because it's obvious that nobody expects anybody to think too seriously about these things, and the game beneath the plot throws the same objectives at you over and over again because it knows that the tools you're given are fun enough to ensure that you can do things a little differently each time. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A stylish and smart take on the beloved theme park formula, Parkitect is a winner. [Eurogamer Recommended]

An entertaining and surprisingly effective new story mode heads up an otherwise modest refresh for Codemasters' official series. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Hob's Barrow is a game that refuses to leave your brain until the whole thing is untangled. [Eurogamer Recommended]

With some imperfections, Toys For Bob delivers an enjoyable, goofy, deviously challenging and occasionally genius sequel. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A stomping, stylish mech game that's classy and clumsy in equal measure. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Patchy, chaotic but ultimately hilarious mini-game collection that proves Jackbox is still king of the party genre. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A strong if slim shooter that lays down strong foundations for the future, while feeling a little unfinished.

More sweet puzzley charm from the people behind LostWinds. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A surprisingly generous and deep life sim from the mind of Swery, but a frustratingly creaky one too.

There are flashes of promise in this first-person shooter, but this is a mostly uninspired, unpolished waste of an opportunity.

We need more experiences like Metro Exodus that know how to resist empty bloodshed and kindle such closeness, finding the warmth in the wasteland. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Beautiful, broken, with flashes of brilliance, Anthem is a disorganised mess in search of a reason to be.

Come for the virtual tourism and stay for a deliriously satisfying battle system. [Eurogamer Recommended]

An exhaustive reworking of a foundational dark fantasy epic, with some quietly radical new ideas. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A continent-sized anthology of American campfire tales that will keep pulling you in deeper, once you acclimatise to its slow pace. [Recommended]

After a brutal start, No Rest For the Wicked's early access build settles into a compelling gameplay loop, but a lack of standout moments tempers expectations. [Early Access Review]

Drinkbox's latest is an ARPG that has real fun with the classes. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Hideo Kojma's first post-Metal Gear game is a messy, indulgent vanity project - but also a true original. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Genesis may look like a departure, and it is in some ways. But at its core, it's the same old pleasures for this entirely pleasurable series, albeit with the odd new trick and delivered from a new perspective. [Eurogamer Recommended]

With airtight controls, smooth speedrunning and a big helping of anime-inspired flair, few games can keep up with Neon White's pace. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Deftly written and designed, Forgotton Anne is proof that seemingly small, simple things are well worth treasuring. [Recommended]

Right now Splitgate's in beta, and it's completely free-to-play on PC, PS4/5, and Xbox One/Series X. It boasts 20 maps, 15 modes, full cross-play, and a ranked mode to boot. And look, I know a game's price tag has zip to do with its intrinsic value, but if you've ever had fun with an old-school Halo game, you owe it to yourself to give this a go. I came into this thinking - admittedly a touch cynically - that if Splitgate was okay, it would at least tide me over until Halo Infinite arrives. Now I'm wondering if I'll have time to fit Halo Infinite in around my Splitgate sessions. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A pop-up picture book with a lovely feel - but busywork intrudes too often.

A beautiful but rather hollow and one-note trip to a familiar world of wonder and misrule.

Speed and gleeful violence merge in one of the most delirious feats of game design ever. [Essential]

In Scorn, a game of wonderfully horrible atmosphere and smart, hands-off puzzling is undermined by some dodgy checkpoints and wonky combat.

A glorious marriage of pinball and platforming and a wild-spirited adventure to cherish. [Recommended]

Slightly Mad's expansive world of motorsport arguably works better as a hard-edged arcade racer than it ever did as a sim. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Sterling hack-and-slash combat meets raw, fractured prose in one of gaming's most essential nightmares. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Awkward, riddled with plot holes and unintentionally offensive, this is Dontnod's worst offering to date. [Eurogamer Avoid]

Total War goes back to the past, but this spin-off invites uneasy comparisons to the superior recent Warhammer games.

