Dark Scrolls may not be the merciless challenge its name suggests, but it is a cleverly designed, charming and highly entertaining action game that makes it hard to put the controller down.

Forgotlings is a fine adventure game and a clear and solid step up from Forgotten Anne, both in terms of its visuals, its fantastic world, and the truly delightful characters we encounter along the way. As a game, one might have wished for slightly deeper and tighter gameplay, but it works and is offset by a beautiful presentation and the wonderful world in which it all takes place.

And Roger isn't a complex game nor a long one, in fact, from a gameplay perspective it's rather succinct and basic. But what TearyHand Studio has also cooked up with this game is a hugely impactful and emotionally-complex story that will leave an impression far longer than the approximate one-hour runtime.

Heavy Metal Death Can won't appeal to everyone, and the game is deliberately old-fashioned. Often to such an extent that it negatively affects the experience. But if you're one of those who genuinely yearn for something that feels 30 years old, and who fully embrace the genre as it was back then in the late 90s, then Heavy Metal Death Can could very well be the perfect game for you.

Fantastic storytelling, solid pacing, quirky characters, and a good dose of self-referential humour make this experience highly recommendable, even though the Switch 2 version doesn't quite manage to recreate the seamless interaction that PC players must have enjoyed.

Despite good intentions, pretty visuals, a cute deer, and a well-chosen theme, Deer & Boy never comes close to the genre's best games. The rudimentary design screams "my first cinematic puzzle-platformer," and when frustration rears its head regularly while the narrative and emotional aspects never quite hit the mark, well, it's hard to feel anything but dissatisfied.

All in all, a nice opportunity for those who missed it or for those who want to play some great, ridiculously over-the-top hack and slash while commuting or on the hammock this summer, while on TV it looks very similar to what you remember on PS4. It misses just one bonus from the PS5 version, but it runs great on Nintendo's hybrid system and releases on a sexy deal.

It’s clear that Claytechworks understands what the key ingredients of a good Zelda-like are, but they haven’t quite managed to strike the right balance between them in this first attempt. They should have sprinkled a little more puzzle-solving into the mix and a little less combat. However, that’s a minor issue compared to the paper-thin story and the bizarre decision to copy-paste the same map four times. It reeks of too much ambition and too few resources, and if that’s the case, it can be forgiven because the combat system and the obligatory dungeons and bosses are truly rock-solid here. If Elliot sets off on new adventures in the future, I’d gladly join him again. As long as Faie and Philabieldia are left at home.

So Pictonico! is a perfectly decent little mobile game, but it's also very clear what it is: a fun idea, a quick laugh, a moment of image-based light-hearted entertainment, and then not much else. It's Nintendo at its weirdest, which I basically love, but it's not Nintendo at its most brilliant.

While The Gang Studio has fundamentally put together a rudimentary, functional, and often entertaining game in Sitting Ducks, like all friendslop titles, this is a project that's entirely dependent on the company you keep and what you as a group can get out of the wider experience.

If you haven't tried any Rhythm Heaven entries before I'd urge you to either buy Megamix for the 3DS if you still own the system as it really is one of the very best titles of its entire catalogue... or to wait for our final verdict on Groove in a few days before it releases on the Switch systems on July 2nd. But this looks and sounds fantastic, its design is something else, and they're making it bigger, plus it's got that educational touch to it that just trains your sense of rhythm naturally. [Hands-On Impressions]

EA Sports UFC 6 is once again a very solid martial arts game, and while there isn't much new in the ring, what's there is good enough. The hits feel great, and I love landing a solid kick to my opponent's head, the kind of strike that makes me go "oooh" with the controller in my hand.

Goals is a type of football game that won't be to everyone's taste, and the choice of graphic style is likely to divide opinion. Personally, I have no problem with it in a game that's more arcade-oriented and features fictional players. For me, the most important thing when it comes to a football game is that it's fun to play. Goals is fun to play. I definitely think you should give it a go, especially as it's free, if you've grown tired of the alternatives.

It is very faithful to the original, for better or worse, and the surface is still rough, prickly and full of Euro-jank. But if you scratch beneath it long enough, a rather fine gem emerges. A slightly grubby and uneven gem, to be sure, but still a gem.

