Improved lane-hopping controls and fun multiplayer make this a blast to play, but it's as an interactive music album where new Amplitude really shines. You need to experience it.

The Secret World is admirable for attempting to inject much-needed originality and life into MMORPGs, but while its fiction and theme succeed, its mostly derivative questing and stale combat fail to justify the steep time investment.

There aren't many multiplayer party collections that offer this much bang for the buck.

Lego Batman 3 has all the ingredients of the other, enjoyable, Lego superhero games, but is let down by clunky controls, poor signposting and questionable translations of well-known comic book personalities.

Gran Turismo on PSP is not quite as slick as its PS2 or PS3 brothers and the lack of a career mode is surprising. It's clumsy at times and the quality varies immensely, but it's still a class act.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide delivers an action-packed cooperative multiplayer experience with deeply satisfying combat and a spellbinding depiction of the 40k universe. But the game currently feels more foundational than comprehensive, with the emphasis on repetition and lackluster progression systems undermining its grisly joys.

Showtime is completely entertaining from top to bottom, but while it has enough variety to avoid ever becoming boring, it doesn't have the depth for much lasting appeal. But hey, in a world where video games are demanding more and more of my time and energy, there's something to be said for an experience that cuts the filler to deliver polished charm in spades. Princess Peach: Showtime may not be an all-encompassing production, but the entire troupe has given its all to make sure the crowd goes home happy.

An oddly emotional game, Romeo is a Dead Man is Suda51's best in years, marrying entertaining combat with pop culture references and constant creativity. Get through the game's somewhat flat start and you'll find auteur game design at its best, idiosyncratic, strange, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Time has moved past this style of game, and if you don’t miss JRPGs like this one, you’ll end up wishing this vision of the future stayed in the ’90s.

For the patient, the willing, and the people who know exactly what "Flashpoint" and its fans are capable of: go buy ArmA. View it as an investment for the future, because by the time PCs and Bohemia manage to catch up with the game engine it’ll be just as important as Flashpoint’s.

It's worth checking out, if only because there's nothing else out there quite like it, but it probably won't be enshrined in the hallowed halls of RPG classics anytime soon.

I need to emphasize that my problem isn't that Comic Jumper is difficult – I love difficult scrolling shooters – my problem is that Comic Jumper is difficult for all the wrong reasons - and to top it off, the game constantly insults your incompetence with grating voice work.

De Blob 2, like its predecessor, is an undeniably cheerful, whimsical, and infectiously amusing venture that's impossible to dislike unless you're Ebenezer Scrooge (pre-spiritual epiphany, that is). It has some creative gameplay and it satisfies that primitive need to finish a page in a coloring book once you've started it. It's not as deep as it wants to be, but it has enough substance to pick up and play after buying it for your kids (or younger siblings).

The gameplay, as ever, is absolutely bang on and they've gone the extra mile in making this far more approachable for American Football rookies. You can select Madden's plays, which are demystified by the legend himself.

The multiplayer modes are a welcome addition that extend play slightly. With a little patience, Ion Assault is still a solid choice for giving your thumbs a workout.

While its story and action are fantastic, Mafia II is an open-world game with an "open world" that never becomes anything more than an elaborate backdrop for the story. It's a lot of fun while it lasts, but don't expect to be playing this months from now.

As long as you don’t mind the shallow real-time battles, Star Ocean: First Departure holds up amazingly well.

It's a little too short and a little too easy, but its tale of freaky mobsters, crooked gamblers and evil teddy bears is still a good time while it lasts.

Just one warning: The co-op missions do not scale with player count at all, and they are definitely designed to be tackled with four players. Three players? You'll probably do fine, if you're careful. Two? Really stretching it. And solo? You'd have to be a masochist to even try.

It's a shame that Blimp: The Flying Adventures has flown under the radar on iOS systems, but maybe an appearance on the PSN might be what it needs to get its gaming wings. Addictive, challenging and very easy on the eyes, Grip Games has crafted a PS Mini experience that deserves a spin. Just, you know, go easy on the gas.

Dying Light parades its lack of invention and frustrates with some unrewarding missions, but it barely matters: there’s an immediate joy in exploring this compelling concrete playground of undead, explosions, and bins.

Essentially last-gen FIFA 14 with a World Cup mode and a bit of presentational spit and polish. Not worth the money.

This concept is undeniably evocative and cool; unfortunately, the game isn't especially fun to play.