Ustwo follows up Assemble with Care with more quiet restorative magic. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Tequila Works' teen-rated horror might surprise you with its shocks and creepy atmosphere, but it's a little thin.

Overall, though? Aliens: Fireteam Elite is exactly what it says on the tin. Stuffed with guns, gadgets, and plentiful alien goo, it's a frenetic cooperative firefight against some of sci-fi's most iconic monsters in an all-new tale that takes us beyond the original trilogy. No, it's not the most sophisticated shooter, and no, its truncated runtime is unlikely to occupy you for more than a couple of nights, but it's an unashamedly good romp that'll hopefully satisfy your Ripley power fantasies, too.

Arkane's vampire thriller is muddled and deeply compromised, but has moments of real charm.

Pokémon Sword and Shield add some brilliant new creatures, but like their gargantuan Dynamax forms, the games feel like a hollow projection.

Playful challenges and a warm sense of place and character converge in this cheerful modern classic. [Eurogamer Essential]

Snappy and responsive weapon-based fighting let down by a boring new story mode and loading issues.

Pokémon Sword and Shield add some brilliant new creatures, but like their gargantuan Dynamax forms, the games feel like a hollow projection.

An intimite, mindful story of journalling what matters hits a few small bumps in the road.

Far: Changing Tides' story is a little longer and its puzzles more refined than its predecessor, while its world is as beautiful as ever. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Thronebreaker proves card games can tell a story every bit as punchy and provocative as the blockbusters it takes inspiration from. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Pokémon Sword and Shield add some brilliant new creatures, but like their gargantuan Dynamax forms, the games feel like a hollow projection.

Nintendo sketches another warm and colourful Paper Mario adventure, though never traces its full potential.

Kunos delivers a frequently brilliant take on the Blancpain GT series - but it's beset by a feeling of being unfinished.

Soundfall plays like an extended pop album, each level a three minute burst of music that initially fizzes and delights. Yet playing on repeat proves shallow. The music is killer, but the gameplay is filler.

Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled is a gold-standard remaster, capturing the loveably janky, off-brand spirit of classic CTR - and then some. [Eurogamer Essential]

A glorious spell of island hopping, with some surprisingly nasty moments. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A seamless Star Wars storyline spread across a scattershot open galaxy.

A deceptively goofy asymmetrical tactics game that feels as grand as any monster movie. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Arcade Edition is a breath of fresh air for Street Fighter 5, which is finally the game it should have been at launch. [Essential]

Sluggish pacing and stripped-back character interactions dull the charm, but there are still scares to be found.

There's real magic at the heart of this brilliantly faithful AR take on Mario Kart, but a fair few caveats abound.

Kinetic action, beautiful, horrible pixel-art and a sense of place that stays with you - this is a dark treat. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A scrappy tribute to the long-lost Road Rash series whose raw spirit just about overcomes its shortcomings.

Quality of life tweaks and vast depth can't overcome Football Manager 2019's uncharacteristically clumsy, all-consuming training rework.

Sackable offences? Of course not. And for all these flaws, Resident Evil Village was a thrilling adventure that kept me hooked from beginning to end, despite its jarring twists and turns. But the delightful level design isn't enough to mitigate a strange, unsatisfying, plothole-ridden story, and that bizarre final act ultimately sullies what is an otherwise terrifyingly good horror romp.

InZoi, then, has been a bit of a disappointment so far. Its good bits – the slick presentation, the expansive customisation, and the simple pleasures of tootling around in such richly detailed worlds – are continually undermined by the void where a bit of virtual humanity should be. But even so, I can't deny there's something here; a solid systemic foundation that feels ready to be tuned and finessed into a far more interesting game – and that, of course, is precisely what early access is for. There are other questions still to be answered that could make the difference between a long-lasting legacy and a short shelf life – how Krafton plans to introduce monetisation after early access, for instance, or whether InZoi can generate enough enthusiasm to support the kind of dazzlingly rich modding scene that's helped sustain The Sims for so long. It's a start, though, and I'm curious to see where Krafton goes from here. [Early Access Impressions]

The Apple Arcade classic comes to PC and is as glorious as ever. [Eurogamer Essential]

Limited by a rote and rigid world, Sucker Punch's samurai homage pairs okay action with enjoyably committed, if awkwardly fawning melodrama.