Even if Easy Trigger hasn't quite hit the mark here as they did with the first Huntdown, there's still plenty to love for those who, like yours truly, harbour an almost unhealthy fondness for the 80s and side-scrolling pixel action. Huntdown is rougher around the edges, slightly less polished and, at present, a bit unnecessarily challenging. But it's also delightfully addictive, outrageously beautiful and delivers some seriously intense action, a great soundtrack and loads of attitude.

Although I'm not quite as keen on this setup as the one we saw in Deadlock, it's still a title worth checking out if it sounds appealing. There aren't many games that manage to draw inspiration from FTL and still be worthy titles in this genre, and if you're keen on decent alternatives within roguelites, have a soft spot for Battlestar Galactica, and want to experience the nightmare the crew in the TV series had to endure, I think you should check out this game.

Psyvariar 3 is a niche game within an already niche genre. This is a title that knows exactly which audience it's aimed at: the kind of shoot 'em up enthusiasts who fell in love with the old Psyvariar games released around the turn of the millennium, and who have been waiting for a new shoot 'em up with the same super-aggressive gameplay ever since. If you belong to this narrow target group, Psyvariar 3 is Christmas, Eid and Hanukkah all rolled into one. For everyone else, it might just seem like a sack of potatoes.

It's fun, easy to enjoy, and it's got a nice approach to it in terms of value. And I love the menu music reminding me of the ISS/PES era, and the cute icons in Nintendo's own fashion. So, if Konami manages to upgrade the graphics to more modern standards, and if the World Tour leans closer to the ML in the future, this could be more than a summer love or a travel buddy. For now, it's okay if just like that.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth remains an absolute beast both narratively and graphically, and I'm amazed that a game of this scale and ambition fits onto a slim handheld like the Switch 2 without making any critical compromises. If taking Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, Yuffie, Cait Sith, and Red with you wherever you go outweighs any technical limitations, here you have one of the most important games of recent years finally on Nintendo, and also one of the best recent instalments in the Final Fantasy franchise (if not the best) finally in your hands

World of Tanks: Heat fundamentally works, but it doesn't leave much of an impression, has a limited array of content currently, and is weighed down by the typical live-service design choices that have made this section of the game industry the most tiresome and indefensible of them all. But hey, it's free-to-play so give it a go and see what you think at the end of the day.

Yerba Buena is a decent little puzzle game with a good basic concept, which unfortunately doesn't quite take off, and it all ends up feeling more like hard work than entertainment and that's a shame. And the reasonable price tag of just under £21 can't change that.

Despite complaints about the structure, I like the game even if it isn't perfect. The developers are trying to experiment and improve on their core design from the first game. Looking back, it turns out they haven't quite succeeded fully. However, I would argue that it succeeds well enough to give it a go if you enjoyed the predecessor. Although the Necron campaign could have had slightly more interesting upgrade trees, the battles are a bit too frequent and the missions are on rails, the package as a whole is more than passable.

I've found myself glued to the screen with One Military Camp, just as I did with Citadelum. Its endless cycle of things to do makes it excellent entertainment for whiling away the hours, and although I'd love to see larger menus in the handheld version, I won't rest until I've led my boys to victory.

There are a few bright spots without question, and the visuals are clearly one of them. I also fundamentally love the type of combat the game features, as I simply find it fun to fight using cards. But even though these two factors shine, Echo Generation 2 will unfortunately go down as one of the bigger disappointments of the year for me.

Mina the Hollower therefore never feels like a cheap attempt to ride the simple wave of nostalgia. It isn't just another game in an ocean full of new-old indie titles with tacked-on retro graphics. This feels like a game that truly understands why so many of us fell in love with that era in the first place. It wasn't just thanks to impressive pixel art or infectious beep-boop music, but also for the sense of adventure and exploration. The feeling that there was a fantastic WORLD crammed onto a tiny cassette, a world full of limitations, certainly, but one that also felt like something greater than just a collection of pixels on a screen.