There's a good VR game in Metro Awakening at times, but it feels pulled between its pleasing core combat and narrative ambitions it lacks the gameplay vocabulary to fully articulate. The lack of overall variety, and increased leaning on expositional filling over time, means that while it starts strong its impact fades with continued play.

Cities: Skylines 2 offers the foundation of a world-class city-building game, with a wide array of features, smart quality-of-life improvements, and a genuinely impressive simulation to help bring your town to life. But its promise is completely overshadowed by its technical problems, dragging a fantastic core experience down into frustration and disappointment.

While Hardboiled Chicken loses out on some fundamentals, it does get a fair bit right. Best enjoyed in bite-sized chunks, players can find a lot to enjoy if they're simply looking for something to pick up and play. If you're a fan of side-scrolling shooters and have a weekend to spare, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken may be just what you're looking for.

If you can deal with its quirks, Caesar IV offers a stunning economic model that is sure to challenge even the best money managers while providing hours of play.

All-Stars ends up feeling a little unsure of itself, trying to identify with technical one-on-one fighters and the spontaneous scrapping of Smash Bros. in a way that doesn't completely capture the joys of either. Gripes aside, Battle Royale lays the groundwork for what could be a truly stellar sequel.

With over 250 new puzzles and a level editor to create your own puzzles to send to friends, PQ2 is an easy recommendation for fans of the first PQ or anyone looking for a puzzle challenge on the PSP.

It's exciting, guts-spilling fun in short bursts, but the campaign feels too long and dramatically self-indulgent for its own good. That said, if you want to sever limbs and cleave through torsos using bullets and a blade, you're bound to enjoy yourself. Just don't expect to get your brain or your heartstrings involved.

With its lengthy USB cord (around ten feet) and clingy plastic base, the control is incredibly stable and responsive, even on carpet.

The Elder Scrolls Online features entertaining quests, dynamic combat, and a whole lot of other people. Sadly, those other people largely feel like an unnecessary addition to the game.

With a tightly designed world, and a level of player freedom rarely seen, Atomfall already represents some of the best offline adventuring 2025 has to offer. Best of all, it's keen to allow as many people as possible to join the party.

Free Time is more a gap filler than anything else. It gives a few more things to do and smoothes some rough edges, but there’s a sense that EA is playing out the string here.

Darwin's Paradox is a charming and good-natured adventure that struggles to stand out in the puzzle-platformer genre. Octopus abilities are a nice idea, but ultimately add little to this simplistic adventure that often feels like it's treading water.

If these (songs) seem a little tired to you or you don’t want to pay for the whole collection, maybe just hold off and see if these make their way into the online shop eventually.

Lighter, more focused and ultimately more linear than its predecessors, Forgotten Sands never quite feels like a "real" Prince of Persia game, but its popcorn plot and slickly designed, trap-filled environments make it wildly enjoyable anyway.

Marvel Rivals wants to reinvent the hero shooter genre with its complex characters and special synergies, but it's so preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths. Its oversized roster also needs more balancing – and more differentiation from Blizzard's stable of heroes.

A beautiful-looking game, which is perfect for those with a lot of patience and a natural desire to uncover the truth. I just wish it was more interactive and allowed to do more than just ask questions.

There’s no denying that Neverwinter is derivative. It’s a game of borrowed parts and tweaked ideas that sometimes seems a little behind the times. But each of the game’s systems, from combat to crafting, is expertly crafted--simultaneously offering depth, fun, and accessibility.

This isn't a game trying to reinvent the wheel, but rather one that's just trying to roll along. And if that's what you're looking for, it's a blast.

While not perfect, it's immensely playable and just a bit more fun than its rival. Who woulda thunk it?

But the battles are the heart of this game, and despite a steep learning curve, they’re strategy-filled, immensely deep and visually stunning. If you missed it the first time around, there’s no reason to ignore Yggdra Union again.

By, far, the most notable edition to Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2 is the plethora of new characters. If that sounds like it won’t float your boat, odds are the other minor features aren’t going to be the life preservers.

Don’t be turned off by the difficult controls right away. Once you get used to the steering and can take the corners, FlatOut 2 is an awesome racer with enough destruction and mayhem to last you awhile.

Missing features are balanced out by excellent additions, but if you want the world to see your work, stick to the Wii U version.

Hammerin' Hero is notably short, and the action rarely diverges from the established platform template, but it's hard not to be won over by the humorous scenarios and vibrant personalities of the characters (accentuated by excellent voice acting).