RGG Studio's broadest, most packed open world is matched by mediocre additions and an ill-fitting story.

A stylish, visually sumptuous return for 2D Metroid, and an adventure that proudly sits alongside the series' best. [Eurogamer Essential]

Supermassive still knows how to plunge you into paranoia, but the second Dark Pictures entry feels a little lost in the woods.

Playtonic's tribute to Banjo is a gentle, irreverent platformer let down by spotty handling and a slight shortage of genius.

There's lovely stuff here, enough to offer that potholing sense of antic richness which is always part of the WarioWare deal. What words to use for a game like this? Capsule toys abound in the menus, as ever, but what this really reminds me of is the days when cereal used to come with a little plastic doodad of some kind in it to tempt you to buy it, and you'd buy it and then thrust your hand down into the packet, past the crispies or flakes or whatever they were, with no idea quite what delight you would find. Brilliant! And in WarioWare's case, panic inducing. But in a good way. [Recommended]

The mind behind Threes brings us this 'cosy-crunchy' turn-based adventure that's delightfully deep and brilliantly approachable.

Years of careful study underpin a deceptively familiar sequel. The new additions make a difference but it's the confidence in what this eccentric card game is that shines through. Cruelty has never been so enjoyable. [Early Access Review]

Rime doesn't rely on a twist ending anyway. Rather, this is the twist ending's older and more appealing sibling: the sense of dawning realisation. This game has it all, really. It has a sense of wonder, of poise and, over time, a true sense of emerging character. And it has something to say. Something that is worth hearing. [Recommended]

Exploring an essential subject with claustrophobic, surrealist verve, Milky Way Prince feels like the first steps of a future master. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Heart-stopping swordfights and deft, panoramic stealth waged across another vast, gorgeously rancid From Software landscape. [Eurogamer Essential]

All the confusing yet irresistible energy of early-noughties double-A gaming, marred by awful writing and a core gimmick that doesn't ignite.

An unusual setup, interesting characters and tongue-in-cheek writing make Astrologaster one of the most fun visual novels around. [Eurogamer Recommended]

An inventive twist on both the musou formula and the acclaimed Three Houses RPG, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a high point for the genre. [Eurogamer Recommended]

With Guilty Gear Strive, Arc System Works has made its famously complex fighting game series easier to get into, but no less rewarding.

From temple to fortress this journey into mythology is an absolute treat. [Eurogamer Recommended]

LawBreakers is an inventive, electric and expertly engineered classic competitive shooter that deserves your time. [Recommended]

The true sequel to the best-loved contemporary JRPG is unrestrained in its ambition, and the result is a chaotic kind of brilliance. [Recommended]

A worthy follow-up to a modern classic, Dirt Rally 2.0 offers marked improvements and a driving experience like no other. [Eurogamer Essential]

Grounded's charming, Honey I Shrunk the Kids premise is elevated by its uniquely welcoming approach to wonder. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A quest to find phone signal leads to a glorious game of exploration and reconnection. [Eurogamer Essential]

Stylish cinematic super-violence is transformed into smart temporal puzzles. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Elden Ring remains a glorious game, one that established fans are going to savour for some time to come, and one that may just welcome new fans into the FromSoft fold. Sumptuous visual design, dark and detailed lore and a vast-but-intricate open world are reason enough to venture out into the Lands Between. Add to that FromSoftware's unforgiving and unforgettable gameplay loop and this is something truly special. [Eurogamer Essential]

Toys for Bob delivers another beautifully restored slice of 90s nostalgia, although the mechanics could have also done with a polish.

It's a great concept, and it's perfectly enjoyable, but it lacks the excitement and flourishes it needs to really come alive.