007 First Light has plenty of hits and plenty of misses. In answer to the question earlier, there is enough in this game to give you confidence in IO Interactive and its broader vision for this style of a James Bond game, with plenty of ambition and quality oozing out of every crack. But there is clear room for improvement too, areas that would take this game from being simply an enjoyable and great action-adventure project and elevating it to be something truly unmissable. As it is, you'll enjoy 007 First Light, but it's no Uncharted 4 and it's no Hitman 3, either.

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced is a game to look out for, whether you played the original or want to give this relatively standalone instalment a go when it launches in just under two months. It flirts with the past, adds new elements and is packaged in a style that has been almost synonymous with Capcom in recent years when it comes to lavish remakes. [Hands-On Impressions]

There are moments that feel very cinematic, where the atmosphere is thick and the journey truly feels entertaining, but there are a few too many things that get in the way of its lofty ambitions. As mentioned earlier, it also feels a bit too often like an at times flashy tech demo, but on the other hand, that can also be quite a significant advantage in a linear experience like this.

Summing up Bubsy 4D is a much more enjoyable task than I'd ever dared to hope for. Sure, the short playtime, the occasionally barren environments, and the visual compromises made for the sake of frame rate prevent the title from reaching the very highest echelons of platforming. But once the controls are where they should be and you're whizzing across the screen with a smile on your face, the graphical shortcomings fade into insignificance. Fabraz has achieved the seemingly impossible: they've removed the old source of embarrassment and made the red-haired Bubsy relevant again. It may not be a ground-breaking and flawless masterpiece, but it is a genuinely strong, challenging, and incredibly entertaining platforming gem that far exceeds expectations.

There are parts of Thick as Thieves I enjoyed. The world has a strong stylistic core and some of the background elements in the story piqued my interest, too. It's also quite hard to bomb on a game that does just cost £5. However, it is a drastically disappointing project, too. When we're a decade removed from Dishonored 2 this year, I would have loved for a game, any game, to try and take its place. Good level design is appreciated in Thick as Thieves, but it's hard to really praise when you've only got two levels. But hey, I could just be a grump about this, and for the price Thick as Thieves is at, it may be worth trying, just to see if you enjoy it more.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book isn't really my sort of game, but I can see - and appreciate - what Nintendo is trying to do here: namely, to create a game for younger players in which virtually all barriers have been removed. The gameplay has its ups and downs; it's a game that encourages play and exploration, but the non-existent difficulty level will likely divide opinion.

There have actually been a couple of moments during the adventure where I've wondered whether I should award our absolute top rating (something I haven't done since 2021). Ultimately, the slightly too easy difficulty level and the somewhat unpolished combo system in the battles meant I couldn't quite justify it - but having said that, this is by far the best Lego game I've had the privilege of playing. There is such a vast amount to discover and unlock, and it has such excellent co-op support that I would highly recommend this to everyone.

I didn’t think Zero Parades: For Dead Spies would turn out as good as it actually did. The only real downside is that it constantly lives in the shadow of its big brother and the genre’s master, Disco Elysium, the game that, in a way, redefined the modern CRPG genre.

The oceans are eerie, and I don't think Subnautica 2 has lost what made its predecessors unique and great. You should be aware, however, that you get very little of the story - more of a starter than a main course and dessert. It's this limited content and technical issues that mean I cannot justify a higher rating. However, I am extremely optimistic about this project and hope to revisit the game once it is released in its full version. [Early Access Score = 80]

Horizon 6 disappointed me. Me, who has played all six instalments in the series. I feel some of the progress Horizon 5 introduced is missing; I don't think Playground are willing enough to experiment with everything from progression to UI design; and I don't think Japan comes across well as a setting here. But conversely, this, along with the last handful of Horizon games, is one of the best arcade racers you can find, based on everything this game predictably executes so masterfully. I therefore take the liberty of recommending Horizon 6 solely on the basis that it works as well as it does, although I must once again recommend that Playground Games really take their time to be more ambitious in the future.

The Great Circle on Nintendo Switch 2 continues to offer a pure Indiana Jones experience, where its successes in adapting to a less powerful system outweigh the limitations it faces. With a few launch tweaks to improve those platform-specific features, MachineGames still has plenty of treasures to bring to players with the game.

