If I could wish, I would like the game controls to feel a little tighter, just like I felt when I played Crash Bandicoot 4. Both Niko and Luna move a little too slowly for my taste and their jumping animations are so detailed that it sometimes feels like they are floating in the air rather than relating to real gravity. However, this is only a trifle in the context and nothing that bothers much in a game that I think pays tribute to old classics from this specific genre in the best possible way.

This could easily have become a real hit of the best double-A kind if the game had received just a little more time, a slightly bigger budget and more polish. Unfortunately, the experience is also muddled by bad combat, clumsy directing and several problems of the technical and visual kind. Still, it's not hard to gleam the diamond in the rough here, and hopefully the developers at Reflector will be given more opportunities in the future after their debut, because there is definitely a lot of potential here.

It’s crammed to the brim - overflowing even - with content, works quite well with a gamepad, has serviceable and often impressive graphics, and full crossplay between PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S so you can team with your friends regardless of where they play. But, it’s not without its limits and issues, and it’s for these reasons that New World: Aeternum could do with a bit more refinement and adjustments to ensure it nails the task at hand of being an exhaustive and unimpaired console MMORPG effort.

It's not the most advanced VR shooter as it's after all an adaptation of the original, and yet it somehow felt better to me than last year's Arizona Sunshine 2. It's neither the looker for the same reason, and you'll find the best of both worlds if you manage to play on PC VR... but with a wireless headset. But at under 30 bucks including all the DLC, or as a 10 bucks update for those who own the first game, I'd say you can't go wrong as far as VR zombies go as long as you're not looking for the depth, or flare, or advanced hand actions of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Resident Evil 4 or Village, or the upcoming Metro Awakening VR.

With a meticulous, intricate and yet stable management system, Citadelum promises city builders and management titles fans a handful of hours of fun. My biggest regret is that there is no multiplayer option to compete against my friends' empires, but the creations we can download from Steam Workshop make up for that. It's time to crown a new Caesar.

Europa is a nice little indie gem, that hopefully gets a few more updates on the Switch. Zee's adventure offers the player adventure and great small puzzles. And considering the game only lasts for a few hours, it's a surprisingly varied experience, too.

So all in all, given the content and the ideas, and the customisation possibilities, I think this game makes 2018's quite enjoyable Super Mario Party pale in comparison, which again is not what I was expecting. It's just much more comprehensive, better-rounded, more complete as a party game.

Neva is an exceptionally successful example of how games can be aesthetically stunning, speak to the emotions and at the same time function as games in the traditional sense. In fact, it is perhaps Neva's greatest masterpiece, proving that you can take the experiential feeling of games of the 10s and equip them with a mechanical core that makes them also satisfying and detached from the audiovisual and emotional core that defined titles like Journey and Abzu. And satisfying, that's Neva. Simple, yes. And inventive, sharp and well-functioning. But it's the visuals that remain the star, because it's what elevates the narrative, the gameplay, indeed the whole package to excellence. In fact, to a real stronghold of emotional indie escapism.

Undisputed is exactly the boxing game I've been waiting for, for over 13 years. It looks fantastic with realistic damage and plays well thanks to the excellent and complex controls. Unfortunately there are some minor issues with repetition in animations and commentary, but if you can look past this, I see no reason not to dust off your boxing gloves and punch someone in the face.

Metaphor: Refantazio has managed to meet and defend itself against the high level of expectations that have been growing among gamers over the last few months. With a rich and expansive story and world, memorable characters, a timeless soundtrack and game design praised by some of the best developers in the genre today, I can only recommend jumping into this fantasy.

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.

When you look at it as a standalone game, the Until Dawn Remake has a lot going for it. Its 4K graphics and improved lighting, seamless scene-to-gameplay action thanks to the PS5’s SSD, the usage of the DualSense’s full immersive suite of features, the enhanced audio profile, the tweaked camera angle, and the reworked scenes too all make this a quality horror experience and reaffirm Until Dawn as Supermassive’s best project so far.

Blizzard has listened to the players and many of the criticisms that have been made have been addressed and improved. The game now feels far better balanced and the expansion adds a plethora of new content that makes it even more enjoyable than at launch last year.