Often overwhelming and always nerve-wracking, Mode 7's classic tactical game receives a fascinating strategic reworking. [Recommended]

This is the rare game that excuses itself for taking whole hours out of your life, and it gives you more than a little in return. A lasting smile, a song soaring in your heart and blocks falling from the heavens everytime you shut your eyes. 14 years on, Lumines is as potent a puzzler as it's ever been, and in this it's as close to perfection as it's ever been. [Essential]

A one-of-a-kind splicing of PS1 with 16-bit aesthetics and formal conventions, streaked with self-aware humour, sorrow and yearning. [Eurogamer Recommended]

The combat is the highlight, frantic and cinematic, but Chorus' open-world narrative ambitions let it down.

Legion's near-future London is almost too close for comfort, though the game it hosts is a characterless slog.

HAL Laboratory delivers a brilliant chemistry set of a 2D platformer. [Recommended]

An aimless-feeling revamp of 2016's best multiplayer game, slightly coarsened by free-to-play grinding.

A brilliant woman's life is centre-stage in a game filled with insight and generosity. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Far more than just a Monster Hunter clone, Wild Hearts exceeds expectations and then some, mixing streamlined action with inventive new toys. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A dazzlingly different debut with a haunting sense of place and adventure. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Dull adventure game mechanics are enlivened by a brilliant sense of dread, as the Dark Souls director turns his hand to VR. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A brutal game that's equal parts frustrating and exhilarating, delivered in the mesmerising style of a prohibition-era cartoon.

Music and movement combine in a game that mints joy from wonderful organic weirdness. [Recommended]

An impressive suite of improvements combine with a more clearly defined structure for Animal Crossing's finest outing to date. [Eurogamer Essential]

A miserable cocktail of ideas from other action-platformers and the worst parts of Rick and Morty. [Eurogamer AVOID]

A mostly thorough remake of 2002's original, Mafia: Definitive Edition has its moments - but it struggles by the standards of today.

Tooth and Tail is a deft and minimalist RTS that's slick as a knife through the ribs. [Recommended]

In a world of compromised visions, The Falconeer is dazzlingly original. An aerial combat game unlike any other. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Ghost Games strips back the recent excess to deliver a simple, satisfying take on the Need for Speed formula, even if some problems persist.

A smart and charming puzzle game that has respect for your time and money. [Recommended]

Rebellion serves up another enjoyably pulpy shooter, though Strange Brigade struggles to stand out.

A generous and thrilling exploration of the wonders of VR. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Hades is a proper lark. I love it. But there is something else here, something that I have always felt about games but never been able to put into words. There is something about polished, smartly conceived Hades, about so many of Supergiant's games which, the joyous brilliance of Pyre aside perhaps, are always too rigorous, too responsibly conceived not to know exactly what spot they're going to fit into on the shelf, which pillars they're going to present to the press - there is something about these games that are so assuredly products that reminds me that games are never ever just products. Games are always a way of being. To play Hades, Roguelite aside, economy aside, loop aside, is to be furious and vengeful, to be driven by bitterness, self-hate, ennui, to be pulverisingly powerful and yet horribly efficient. This is the truth of it down to the controls, which encourage you to grip the pad by the facebuttons and squeeze and squeeze and squeeze like you're one stress ball away from telling your boss to shove it. This game comes from Hell, and it takes you back there, and it's brilliant. Get in. [Eurogamer Essential]

The long overdue samurai spin-off is classic Yakuza under its period dressing but also underwhelming as a current-gen remake.

The football is as sublime as ever, but PES's lack of progress elsewhere pulls it back.

A wonky blaster retains its charm, but Rogue Trooper still deserves better.

Simogo shuffles through a stacked deck of rhythm-action delights, mastering yet another genre. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Slick and overly downbeat, Lara's latest sees the reboot trilogy end just as it began.