For once the smoke has cleared and the blocks have fallen into place, Drop Duchy offers a charming adventure where cute graphics blend with interesting and engaging gameplay. It may not be a ground-breaking take on the puzzle genre as a whole, but it is nonetheless an exciting concept with a great many clever touches. If you enjoy tactical thinking and relaxing puzzle-solving, this is an obvious purchase, and if you're willing to get to grips with all the complex choices on offer, you'll also find a game that you can spend countless hours playing over the coming summer months.

The story's closure and major points leave me cold, but I look back on the bulk of it and I'm still left marvelled by the awe-inspiring sights, the creative puzzles that soar in quality at their best, the moments of personal banter between Harry and Elizabeth that made me smile. For every step back it takes, there are two steps forward, and even if some don't cover that much distance, it leaves at a spot that seems worthy of its status.

I'm tempted to call Directive 8020 Supermassive's best game. It probably doesn't surpass the blast that I thought Until Dawn was, as in many ways, it was far more kitschy and downright cheesy, but it worked well as a sort of party horror game. Directive 8020 is a serious sci-fi story. It doesn't surpass its sources of inspiration, but it doesn't pale in comparison either. All the gameplay mechanics Supermassive has worked with before work better here than ever. It's also undoubtedly the game in the series with the most traditional stealth gameplay, and fortunately, the developers show that they know how to do it here too, even if they aren't taking any big risks.

It's as if Limited Run Games had plucked them from a bargain bin, where Sega's Marvel titles, Capcom's X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse and The Punisher, among others, had already been snapped up. As mentioned, the aforementioned X-Men stands out with its fury, gorgeous pixels and genuine entertainment value, but otherwise it's too little, too late.

If you are a newcomer to gaming and open-world games, then Outbound is a reasonable first recommendation for you to play. It's simplistic, low-stakes, cosy camping fun with accessible puzzles and foraging elements that are even better experienced as a multiplayer game.

Constance is a pretty nice Metroidvania, yet another one for the collection, one might be tempted to say. It feels good to play; for the most part, everything just works as it should and it actually touches on everyday topics that many can relate to. You might wish for a bit more innovation, since the game plays it safe within the Metroidvania genre, but a game doesn't necessarily need to set new standards to be entertaining and worth your time, and Constance is a great example of that.

Far Far West is an easy-to-recommend game that has the potential to be a must buy if you're into PvE co-op experiences. Its gunplay requires a good dose of skill, but you can balance your lack of a solid trigger finger with luck thanks to the Joker cards you can pick up during a run. Its design oozes personality, and while I'd love to see more of it shine in more NPC quests scattered in a map, they can come in time.” [Early Access Score = 80]

Everything from the graphics, music and sound to the tank simulation and much more has been improved. At the same time, there are still areas for development, such as the AI, more maps, the user interface, the visibility of your troops, and a more content-rich multiplayer mode. There are also certain aspects of the balance between the troop types that need reviewing. For these reasons, my rating lands a little lower than what I would give the fourth instalment today, with all content included. When it works, it's good, but at present there is room to improve even further.

This is a game, which while not particularly mechanically complex, has been crafted with such a clear creative vision that it's hard to fault. Every part of Mixtape feels as though it belongs, be it the stop-motion-like animated characters, the picturesque and colourful artistic direction, the straightforward but refined narrative premise, the incredible use of music that has been expertly curated. Mixtape is a movie brought to life in a way few can rival and while it may be over in a flash, what Beethoven & Dinosaur has presented with this game will leave a noticeable impression on you long after the credits roll. Seriously, go and play Mixtape. You won't be disappointed.

Wax Heads is a cosy, relaxing little game and especially if you're a music fanatic, it's lovely to potter about running the little record shop. The simple gameplay is perhaps a bit too simple, and the challenge lies in the vague clues the customers give, so it can all get a bit monotonous. However, I think Patattie Games deserves credit for trying something new, and it's actually a great idea they've come up with here and the fact that it's all been created by just two people with help from only a handful of external contributors is even more impressive. If you enjoy good music and are looking for a relaxing and cosy game that's particularly well-suited to your Switch or Steam Deck, then Wax Heads could be a really good choice, and you can try a demo on Steam if you'd like to check it out before you buy.

