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.

If you love the (Yakuza) series, you'll love this too. It's crazy, action-packed, and addictive, just as it should be. I can't wait to see what (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio) and Sega come up with next, but I think I'll recognise a lot in it.

My only quibble would be, perhaps more harshly, that these versions don't offer any new cutscenes or content for the returning player. They are the nexus that will connect the past to the present of the franchise and the future Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, but if you've played them in the past (even in the near past on Nintendo Switch, in the case of Kiwami 1), I don't see too much urgency in returning to this Kamurocho. For anyone who doesn't mind reliving two classics, you're in for the best possible version of them.

So, while I can't say whether you'll find much joy in finding all of the collectibles and having to explore Kairos, especially multiple times as you level up the different Vault Hunters, I can promise that Borderlands 4 is a step forward for this series, an improvement on Borderlands 3, and a title that shows Gearbox still has ideas, some on the mark and some not, for elevating and innovating with its tried and tested formula.

Everspace 2 offers great graphics, awesome music, brilliant sounds, and a fantastically fun gameplay cycle. I didn't anticipate that this easy-to-play, intense action setup would last for an entire game, but I'm not dissatisfied or bored after 50 hours with the title.

Depending on how you look at the Switch 2 version of Star Wars Outlaws, it's either a subpar version and a disappointment compared to other formats, or it's a technically impressive feat that almost shouldn't be possible. Both of these statements can be true at the same time.

Bionic Bay and its tough and demanding action won't be for the platforming fans out there who bask in the delight of Spyro the Dragon or Kirby, but those who enjoy the increased challenge that comes from Crash Bandicoot and games like Mario Maker will absolutely fall in love with this game. It does enough from a gameplay and level design point of view to stand out, all while the art direction and visuals continue to attract and hold your attention. Sure, it could do with a bit of extra focus from a narrative standpoint to make its campaign more memorable, and the audio and soundtrack is serviceable at best, but other than these minor problems, Bionic Bay impresses and is absolutely a game that platformer fans should be keeping an eye on.

The original Ghostrunner gave us a simple premise and great action which combined to give us a thrill we didn't know we needed. Its sequel then steps in much more confidently, fleshing out the world, introducing new characters, while still giving us the same irresistible formula that charmed fans in the first place.

I am left with a somewhat vanilla taste in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar. An adventure that certainly won't disappoint those who know what they're going for, but may feel a little empty to new farmers if they don't connect with its routine. Country life in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is not for everyone, but it's not bad at all.

A low introductory price, a simple structural premise that allows for mechanical quirks and a well-constructed aesthetic - what's not to like? Well, as with some indie games there's a slight mismatch in the amount of mechanical variety, the number of active systems and the overall length of the experience.

I've spent the past few days completely hooked on Do Not Feed the Monkeys 2099, and I think part of the reason is that, much like the game's protagonist, we all spend most of our day glued to a screen and working remotely.

Venba is an interesting, thought-provoking, and emotional tale that is worth checking out. The cooking gameplay and the engaging narrative, matched up with the eye-catching and colourful South Indian cuisine-inspired colour palette make for an experience that is well worth the 1-2 hours it will take to complete it.

To cut to the chase, the technical performance is just not good enough. However, this can all be forgiven, because with fairly simple means Odd Meter manages to build a seamless gaming experience that entertains along the way and leaves you with food for thought.

Darkest Dungeon II is still promising, but lacks meat around its bones. The 3D art style has been a success, but many changes to core mechanics are either underbaked or too plain, and the user interface needs more love.

Ultimately, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero feels like a game made for the fans, above all. It oozes fan service, and the amount of content and characters proves that the developer wants to satisfy the needs of as many people as possible. It's because of this that the playability comes across as a bit of an imprecise slap in the face, as this otherwise competent action game sometimes struggles in practice.

Overall it feels that the WWE 2K series is back for real. This year's version is light-years better than the disaster WWE 2K20 and also a step up from last year.

Convergence: A League of Legends Story is a really solid platformer, and an even better story. There are some minor annoyances throughout, and the game peaks fairly quickly with a slow middle section, but the end payoff certainly makes it worth sitting through in its entirety.

Jemma "moves a little differently" in this world and that is not just fine - it's what gives Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure a double purpose in terms of both unique gameplay and narrative. It makes you think, and not just about the puzzles themselves, while you try to make everything fit, or perhaps while you are actually disarranging what was a bit too arranged. For this lovely adventure we're thankful, this is the game you all have to play this summer.

F1 Manager 2024 is a joy to play, with the hours flying by at a downright terrifying pace and I can't help but tip my hat to what is so far the most complete, competent and absorbing F1 Manager experience you can get, well... without actually being employed as a manager of a real F1 team, of course.

Jagged Alliance 3 pays homage to its predecessor and is one of the stronger turn-based titles of the year. It's intense, difficult and manages to enchant with its addictive gameplay. If you are completely new to the genre, it tries very hard to dissuade you to keep playing, but if you get comfortable with the set-up, everything changes.

Such ambition, especially when coming from a smaller studio, often leads to a messy, directionless game, but Microbird Games have avoided such pitfalls. It's too bad they're Austrian, for I really want to compare the game to a Swiss clock - each of the individual parts are of extremely high quality and work together in nearly perfect harmony.

For the first time in many years, I feel like the Madden series is going somewhere. It's been stagnant, it's had major problems with all sorts of things, and it's mostly been frustrating. That feeling has mostly not been present in Madden NFL 26. It's definitely not problem-free, but it's the best this series has produced in a very long time, which in itself, is nothing to brag about.

Outside of the game not being too friendly for complete beginners (especially once they remove pulse combos), it having a small roster, some overpriced skins and a few teensy network problems in multiplayer, I can wholeheartedly recommend 2XKO.

If you are a PlayStation owner who has been eyeing Avowed on Xbox and PC, you now have the opportunity to jump into the adventure here, and you can do so with confidence. It's still an excellent fantasy role-playing game, and it has only been improved by the major Anniversary Update, which is included in the PlayStation 5 version at launch.

With its vibrant visuals and looping roguelike elements, Ultros is a Metroidvania that dares to be different and for that alone, it earns my respect.

You're hardly reinventing the wheel here, and were it not for Braking Point and the new LiDAR-scanned tracks, it would in all honesty be hard to recommend F1 25 to anything but the most dedicated. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, my final conclusion is much the same as last year. Does there need to be a new F1 every year? No, absolutely not.

Thunderful has delivered a sequel that feels like an evolution of the format that made the first game so special, with a rich aesthetic, great buildcrafting and progression systems, tight combat, better exploration, and that typical SteamWorld charm creeping out of every crack too.

Company of Heroes 3 is a well thought-out and visually enjoyable game that feels very similar to its predecessors, but adds a lot of improvements and an entirely new Mediterranean-themed theatre of war.