Nintendo returns to motion controls with a suite of sports that offer true delight. [Eurogamer Recommended]

One of the best fighting games of all-time gets a welcome new run out, even if it's not quite as complete as it could have been. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Slight repetition can't diminish the incredible atmoshpere of Farm 51's post-apocalyptic survival game. [Eurogamer Recommended]

The Medium is the studio's most successful, accessible offering yet, and a sign that Bloober continues to improve, mature, and innovate. I cannot wait for its next terrifying adventure. [Eurogamer Recommended]

And yet I sort of loved it. Does it move the No More Heroes formula in any meaningful way? Not really, and the trims and tucks and small additions don't exactly add up to ten years' progress. Does it spark and pop - and more than occasionally misfire - with all the vim and swagger of those original games? That it does, and fulsomely. This is a return to more full-blooded, frantic and outrageously over-the-top action, a game that's obnoxious, inventive and wildly inconsistent - chalk this one up as one of Suda's better works, though, and arguably the best of the No More Heroes series to date. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Two of Nintendo's finest, and one of its most interesting, come together in a compilation that isn't worthy of their greatness.

Equal parts tense and unpredictable, this serves the kind of memorable experience that makes exploring branching storylines a joy. [Eurogamer Recommended]

An over-familiar follow-up, perhaps, but New Dawn whittles away the rough edges of Far Cry 5 for something extremely enjoyable. [Eurogamer Recommended]

TumbleSeed is challenging in all the right ways. It never feels mean-spirited, yet it requires patience, perseverance, and experimentation to unlearn everything you know about how to manipulate a video game character. [Recommended]

SNK's iconic series makes its return in this reboot that's short on features but rich in systems. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Breathless action combines with perfect pixel art in a game of real character and delight. [Recommended]

Some standard Nintendo limitations get in the way, but this is still an invaluable education in some of the fundamentals of game creation. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Please Knock on My Door effectively encompasses the isolation and strain those who experience depression go through on a day-to-day basis. [Recommended]

IO's final World of Assassination game is closer to a seasonal content update than a sequel, but it's a thrilling endeavour all the same. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Although its augmentations are selective and skin deep, Outcast remains a generous and uniquely captivating game. [Recommended]

More than any of that, saving the Mudokons from their cruel punishment provides the reason for these games to exist in the first place, and the reason for anyone to spend all this time and effort resurrecting a 1990s game and bringing it blinking into 2021. Slaves travelling in cattle cars, people left to die by the side of the road, toxic big business rolling the environment up and smoking it, the various opiates of the masses and their uses and abuses - the enduring point of Oddworld is that its most horrific elements are not remotely fictional, and that it uses fantasy to refocus our attention on the bizarre horrors of our own world. Back in the day, Oddworld seemed to want more from games, and from its players and it still does. That's worth giving it a little leeway on the rough edges and mis-steps, I reckon.

An imaginative co-op experience that demands communication and teamwork, and conjures something memorable and unique as a result. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Offering a beautiful canvas to work with, Unpacking is a calm and tactile little sim about something most of us would usually dislike. [Eurogamer Recommended]

While component tales and battles can be hit-and-miss, this elderly Squaresoft anthology is a wonderful testament to its genre's flexibility and range. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Rain World, for all its stark beauty, feels overly punitive. As such, the audience who will view its impositions as a welcome challenge rather than a grim deterrent will be small.

A highly accomplished sequel that innovates without losing sight of what made the first one great. [Recommended]

A new developer doesn't rock the boat in what's an enjoyable if only gently iterative outing for the construction and management sim.

A frequently gorgeous, sadly generic open-world game that runs out of steam well before its extended play-time is over.

Much like its heroes, God of War: Ragnarök learns to love itself for what it truly is: gargantuan, excessive, and wonderfully absurd. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Despite something of an overdeveloped plot, Crisis Core Reunion goes beyond just a quick upgrade, making some fundamental improvements to visuals, sound and controls, and implements them with care. There are flaws, but it remains a joy to spend time with favourites Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth once more. [Eurogamer Recommended]

This roguelite shooter is a beautiful piece of work. [Recommended]

Stylish and punishing, this is a darkly compelling treat. [Eurogamer Recommended]

This is it though, the character and the absurdity and the charm that Insomniac is all about, that the team kick-started with Ratchet and Clank in 2002 and continue to master with such faultless confidence in Rift Apart. It's just pure craft, pure fun, pure video games - all the brilliant, bizarre ideas this studio has just thrown at the wall and all of them sticking. The only thing it lacks - apart from maybe a tiny bit of restraint - is pretence. There's no self-seriousness, no po-faced melodrama, no insecurity about the form. A game that's happy to be a game, in a familiar, cuddly shape. [Eurogamer Recommended]

This is a game, though, that is so explicitly geared towards mayhem it awards you a trophy for getting through a mission without accidentally shooting a team member in the butt. World War Z doesn't take itself too seriously, and I appreciate that.