ZPF is definitely a shoot 'em up worth taking a closer look at. Technically speaking, it's very impressive, and had it been released on the Mega Drive during the console's heyday, we'd probably have mentioned it in the same breath as classics like Galenancer, Thunder Force and Truxton. It gets most things right and really only falls short in that there is sometimes a bit too much happening on screen at once, and that the game's wildly varied environments don't quite give it a sense of cohesion. But with its satisfying upgrade system and a highly customisable difficulty level, it's a must-have for any shoot 'em up fanatic's collection.

It's packed with profanity that rains down alongside the sarcasm we recognise from the series, featuring a colourful cast of characters that does justice to the Invincible universe in a fighting game that anyone can play regardless of prior experience, and have a right good laugh in the process.

In short, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is practically everything I could have asked for in a new game in the series: an experience familiar enough with the past to connect with my fondest childhood memories of keyboard and mouse, whilst adding new features such as factions and game subsystems to make me think and immerse myself fully in its universe and gameplay. It's a new era for strategy, and I'm delighted to be back on this path.

MotoGP 26 remains a very strong game in a series that does justice to the real-life MotoGP, and gameplay-wise it's entertaining, but unfortunately it feels as though the series is starting to slow down a bit too much. There simply isn't enough new content, nor does it feel sufficiently different from last year's title.

What we ultimately have here, what you're being asked to invest in, is the cover band version of Ad Astra. It's a gaming experience that feels as though it's been held together with duct tape, and only in fleeting moments does the narrative emerge that made me forget these otherwise obvious shortcomings. It's a shame, and I take no pleasure in sending a talented studio back to the drawing board, but I cannot recommend Aphelion, not even to those who pick it up "for free" via Game Pass. It simply isn't worth your time.

Gorn 2's virtual brawling is entertaining time-killing fun, whose strengths lie in its consistently high-quality execution and silly premise. The story provides a suitable reason to fight and the game also offers the chance to take on various challenge battles outside the main story. Although you end up facing the same enemies a bit too often and the damage can be a bit too sensitive, Gorn 2 has taken the potential of the first game to the next level and made whacking its rubber foes even more fun.

Ultimately, Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth delivers more of what we saw in Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley. It's an accessible adventure for a younger audience where the charm of Tove Jansson's stories meets simple gameplay mechanics, and it's easy to recommend this if you enjoyed its predecessor. Admittedly, the adventure on offer this time around may not be quite as grand in scale, and much of it can feel a little too familiar and repetitive at times, but a quiet, atmospheric winter's day can, as we know, be just as inviting as a warm and lively afternoon in the sun. Hyper Games continues its tradition of respecting the source material in the very best way, and if you like Finnish little trolls, these digital fairy tales are the very best on the market right now.

Saros is a fantastic example of just how much good can come from giving a razor-sharp developer the time and freedom to create the game they want from a clear vision. For whilst Saros is, in scope, Housemarque's biggest game to date, it still feels laser-focused in its desire to bring bullet hell into a 3D space and equip the whole thing with an engaging sci-fi story set in a fantastic world.

Minishoot's Adventures has nothing new to say about twin-stick shooters, shmups, or the typical Zelda formula. It's the things you know, just remixed in an innovative way, and perhaps that's enough. It doesn't change your relationship with these respective genre frameworks, apart from convincing you that these frameworks are flexible enough for this sort of thing to be entirely feasible, and that's probably a victory in itself.