Though Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 doesn't offer anything approaching a revolution in golfing, whether you play your way to the ranked online leaderboards, or just hammer it out with a buddy on the same system, it's truly a pleasure from start to finish.

Sure, its characters may not be all that convincing, and its multiplayer is more a well-crafted distraction than a long-term destination, but the game as a whole contains plenty of unexpected surprises that make it worth your time.

Rainbow Six Extraction is a neat standalone follow-up to Siege's Outbreak mode of 2018 – it has potential but is yet to fully realise it.

While it doesn't feel as vital as Battlefields past, inventive new multiplayer modes and a fresh, if slightly unfocused campaign make Hardline the worthy TV spin-off to DICE’s big budget blockbusters.

Not everything works well in Chorus, but its inventive, hectic space shootouts deserve to have their praises sung.

Music is top-notch again, and the graphics are spiffier overall than in the last game.

And the world is huge. If it was more packed with opportunities for us to use those tools and stunts, this could have been a GTA-killer.

Easily the weakest Live Arcade game to come out in the past two months, but that's not to say it's bad. At such a cheap price, it's actually a pretty nice package.

And while the game has nice graphics for a late PS2 game, it makes the stunningly gorgeous Bond women appear to be stunningly made out of melting clay.

A charming mess. Yes, the unpolished gameplay can be frustrating and, yes, the storytelling can be silly. But as soon as we drove through the gorgeously stylized Paris – then jumped out of our nitro-fueled racecar to snap a unsuspecting Nazi’s neck – we didn’t care anymore. For us, the good overwhelmed the bad.

The customization features alone can have you spending hours playing with costumes and decorations. The races and events are thrilling and the rewards are gratifying. LittleBigPlanet Karting does an great job of mixing franchise's creative features and delivering strong racing gameplay to make one of the most adorable and enjoyable kart racers you can find.

Even if it's not quite everything we hoped, we're pumped that 2K football is back in action. Let the competition begin - again.

But it’s not quite slick enough underneath all those pretty visuals to earn essential status.

BandFuse: Rock Legends is a game with the technology to back up its great premise, but its flawed execution makes it a tough sell in light of its direct competition, Rocksmith 2014.

For fans of hardcore shooters or punishing post-apocalypse games, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is truly incomparable. Unfortunately, due to a litany of bugs, it's the greatest game you shouldn't play right now. Give it some time, and this will be one of the best survival experiences you'll ever play – but until then, only the series' biggest fans should take the plunge.

If you lost interest some time around the umpteenth GameCube iteration, or the woeful Mario Party 8, MP9 is a good excuse to come back. Enough of the old concerns have been addressed and the game is more focused than ever, marking a return to simplicity that reminds us why we loved huddling around those old Nintendo consoles in the first place.

The prototypical extraction shooter, Escape from Tarkov is a shooter I've been playing for the past decade and will be playing for years more. Sublime firefights and just-complicated-enough mechanics make this a great game to lose yourself in, but the immersion only lasts until you need to check the Wiki, which is constantly when you're just starting out.

Not as drastic a change up as its WW1 predecessor, nor as wild or wondrous, Battlefield 5’s deliberative design sidelines its strengths as a simulative sandbox.

Pirates has its moments, but we're ready to set sail in a new direction.

A solid installment for the series with a satisfying story and great multiplayer balance.

When People Can Fly does let you loose across its array of semi-open zones, Outriders quickly reveals its strengths as a pulpy, pacey looter shooter with surprising levels of depth. [Review in Progress]

Not the best Life is Strange episode. Dialogue choices are poor, it often feels like the outcome is inevitable, and - aside from Captain Spirit - few of the supporting characters are likeable. But the core bond between Sean and Daniel remains the key draw.

Lumines Plus on the PS2 scores points simply for being a great game and cheap as balls, but alas, this is the frailest version we’ve ever encountered recently (single player, versus, time trial and puzzle mode - that's it), so you know we’ve got to dock it.

Whether you've saddled up with a previous version of Gun or this is your first time strapping on the six-shooters, this title is not to be missed, as it captures this underrepresented genre like no other game.

Running around and making time your bitch is a sensation nothing else on the DS can duplicate.

It looks underwhelming, but spend a little time with Urban Chaos: Riot Response and it quickly stands out from the crowd.

Crash of the Titans is polished and fun while it lasts. We just have a hard time recommending a purchase when it all ends so quickly.