A new classic of narrative and strategy, and a game with plenty of space for the player to enjoy themselves. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Bubsy's return is more than a little underwhelming.

A sharply designed, smartly executed future sports game that matches simplicity with serious depth. [Essential]

A quirky and powerful construction toy that's fun to play with even if you aren't trying to make anything. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Mediocre combat and tiresome activities hold back Ghostwire: Tokyo's otherwise spectacular, otherwordly atmosphere.

Here, simple things work together to conjure up surprising consequences - and, more often than not, thrilling ones too. It's rare to play something so pure, a multiplayer game with modern sensibilities and yet one that feels like it was forged in the fire of older arcade classics. If there's any justice, Laser League is a game that'll find its place among those greats. [Essential]

Dirt 4 is an authentic and innovative off-road racer, though it lacks the focus and finesse of its exceptional predecessor.

A new spin on the series sees Next Level Games serve up character and charm in abundance. [Eurogamer Recommended]

An artful puzzle platformer that'll stay with you long after its short running time. [Eurogamer Recommended]

This unlikely Front Mission spin-off's occasional charm can't make up for its seriously broken fundamentals.

Perhaps not the greatest Yakuza game, but Kazuma Kiryu's farewell certainly makes for the most human. [Recommended]

Limp and lumpy online isn't quite enough to distract from the brilliantly reverent package curated by Digital Eclipse. [Recommended]

Impressive heritage and a handful of neat ideas bubble beneath this co-op horror, though they're both ultimately squandered.

People Can Fly's cult sci-fi shooter - and booter, and whipper, and blower-upper - returns in an impressively lavish package.

Like Police Quest meets Papers, Please on a grim day.

A venerable template comes alive in this beautifully compact adventure. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Legends should only grow in their retelling, and with 30th Anniversary Collection and Digital Eclipse's fine work Street Fighter has never stood taller. [Recommended]

The creators of Flatout channel a little of the classic Destruction Derby as this brilliantly destructive racer emerges from Early Access. [Recommended]

From its winning art to its calming music and puzzle design, Luna has a lot going for itself. [Eurogamer Recommended]

It's by doing this - looking at the world through feline eyes - that Stray creates a journey filled with such a sense of exploration, on top of the chance to indulge in as much cat-truction as you like. While doing so, though, it also crafts a touching story about the human desires of those who, at a glance, lack humanity - be it to reunite with a loved one, protect a community or reach the outside world. The result is a wonderful mix: a game about the longing for freedom, clever climbing mechanics, and every cat’s eternal desire to knock items off shelves. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A magnificent nightmare, for those with the stamina to master the gruelling card game that houses it. [Recommended]

ElecHead is an ingenious, compact, and elegant puzzle-platformer of wordless brilliance. [Eurogamer Recommended]

There is unique and unusual pleasure to balancing this world just so, but without a straightforward way to restart chapters, or way to wind the clock back to undo decisions, the troughs of frustration eventually come to overwhelm the peaks of delight.

An unforgettable story of desperation and hope in beautiful, gruesome, plague-ridden 14th Century France. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Slapstick gaming at its silliest, Untitled Goose Game delivers brilliantly on its premise. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Capcom's iconic action hero returns in an adventure that maintains the trademark brutal challenge while finding a way in for newcomers. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Animal Crossing has previously shined as a portable game, but this stripped-back mobile spin-off provides none of the same charm.