When it stumbles, it falls flat on its face, but when Masters of Albion succeeds, it reminds you why Molyneux is still in the business after all this time. It has a quality to it that lets you overlook a lot of its most glaring flaws, a sense of humour that reminds you of your first time playing Fable, and a unique, ambitious approach to a genre we don't see enough of these days (aside from the other recently released god game Sintopia). Masters of Albion is not a triumph. It won't knock Fable down to become Molyneux's new legacy-defining game, but it certainly leaves its impression. [Early Access Score = 60

The team behind Tides of Tomorrow made a name for themselves with the brilliant Road 96 and Road 96: Mile 0 - both of which were great stories. Tides of Tomorrow is no different, and the game had no trouble keeping me hooked during the 11-13 hours it took to complete. DigixArt are good at telling compelling stories, and they do so again with this game; this time, they spice it all up with this 'asynchronous multiplayer' mechanic, which is certainly a nice gimmick - and which makes the game one of the freshest narrative adventure games we've seen in a long time.

Arcadia Fallen II has pleasantly surprised me. I could easily see myself going back to play the first game just to get the full story. If you're a fan of visual novels, this is a really good choice with a strong story, good characters and solid dialogue. It's a quiet game. A game you play over a hot cup of coffee. Or tea with a little bit of honey in it.

Right now, the game is sorely lacking in content, but if they expand the number of playable monsters (its Pokédex), introduce more mechanics such as Terastallising, Gigantamax, or even the long-forgotten Z-Moves, it could offer greater variety. The question is how much of the (surely massive) player base will remain by then. Right now, it's all about the novelty and the fact it's free, but once everyone's had a go, will there be more than just the hardcore fanbase left? We'll see. For now, Pokémon Champions is a good introduction for new players, but the seasoned veterans will surely feel that something is missing.

Vampire Crawlers is nothing short of outstanding and its possibilities are dizzying. Play at your own risk, for this is, if possible, even better and more polished than its predecessor.

It's beautifully designed and takes you through some impressive and mind-boggling worlds, but I'd say you need to be a real fan of these detective games for Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss to be worth your while. As mentioned earlier, there are elements that make the whole thing a bit too convoluted and slow the game down even further than it already is. There are also a number of technical issues that are hard to overlook.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is cosy and full of creative joy for anyone willing to take the time to build a Mii community with personality. I would argue that it requires a fair bit of imagination on your part as a player to get the full value out of the experience. By that, I don't just mean a desire to create visually, but also an overarching concept of who your characters are and what their relationships with the other residents should look like. Essentially, build your own story and see what happens. For me, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is primarily a great tool for creative thinking, whilst it's then up to us as players to decide what we want to create.

There is so much charisma exuding from this game it's almost hard to dislike it and the pacing and gunplay is strong enough to keep you entertained when you aren't dazzled by the incredible art and animation.

Replaced is, after all, about emotion, which it has in abundance, with a story that resonates deeply, feels refreshing without reinventing the wheel, and, moreover, doesn't feel the need to provide all the answers.

All of the features that Outerloop has incorporated work as intended, and while there is a bit of jank in the movement and exploration, it is a generally well put together game. But it also feels like there could have been much more here, or rather, a grander focus on a few design features and an elimination of others to make for a more refined creative vision. As it is, Dosa Divas is a perfectly acceptable game, but it had the potential to be much more.

Pragmata simply works too well not to recommend it, and the magic lost in the empty spaces may not be as obvious to you as it is to me. That's why I'm giving in and recommending Pragmata on the strength of its strong gameplay profile and well-constructed loops and structures, even though part of me would have liked there to be a bit of edge beneath the cool exterior alongside all the great design.

There's quality and genuine brilliance in this game, but at the same time I can't help but feel as though it'd benefit from either having more interactivity and player-geared gameplay or rather a complete focus on narrative and letting a hand-crafted and highly refined story flow of its own accord. Perhaps we'll see a change in the future of the series, but whatever ends up happening, one thing is clear and that is Reunion once again nails the core elements of what makes a Life is Strange game special, so credit to Deck Nine on that front once more.

If you're not exactly a die-hard RPG fan, People of Note can be a nice, accessible and cosy little RPG that tries to do things a bit differently by adding musical abilities to a traditional RPG, and if you buy into the slightly simple premise, it actually works.

At its core, this is a very ambitious and impressive video game that's a massive improvement on much of what the mobile platform offers, but it's weighed down and held back by the inclusion of the intrusive and demoralising mobile elements that continue to give the platform a bad rap. Does it work as a game to log into for 20 minutes a time while commuting to work? Without question. But could you sit down and play The Division Resurgence for hours, eventually clocking hundreds of hours into the gameplay as is easily the case with its console and PC counterpart projects? No, it does not have the structure or legs to be such a title.