It's hard to knock this delightful, simple, easy to love adventure, one where the famed humour of SpongeBob never misses a beat, where Bikini Bottom feels more authentic than we have ever seen before in a video game, where technically-speaking it actually runs really well for a chaotic physics-based nightmare like this, and graphically and visually there's a lot to celebrate and be impressed by.

It's been a great pleasure for me personally to experience one of the modern classics that are considered seminal to the conventions of the genre, and I have to applaud much of Bloober Team's work here. That doesn't change the fact that there are aspects of Silent Hill 2's foundation that appear slightly shaky to me, and your immersion and enjoyment will be dictated by how forgiving you are of a story that becomes a little too thin as the game progresses.

After the misstep with New Gundam Breaker, I'm glad Bandai Namco got the Breaker series back on its feet. It's no masterpiece, but the combat system (albeit repetitive) is excellent and you can sit and build Gunpla for hours.

After seven hours and a laugh-inducingly goofy ending, the cosmically mysterious horror remains mostly a jumble of mazes and unfinished game design. The horror-adventure genre is too crowded to make room for Pneumata, and I think we'll forget about this game and wish Deadbolt Interactive better luck next time.

The game has managed to retain everything that made the original special while giving it the updates it needed to appeal to a modern audience. The story, characters and atmosphere are still as engaging as ever, and the technical improvements make the experience even better. For old fans, it's a nostalgic journey back to a time when adventure games were at their peak, and for new players, it's a perfect opportunity to experience a true classic in an updated version.

There are moments and parts of the game that impress and excel, but there are also plenty of areas, mechanics, and features that frustrate or disappoint. It feels limited on content and mechanically lacking at times, but it's still authentically Looney Tunes and that alone will mean that it'll offer up the occasional laugh and giggle as you plug away, score some screamers, shoot some hoops, tee off, and smash some aces. What else can I say except... That's all Folks!

If the stress and time investment of F1 Manager games put you off of them but you still want the thrill of leading a motorsport team to victory by racing on familiar tracks with familiar sounding corners and landmarks and familiar teams and drivers then Golden Lap does enough right to make this a top choice.

It's a humorous action game that relies heavily on the fact that it feels funny and unique in its presentation.

Is Echoes of Wisdom the perfect blend of old and new? Not quite, because despite the great freedom, some echoes are simply more reliable than others, which makes you wonder if the great freedom is really necessary? Nevertheless, the Princess' debut game is the best example yet of a Zelda game where two very different design philosophies are allowed to compliment and not trump each other, which is why it can be recommended to all fans, new and old.

EA Sports FC 25 is a better game than FC 24 was in many areas and metrics, where much has been improved, and the addition of Rush is absolutely a highlight. However, I can't turn a blind eye to the technical problems. The game has more bugs than I can remember, the menus feel very sluggish, and I've also seen people get completely black screens when they enter matches in certain game modes. These are things that ruin the gaming experience in what is otherwise a good football game.

For a short while I have fun, when for once things go well for me. If it had continued like that without me being brutally punished time and time again, I'm sure there would have been a nice and addictive little game in there somewhere.

Despite a disappointing ending and some irritations with the dialogue and combat, Beyond Galaxyland is an RPG that will remind you of the heady days of your first Final Fantasy, mixed with a Pokémon blend.

If you fancy a slightly old-school 3D platformer, Disney Epic Mickey is not a bad choice. Especially if you associate Disney with happy childhood memories, because the game, like the forgotten Disney characters in Wasteland, deserves a new turn in the spotlight and Purple Lamp and THQ Nordic make sure it gets it with this excellent remaster.

Ara: History Untold is beautiful to look at, offers complexity, and nails its concept with flying colours, but it lacks the customisation options its competitors offer, and is technically substandard. It has great potential to be a truly brilliant addition to the genre if the developers can fix the major technical issues, balance problems, and can update the title properly, turning the game into something that also survives the test of time.

In many ways, Tiny Glade's strengths are also its weaknesses. Of course, it's a very difficult balance to strike because it's easy to wish endlessly for more things. At the same time, I really wish there was a bit more to the flora options and better abilities to change the landscape and introduce greater intricacy in the terrain. However, these small flaws do not prevent Tiny Glade from being a little gem in many ways that I am convinced that those who want to build small cute scenarios can have incredible fun with this game.