An excellent, deceptively unshowy blend of platformer and roguelike. [Eurogamer Recommended]

The Dragon's Trap's HD sheen belies the simplistic gameplay of its era, but there's undeniable charm in that simplicity. [Recommended]

Forza Horizon 5 is an excellent title that is still one of the best-looking racing games ever made. Nothing really comes close to the level of raw environmental fidelity that Forza Horizon 5 so effortlessly accomplishes across its vast open world. Plus, the car models look great, lighting quality is excellent, and performance is typically impeccable across its target platforms. Panic Button's porting effort certainly does the job too, though the base PS5 essentially comes in exactly as expected. Relative to Series X, it's a near-perfect match. That's not a bad thing at all, as the port is consistently high quality and arrives without significant issues.

Pick a direction and wander off to get the most out of this mesmerising game of exploration. [Eurogamer Recommended]

KT Racing celebrates 50 years of WRC with a generous, enjoyable package - even if some old problems persist. [Eurogamer Recommended]

There's friction between the original and this lavish remake, but this is a scintillating launch title that shows off the PS5's strengths. [Eurogamer Recommended]

The sun warms the scene and, for the first time, the world of Kentucky Route Zero feels tangible, whole, held together. After a week drifting through Cardboard Computer's elusive dream of a game, this was quite a moment. I can only imagine how it feels after seven years. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A characterful, frequently charming sequel that doesn't quite match up to the original - and somehow performs worse.

The Metroidvania at its best: a swaggering role-playing beat-'em-up that's very easy on the eyes and dense with secrets. [Recommended]

A harmonious meeting of two traditions, Fire Emblem Warriors explores a different, yet no less beguiling, type of battlefield strategy. [Recommended]

It is, in other words, a really beautifully made video game. It knows what it is - the kind of game with launchers, the kind of game where the protagonist has lines like, "Never thought I'd be blowing up my own house!" And it delivers on its simple pleasures with beauty and variety. There's online co-op for two players, which I haven't been able to test, and I gather the consoles may stutter a bit, although I've had no problems on PC. But otherwise Evil West is wonderfully brutal and charming and luminously old fashioned. It's Bulletstorm. It's Painkiller. It's werewolves up the wazoo. And I had a brilliant time. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Told with nerdish detail - and limited production values - Train Sim World 2020 might surprise you. [Eurogamer Recommended]

An immersive space sim that's dazzling in VR, Squadrons provides an exhilarating multiplayer experience, even if the story feels pedestrian. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A greatly expanded and improved action game let down by a dreadful story.

This gorgeous microcosmic mech game just about survives its more frustrating moments. [Eurogamer Recommended]

The Minecraft and Dragon Quest mash-up gets refined for the sequel, with a few other outside influences helping make it a laid-back joy. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Fun football with plenty of goals, but the grubby business of selling loot boxes lets the side down.

This gorgeous microcosmic mech game just about survives its more frustrating moments. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Pokémon's first ever expansion offers sunny vibes and another, more open world, but is still lacking the substance to do much with it.

What's old has become new, and Sonic is once again the star he was supposed to be. [Essential]

Ghostrunner never loses sight of being about speed and agility, making it a constant joy to play. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Oh, and here's a bonus: this is one of these games that runs well. I don't associate Warriors with that, even on higher-end consoles. But this is great. I don't know if it began life as a Switch 1 game and was then shifted to the successor machine or what, but whatever the reasoning I'm thrilled to note that this looks nice enough but also maintains a solid and high frame rate, even when hundreds of troops are bouncing around on screen. [Impressions]

When I reached the end of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, I didn't feel like I'd had a rewarding experience. I was relieved it was over. With some side-meandering, it took around 30 hours, and I didn't enjoy a lot of them. I'll admit crunching a Souls-like in less than four days is an unnatural and gruelling experience: I imagine if I'd played Fallen Order over several months, I would have been less frustrated, but probably still bored. It's such a shame, as Fallen Order has an incredible gameplay experience at its core, with fantastic environments and well-directed action sequences. Yet it's unable to sustain this thanks to some fundamental design problems.