Life is Strange Double Exposure draws you into a mystery full of intriguing twists and turns in a fresh university setting. The new shifting ability that allows for parallel timeline hopping works well in the context of a murder investigation, but can make it harder to feel like you're truly connecting with the characters. Overall, Max's return feels like it finds its feet towards the end, and is building towards something bigger.

With a handmade look, and a different approach to platforming, Rainbow Curse is one of Kirby’s strongest spin-offs, and one of the best uses of the Gamepad to date.

Simple, strategic combat and an assortment of unique bosses make for intense bursts of gameplay that will keep you coming back for ‘just one more go’. And another. And then one more.

Weird West has the ambition of a much larger game, and has made smart choices to be able to meet it.

If you can justify the entry fee, this Puzzle & Dragons two-pack offers a solid hybrid of enjoyable puzzle mechanics and RPG-lite monster collecting.

There's still plenty of fun inside the good ship, especially in the excellent home base where unlockables are abundant, but the LEGO series seems to be losing its new toy shine. Pirates has its moments, but we're ready to set sail in a new direction.

With such impressive new features in store, it’s easy to lose a few hours just fiddling with your houseboat or adding things to your resort. Though its underwater sections are lacking, the rest of Island Paradise is a great display of what The Sims 3 can still offer fans of the game four years after it first launched.

For all the undeniable pleasure of skimming at zero feet in a rickety torpedo bomber towards a hulking metal monster, we’re left with something too slight to sustain us. Expect cult-multiplayer status, and pray for a sequel.

Though it struggles to pace itself evenly due to a short run-time, To a T is a remarkable, life-affirming wonder. Perfectly un-perfect and proud of it, this is a flag waved high for oddballs – and likely to be one of 2025's most memorable games.

Never Alone is bursting with promise and charm, but is savagely let down by technical flaws and maddening design decisions. Not even the cutest fox in gaming can save it.

Even though most gameplay and options tend to be predictably consistent, The Art of Learning is a great tool for skill building and is put together in a simple easy to use package with something to offer everyone.

Scribblenauts Unlimited is easily the best entry in the series to date, thanks to its family-friendly nature coupled with creative, wide-open gameplay.

But its arcade heritage is just a little too strong, so be sure to ask yourself if a game that wowed you a quarter at a time 20 years ago is worth $30-40 today, with only a mild evolution.

Floodland is a city builder that triumphs because it focuses on its citizens as much as the city. A strong narrative both in its story and in your interactions with the clans means constant decision-making that'll always make you think in a way that city builders rarely do.

A cute My First Metroidvania with charming characters, wrapped up in some fairly basic and uninspired platforming levels. It's not Illusion at its best, but should entertain kids.

Martha is Dead will leave you psychologically scarred. Whether you enjoy the process depends on your constitution and hatred of bicycles.

The lack of changes will disappoint some, but for 20 bucks the minor tweaks and new roster nicely enhance what was already a great game.

TMNT: Tactical Takedown is more experimentally thrilling than you might expect from a licensed game, its solo strategy fights packing so much momentum it almost feels like a brawler. A lack of variety in objectives and environments, along with some balancing issues, leave me wanting more from this short but cheesy (complimentary) experience – but this is still a radically easy recommendation.

But it’s short on new ideas, with a fundamental template that hasn’t changed in the last five years. And in this brave, new, post-Arkham Asylum world, we need a little more than that to be really awed.

It may look unassuming, but beneath its well-crafted RTS-lite design, Eufloria speaks to a much more powerful message than many games attempt. It subtly explores the very basic themes that RTSes take for granted, and asks players to find that meaning. In that, it's extremely successful.

Its quick learning curve and devilish AI seem designed to appeal to the hardest of hardcore RTS fans. But it's just these sorts of fans who may be most weary of this somewhat derivative - though surprisingly solid title.

Oxenfree 2 is a disappointing sequel that takes the flawed gem of a first game and rubs out almost everything that made it shine. A reasonable plot and neat audiovisual effects find themselves submerged under ponderous navigation, flat characters, and overly regimented dialogue.

Competent and stylish in its real-time strategy, The Lamplighters League puts an art deco spin on a simplified XCOM formula, but is let down by real-time segments that dilute and distract from its core offering.

Even though a few aspects of Warhammer: Mark of Chaos aren't all that they could be, it nicely distills all of the best characteristics of the tabletop game. It's as close as you're going to get to the real thing without spending a fortune on miniatures.