If you choose to take on Elemental: Reforged, you'll get a competent 4X game with slightly dated graphics and not the most knowledgeable of AI opponents. Thanks to the fact that you do so much else during the course of the game, it rarely gets boring. Although this title is the best in its series, I think certain competitors like Age of Wonders 4 offer sharper experiences today.

Darwin's Paradox! may be here for a good time, not a long time, but what a good time it is. Bringing classic platformers up to more modern standards, it proves a short, sweet, mechanically sound experience that I'll gladly take more of if ZDT Studio wants to bring this plucky octopus back to our screens.

So long story short, Super Meat Boy 3D comes across as a game that doesn't evolve the series but rather takes it down a different path it doesn't need to explore. The theme, the tone, the style, it all still comes across as authentically Super Meat Boy, but the gameplay has a slightly uncomfortable edge where it doesn't quite feel right for one reason or another. Super Meat Boy may be back but this isn't the character in top form.

If you like Star Trek, it's hard not to recommend this to you. It's a sharp game with issues that can often be attributed to the title's budget. It can become somewhat repetitive because the strategy aspect doesn't really offer much variety in its setup. What you do in the first solar system, you do - with few exceptions - in the later star systems as well. Despite this, I still think it's a competent product and perhaps one of the best games in the Star Trek universe I've had the pleasure of testing.

These are games that stand the test of time, which wouldn't have benefited from more polygons, and which have been well revamped with higher resolution where appropriate (such as in battles and on the maps). If you're looking for classic Mega Man action, this is definitely not for you, but if you want a typically cosy Japanese "happy-go-lucky" adventure with a deep gameplay system, then it's really easy to recommend this lovely collection.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is still one of the finest 2D platformers in recent memory, so there's still that going for this upgrade and pack, but at the same time, if you can save yourself close to £20 and simply buy the base game and leave it at that, I wouldn't discourage doing so, as Meetup in Bellabel Park and the Nintendo Switch 2 Upgrade is simply not must-have content.

If you're playing with a controller and have a reasonably good PC, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is the ultimate version right now. If you want to experience this classic and have the opportunity, this is definitely the version I'd recommend. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a masterpiece and as close to art as a game can get.

It's a slightly odd mix of fast-paced arcade racing, an unbalanced game, a story that takes up too much space, almost too many systems, and controls that demand a lot from the player. Screamer isn't a bad game, but it tries to do almost too much. I would have liked it to be more straightforward. More like Ridge Racer could have been in 2026.

Crimson Desert can be a place where you can lose yourself for months as a player, but don't expect all those hours to be spent on an enriching adventure in a world that, I repeat, is wonderful. I can overlook certain technical issues given the scale of the project and because they may be fixed with a patch, but there are simply too many design conflicts across all the systems operating simultaneously for me to call it a 'masterpiece'. If you can simply live with that and enjoy the journey, even without necessarily understanding where it leads, then this open world is worth a try.

The Ghost of Glamping is brilliant through and through—fun without being superficial, lighthearted without feeling silly, and with a narrative thread and coherence that many other games can only dream of. Quack-tacularly entertaining.

Marathon’s foundations are solid, strong, and well-functioning, and although the game might lack a hook, or simply maps that build on this solid foundation, I feel confident enough, even without Cryo Archive, to recommend Marathon solely on the basis of this rather fantastic loop. That doesn’t mean Marathon is a fantastic game in itself, but it could very well turn out to be one, and that’s more positive than for a great many other live-service games.

Docked may essentially be all about moving heavy things, but it does so brilliantly, and sitting behind a joystick on any of the machines is, as we know from an old internet legend, what gives you power. So, I find it difficult to see how this type of simulator could be made in a more entertaining way than Docked actually manages to do.

It's a shame, really, because the period is interesting, and the idea of following a female knight through plague-ridden Italy could easily have been the starting point for something really exciting. But in its current form, 1348: Ex Voto is difficult to recommend. Perhaps some patches could improve the experience in the long run, but as the game stands right now, I simply didn't have much fun with it.

