Other low-budget signifiers include some bland-looking riders and effects, not to mention few "known" artists on the soundtrack. But in the areas that really count – offering a compelling, substantial simulation of the sport – Stoked is the best option for virtual powder fiends we've seen in some time.

EDF 2025 makes the most of repetitive gameplay with its charming over-the-top vibe. The new classes do a lot to mix up the straightforward formula; the online co-op, sadly, does not.

It's this progressive difficulty that makes Joust just as intense today as it was 20 years ago, and a welcome addition to the Live Arcade for those who fondly recall the Defender days of yore.

Rani and Becks are an appealing duo to share adventures with, but they deserve something more exciting than The Gunk has to offer.

A great game to play with a friend or sibling, and it's as easy as walking in and out of the camera's view. But what the game excels at is that it harnesses the charm, personality, and high-quality visuals that the property is known for.

The dungeons are well-designed, the action is well-balanced and fun, and even the characters are likeable. This is a must-have for any action-RPG fan or anyone looking for something different on the DS.

If the developer could have just tightened up a few minor technical issues and injected a little more soul into the proceedings, this might have been Spidey's best game yet. Instead, it’s just a satisfyingly entertaining experience and a big step back in the right direction.

A very strong multiplayer offering tarnished by overly complicated character progression, and a lavish, beautiful story campaign lacking in substance or subtlety.

A novel mecha-based take on the hero shooter that delivers the pilot fantasy with style and feels like what a modern-day team-based Virtual On might be. Yet, while more approachable in its hero and extraction shooter guises, it also lacks deeper level customization in favor of more shallow cosmetics delivered with aggressive microtransactions.

It's only disappointing that Brink feels so confined by its own premise. Its innovative mechanics far outdo its lifeless, confining story, and, while respectable, its pure focus on multiplayer, team-based objective matches confines it further...Brink is still a very good game, and it deserves notation - just below Team Fortress 2 - as an exemplary team-based shooter.

The world that it all takes place in is amazing on terms of size and beauty. However, this is a hardcore MMO designed first and foremost for devoted players with lots of time to invest - just to get to level 10 will take you a few days, whereas you can hit that level in "WoW" in a long afternoon.

Yes, the action can get tedious over time, as you realize that strategy takes a back seat to cheap super-moves and quick fingers. But there's something here.

It’s our favorite baseball game of the season, even if it’s really just an action game dressed up in pinstripes.

Part sci-fi body horror, part thrilling detective yarn, Slitterhead is a story of humanity versus monstrosity in a city where both are plentiful. Bokeh's debut release bravely takes strides to manipulate, challenge, and evolve how we play horror games, and while some of these risks do not pay off as well as others, Slitterhead's sheer creative ambition is impossible to ignore.

Not everyone is going to appreciate the deliberate humor or the bad acting found in EDF 2017 Portable, but those who want a solid arcade shooter that offers plenty of challenge are sure to come back for more.

If you can look past the last-last-gen flaws that absolutely should be gone by now, there’s a totally playable bit of gaming here that’ll scratch your RPG itch for the time being.

Evoking the essence of late-'90s platforming without significantly modernising it, Yooka-Laylee is a game with noble aspirations, grounded by clumsily flawed execution.

It’s absolutely functional and undeniably one of a kind, the product of a truly creative mind - but it’s so atypical and requires so much effort to appreciate that very few will find it truly worthwhile.

The game isn’t great, but its much better than you’d expect, and certainly worth the purchase if you’re buying it for a youngster.

Fast, frenetic, and frequently spectacular in scale, Lost Planet 2 will do the job if you have an itchy destruction finger, and provides some fun and well thought-out times in co-op. But ultimately, it's just all about the carnage, and frequently seems to have no care for the needs of the solo player.

QuickSpot delivers exactly what it promises, nothing more, nothing less. Some may be disappointed with the lack of in-depth gameplay, but that's not what this game is about. For what it's intended to be, QuickSpot nails it.

If you can get past these problems, The Undergarden is a competent puzzle game with beautiful (if a bit samey) art and music direction, a light hearted concept, and an absolutely adorable protagonist.

The story is also new and not half bad, revolving around the theft of a shipment of lightsaber crystals and a shadowy cabal of force-using goth mommas called the Nightsisters.

It's a snap to learn and a breeze to play, whether tackling one of its half-dozen goal-driven scenarios or wrangling with a few friends online.

Blackgate doesn't overstay its welcome, clocking in around a lean 6 hours; completionists can expect to take closer to 8 hours tracking down every last object. And while much of Blackgate feels like an attempt to emulate bigger and better Batman games, it's still quite enjoyable in its own right.

Shadows of Almia is longer than the first Pokemon Ranger game, and there’s still a lot of charm here. It’s just that the game backing up that charm is too simple and too familiar for us to recommend to any but the youngest, more easily pleased of pokemaniacs.

Consider Legend of Heroes a satisfying snack that will tide you over until a must-have PSP RPG main course is served.

Project Cars 3 is a great way to get into sim racing for newcomers thanks to its overtly gamey career mode, but the move into proper ‘simcade’ territory feels odd and unfulfilling.