The overall feeling we got from Uprising is one of a game not quite up to the standard of the very best Contra games.

Crimson Shroud is clearly Matsuno's labor of love, but it's a shame so many of its features failed in execution and proved more annoying in practice.

Online multiplayer is there if you tire of the campaign, but win or lose, you can only play so much Greed Corp before you feel there's just nothing more to get out of it.

But while the suicidal rodents look sharp and the gameplay is still some of the best puzzle gaming around, there’s no escaping the fact that Lemmings simply doesn’t bring much that’s new to the table.

Though a slowness to change and evolve hinders Tony Hawk Project 8's greatness, the developers sank a gargantuan lump of time into making the skating feel genuine, and it's enough to revitalize what is broadly the same game with a few newborn adoptions.

We didn't expect a lot from NHL Slapshot, which may explain our delight at what we found. With the right audience, it's a superb hockey game with its own unique charm and "this is all about having fun" vibe. There ain't nothing wrong with that.

What it all boils down to is this: if you're hurting for a Metroid-style adventure on a handheld, this might be your cup of tea. If not, then you'll probably be just fine skipping over this good-looking, though clunky 2D adventure.

PGA 2K23 is a fine golf game that builds on its predecessor in every way, with fabulous gameplay, shot craft, and depth.

It's more of an interesting but unfocused experiment than a tight, compelling Mega Man game.

Got charm for miles, and that’s a lesson many, many games could stand to learn.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is chaotic, delightful proof that managing dinosaurs is no walk in the Jurassic park.

Hyrule Warriors has brilliant Zelda fan-service, but is ruined by unimaginative combat and brain-dead enemies.

An open world racer that gets better the more you play it, revealing a wealth of high-quality racing in a beautiful, technically spectacular Hawaii. While it lacks originality, it is better than Forza Horizon 5 in several ways.

Despite its bland and overly simplistic exterior, ShootMania Storm is like a blank canvas for FPS fans' creativity.

They say the devil’s in the detail, but Color Splash proves quite the opposite. In the minutiae it excels, while many of its broader systems hit a little wide of the mark. Despite its flaws, it’s very difficult to dislike, perhaps because every niggling issue is quickly followed by a moment of grin-inducing silliness or awe-inspiring beauty. This might not be the return to classic Paper Mario that its devotees have been awaiting, nor is it a bold reinvention that vindicates Nintendo’s need to innovate. It is, however, one of the most heartwarming games you’ll play this year.

In many ways, Arkham Origins is a lot like the Gotham that it's set in; weirdly empty, but so much fun that you're going to be able to overlook most of the flaws.

A short and satisfying space adventure which really is laugh out loud funny.

Somewhere amongst all of the clunky design decisions is the charming style that made the LEGO series so popular. The game just oozes charisma, and as long as you're not banging your head against the wall trying to figure out what to do next, it's solid, lightweight fun (especially when played co-operatively).

And wouldn't it be cool if you could edit, save and upload your videos to the internet, complete with visual effects and filters? Yeah - that's almost positively going to be in the PS3 version. Until then, this will get you by, especially if you're throwing a party.

A stunning example of interactive storytelling, Firewatch's greatest success is making you feel like it's really happening to you. And the less you know about it going in, the more you'll enjoy it.

The game's meant to be a no-frills, no-pressure entry point into the Wii and its bizarre new way of playing videogames, and it's impressive that it manages to be a lot of fun at the same time.

There’s good stuff here (especially for what, two bucks a game?), but sometimes not even modern hardware can recreate the past very well.

It sacrifices a lot of its character to focus on creating a solid core experience, but it's good dumb fun that will easily keep you entertained all the way up to its anti-climactic end.

We were amazed at how much time the game swallowed, meaning time was flying, meaning, well, we all know what that means.

Beyond Light delivers one of the best raids in Destiny history and some of the best story moments in Destiny 2, and that's more than enough to make up for a few disappointing gaps.

Suikoden is mainly all about the obsessive-compulsive scrabbling for all 108 "Stars of Destiny" - which means yes, there are literally 108 characters to meet and recruit to your cause.

RoboBlitz may be a tad on the short side, but at around 15 bucks, the price of admission is perfect for the amount of fun you'll have with this game.

Fantastic showcase for Move.