The original review was scored a seven, and I give the remaster the same. Ultimately, it is simply a good Japanese role-playing game without belonging to the greats of either the genre or the series.

It's yet another shooter in an already overcrowded genre and despite Carpenter's name and the (at times) beautiful aesthetics, there's nothing here that stands out or makes you react. Fun in small doses? Absolutely. But something you'll be talking about in a year's time? Hardly.

There is a saying that "it's the journey and not the destination that counts," and those are words I have always lived by. But what do you do when the journey is sadly boring and all you want is to reach the destination? I'm not really sure which target audience will appreciate this game. It's for ages three and up, and maybe a very small child would enjoy flying a parrot on an uneventful adventure with no point whatsoever, but what do I know? But I need something more and, above all, something meaningful.

Fatal Frame II: The Crimson Butterfly Remake certainly has its flaws, but it also manages to show an uninitiated player like myself why the series has earned its place in horror history, even if it can't quite measure up to the latest offerings from its famous relatives.

Midnight is a very solid expansion. Levelling remains exciting, gear acquisition feels less tedious, and Blizzard clearly understands what makes the game work. It's World of Warcraft at near its finest once again.

This game is aimed at the more old-school role-players out there, and if you remember and loved Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age: Origins, then you'll probably like Greedfall: The Dying World. However, the game never really grabbed me. I really loved the beautiful world, which drew me in time-and-time-again, but it was difficult to get started (a boring tutorial of 3+ hours is simply too much) and, basically, only half of the combat system really works.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 has a very strong combat system, a visually appealing world, and the huge amount of monsters you can find and command in battle make up for some of its more uninspired elements and a rather dull story. Hardcore Monster Hunter fans, displeased by the "casualification" of the series in Wilds, may find a good excuse to return to the Monster Hunter universe here, but that will depend on how much they enjoy the turn-based JRPG genre, with all of its quirks and clichés.

Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road has its problems: certain aspects are too repetitive and monotonous, and all the many point systems can be difficult to understand, but overall it is a really good game.

WWE 2K26 is the best the series has to offer in the ring, and most game modes have been improved from last year, but the introduction of this new season pass may scare many away.

If, like me, you enjoyed Scott Pilgrim as a kid, and always wanted more of this unserious, nerdy franchise, then Scott Pilgrim EX is a perfect dose of pixel graphics, evil exes, and enemies that burst into coins when they're defeated.

Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf does not set any new standards for the genre and continues in the footsteps of the first game, so if you liked Wishfully's debut game from 2023, this sequel is a no-brainer.

Esoteric Ebb is simply a lovely RPG that puts player agency front and centre. Its world is fantastically immersive, deep, and invites you to stay a while with charming visuals, characters, and lore so detailed I'd gladly take another game or two set in this world.

I have had a very pleasant time in Pokopia, which never ceases to feed me with new things to do. Pokémon's living conditions must be improved, items must be built, and properties must be planned. We've probably all experienced the kind of game where you repeat the mantra "I'll just do this too" over and over again until you finally look up and realise that it's five in the morning and you haven't slept a wink. That's my experience of Pokopia in a nutshell, and I already feel the urge to dive back in.

The Disney Afternoon Collection has given us a proper Disney collection that we can carry with us on our Switch 1 and 2. If we had got a few more SNES titles and they had been given the same love as the NES titles, I would probably have been willing to raise the rating on this collection even more.

I highly recommend Resident Evil Requiem for anyone who only has a Switch 2 or who particularly enjoys switching from TV to handheld mode (with headphones, of course). If you're not looking for maximum fidelity and visual luxuries above all else, this is a very serious port that knows where to make sacrifices and therefore retains the shock value and immersion of the lead version, a great job by Capcom and automatically one of the best games in the Nintendo Switch 2's young catalogue.

Reigns: The Witcher is just more Reigns. If you still find this gameplay formula fun and entertaining, there's a lot to love, but if you think it could use a more significant overhaul, this instalment won't exactly impress you much more than the other highly similar chapters did.”