Pokémon returns for a 3DS victory lap in this generous, definitive retelling of the Alolan story. [Recommended]

If this Hitman has a design limitation, it's that maps don't evolve as much in response to assassinations as they could - it strains credibility that you can bump off three of four targets in Colorado without plunging the fourth into a panic. That aside, this is among the most expertly-made, engrossing stealth simulations of recent years, and a tale of A-listers meeting their comeuppance to give any Fortune 500 member the shivers. Agent 47 is back with a vengeance, and vengeance has seldom tasted sweeter. [Recommended]

Roll7 blends genres with total mastery in Rollerdrome, one of the most breathlessly stylish and casually, outrageously cool games you'll ever play. [Eurogamer Essential]

Imperfect, unkind, and rough round the edges, Session captures more of real skateboarding than almost any game that has come before.

The ant-sized thrills of Grounded return in a sequel which lays exciting foundations for the future. There's work to do but, already, an exciting adventure to have. [Early Access Review]

A technical marvel, as well as an education and exploration of the joys of flight. [Eurogamer Essential]

By marrying metroidvania, management sim and a good dose of kindness, Spiritfarer manages to feel simultaneously familiar and refreshing. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Pokémon returns for a 3DS victory lap in this generous, definitive retelling of the Alolan story. [Recommended]

This platformer is perfectly perfunctory in every way.

Mixing Into the Breach with Frozen Synapse makes for an inevitably strong core of mech combat, but the rest of Phantom Brigade is underwhelming.

Perhaps Resident Evil 7's most intriguing quality is how it plays around with the idea of retracing your steps.

An eerie journey back to the days when all games were a bit eerie anyway. [Eurogamer Recommended]

While a fine piece of craft and a sumptuous reworking of the setting, EA Motive's Dead Space remake sheds a little of the 2008 game's enchantment.

In combining an open world monster-rush format with PUBG-esque PvP, Crytek has crafted a stealth survival game like few others. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Though a return to Kamurocho isn't far away, Yakuza 0 is, in many respects, the end of an era - and a heck of a finish it is, too. [Recommended]

Trails to Azure is an important second entry to the Crossbell saga, adding some neat touches and forming two parts of a whole with Trails From Zero. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Rogue Corps is elevated at times by the fact that it's hard to truly screw up a twin-stick shooter.

Tunic turns its many influences into something that feels both familiar and gloriously new. [Eurogamer Essential]

This tale of two brothers marks a more intimate and accomplished return for a studio keen to tackle tough issues with honest characters. [Eurogamer Recommended]

I'd even go so far as to say that SpellForce 3 is the best Baldur's Gate meets Age of Mythology ever. [Recommended]

Gravity Rush seemed like an oddity on Vita, but then, the entire Vita was an oddity, wasn't it? On the radio friendly unit shifter that is the PS4, however, Gravity Rush 2 still seems wonderfully unlikely and out of place. What a strange delight. [Recommended]

A 2D run and gunner that's as in your face as an 80s Troma classic, Huntdown matches its excess with brilliant detail. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Compact and terrifying, this score-attack shooter feels like it's come from the future. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Ultimately though, while it's not quite perfect, Vicarious has a beautifully crafted remake let down only by its 30fps target. If you've been looking to revisit Crash, it's difficult to go wrong with this package. It's clear that the developers have poured a lot of love into re-creating these games, and if the aim has been to re-introduce this neglected mascot to modern audiences, it's a job well done. Our hope is that this paves the way for an all-new Crash title - one that pairs the beautiful visuals of the N.Sane Trilogy with a fresh batch of gameplay ideas. [Digital Foundry]

Hi-Fi Rush is unashamed to be loud and brash and playful, and it's confident in its execution. On the surface it might seem frivolous but there's a deep battle system here that rewards combo memory and, of course, rhythm. It's upbeat, wide-eyed and unpretentious, but that's all part of its inescapable charm, a game that appeased my inner teen and rewarded musicality in equal measure. I had a blast. [Eurogamer Recommended]